realtek onboard vs sound card

[grim.reaper]

How good is the quality of sound provided by realtek On board sound chip (RTL8101L)?
I am planning to buy Logitech Z-2300 (2.1 speakers)..
Do i need a sound card too or is on-board sound support good? If yes then which one?
Im getting speakers these for 7.5k. Dont mind investing another 2k for a much better sound experience if reqd.

 

[moserw]

These days the onboard Realtek does deliver pretty decent sound. You will not notice much improvement in SQ unless its a high-end sound card you are going in for. The Asus Xonar range delivers great SQ but it costs around 9-10K when I last checked, though might have come down but not sure of it.

 

[spirovious]

Well dedicated system alway do better than clouded.
Like graphiccard is always preferable to onboard graphics.(performancewise)

Onboard sound cards are above average & seperate has good component,dedicated drivers,processing chip.

Personally I will compare realtek(my PC has) to Onkyo HTib decoder.
When I use DVDp & AVR combo,sound outcomes bold,heavy.
But when I connect 5.1 out from PC to Onkyo ext-analoge in ,sound seems open,more wide & stereo imaging.
I am surpriced with this.

 

[moserw]

I totally agree with you cranky/spirovious. Even I use a Creative rather than the onboard Realtek which does not work very well with the required drivers on my Vista I might add. My point is there is not going to be much difference with a 2K card either which is the intended budget or so I thought from the OP.

 

[grim.reaper]

thanx for the valuable info provided in the reply..
I guess I'll try out the speakers 1st without the card, and if the need arises, will think abt it...
I had a terrible experience with FX-5051 (altec 5.1 speakers) as the speakers started giving cracking sound after 2 months of purchase
The service centre, couldnt repair it/replace it, gave me the money back as it was under warranty
It lacked the punch(bass-wise) n hence after going thru lots of forums, i found logitech Z-5500 n Z-2300 to be good..
I hope Z-2300 is a good choice, as many ppl have recommended the same

 

[grim.reaper]

probably THX certification is something which is a mst.. FX-5051 didn't have a thx but Z-2300 has it...
even mx-5051 has it but somehow i wont trust altec

 

[anm]

can anyone suggest a good USB sound card (I need to connect it to my old laptop, which may not last very long) that can do 24/96 ? Please provide ballpark cost too. Budget ~5k
I am thinking of creative x-fi.
regards

 

[anm]

which model of m-audio? they are very expensive it seems. At least 3x my budget

 

[anm]

npithub.com says 7200.

 

[iaudio]

npithub.com says 7200.

So any progress? did u get the asus xonar u1? is it too bulky? Any idea where it is available in India and is there a significant price difference if you buy from the usa?

 

[spirovious]

These days the onboard Realtek does deliver pretty decent sound. You will not notice much improvement in SQ unless its a high-end sound card you are going in for. The Asus Xonar range delivers great SQ but it costs around 9-10K when I last checked, though might have come down but not sure of it.

I think DX is for 4.5k?