Soundcard advice

Stephen1991

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I'm looking for some soundcard advice. I have the Audioengine A5+ speakers with my desktop. For purposes of the soundcard, I use the computer for video editing and listening to music ( a wide variety - source being iTunes, various CDs, and internet (radio, Utube, etc.) about 80% of the time, and gaming about 20% of the time. Most of the time I listen to the speakers, though occasional I do use headphones.

I'm currently looking at the Asus Essence STX II and the HT Claro Halo, though I'm open to other soundcards. Advice?
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Based on reports here and elsewhere, if I wanted a reasonably-priced internal sound card with the functionality of 2-channel stereo i/o in both analogue and digital, and without 5.1, 7.1, or the home/semi-pro-studio unwanted functionality of microphone pre-amps, professional protocols, etc etc, I'd buy an ESI Juli@.

If I did want all that stuff, then I'd look at brands such as Marian Marc, RME and Lynx, for the studio stuff, or, I suppose, Asus for the HT stuff. But I've never had any interest in even reading about HT, so can't really comment.

RME and Lynx are audiophile quality, and it is only audiophiles that don't believe that, but you would pay a hiiiigh price for them!
 
I think that the sound cards you have shortlisted or even the higher end Lynx etc are more than a match for these speakers.

You could look into M-Audio 2496 or the 24-192 version if you want to go for a card that is kind of 'equivalent' to the speakers, if you understand what I am trying to say.

Although they dont have HTPC-useful features like Dolby, 5.1/7.1 etc,
they are musical and they have their own clocks.

And they are affordable too.
.
Do post after you buy.

Happy hunting !
 
Many on this forum and elsewhere have suggested that a DAC would be better than a soundcard. Would that be applicable here?
 
A DAC is half (or less) of a sound"card." (quotes to indicate that it can be external as well as internal: Interface is a better description.

DAC=DAC.

DAC+ADC=Soundcard.

It is not right to say that a DAC is better than a soundcard: all DACs cannot be better than all soundcards --- or the other way around.

It could well be right to say, for instance, if all a person wants to do is play sound, then why pay for the unwanted recording functionality.

There could be several reasons as to why one would buy one rather than the other, but it should not begin with an assumption that a DAC is better than a DAC/ADC. Look at some of the high-end DAC/ADC interfaces!

It should begin with the question of purpose. What does a person want to do with it. What do they not want to do with it. Most music listeners won't take long to decide on a stand-alone DAC. I'm using a standalone DAC --- but not because it is better than any sound"card" I've ever owned: I doubt that it is.
 
Don't over-estimate my knowledge :eek: --- but I have been playing, at least, with PC audio for over ten years. Way-back-then, low-end sound cards really were rubbish, and USB1.0 was not very good for audio. Things have moved on ---to the point where even the DACs on phone motherboards can be pretty good!
 
great,Not sure yet what soundcard I will be getting - I am looking into the ones suggested here.
9B7ES5
 
Consider the Asus Xonar Essence series too... ST & STX.

The ESI Juli@ will be an excellent purchase too.

PS - Not sure about the video editing and the occasional gaming... a 5.1/7.1 might serve your purpose better there, or you can always get a second card (or your mobo should have one) for the 5.1/7.1 experience.
 
The biggest advantage of Xonar STX is that you can change the opamp to your preference / to match your monitors. I tried 4/5 opamps before settling on LEM49990. A soundcard like STX can be a better transport than onboard toslink/co-ax out if at all you decide to add a DAC later.
 
The biggest advantage of Xonar STX is that you can change the opamp to your preference / to match your monitors. I tried 4/5 opamps before settling on LEM49990. A soundcard like STX can be a better transport than onboard toslink/co-ax out if at all you decide to add a DAC later.

Mathan what do you think of Asus Xonar U3 and U7 (a U5 is also on the anvil) from the purview of a laptop. I will only be using the digital out to connect to my yamaha amp which has a good DAC.
Also what do you think of this which I saw today on ebay and also ordered.

PCM2704 USB DAC USB TO S Pdif Sound Card Decoder Board 3 5mm Analog Output | eBay

This transports CD quality and lower files which is what I mostly have.
 
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Mathan what do you think of Asus Xonar U3 and U7 (a U5 is also on the anvil) from the purview of a laptop. I will only be using the digital out to connect to my yamaha amp which has a good DAC.
Also what do you think of this which I saw today on ebay and also ordered.

PCM2704 USB DAC USB TO S Pdif Sound Card Decoder Board 3 5mm Analog Output | eBay

This transports CD quality and lower files which is what I mostly have.

I haven't personally used or read review about them. But, try to avoid toslink as much as possible because of jitter. Coax will be better. Something like Peachtree Audio T1 would be nice.
 
I have used asus xonar ST but i feel there is audible noise in its analogue output, dont have idea about Julia, Do demo before buying it
 
I don't know what the relationship is between Audiotrack and ESI. Both produce products with the name Dr.Dac. Both have an interesting product range, including of course, ESI's Juli@
 
I don't know what the relationship is between Audiotrack and ESI. Both produce products with the name Dr.Dac. Both have an interesting product range, including of course, ESI's Juli@

The answer for your questions is itself there when you google it

AUDIOTRAK
AUDIOTRAK
Select this to go to the website of ESI Audiotechnik GmbH in Germany. ESI used to manufacture and sell several products with the AUDIOTRAK brand name.
 
@ kannan,

Hi,

Have u received the eBay usb DAC kit u ordered?? After hooking it up did u find any audible difference, plz share your experience.

Regards

Yes I recd. it. It is VFM. Works out if the box with both Windows and MAc, no drivers needed. Built my own custom box using an old laptop adapter casing.

However I later also purchased the Xonar U7 which is superior.
 
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