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Best sound card for under 150?

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  • Asus
  • Speakers
  • Components
  • Sound Cards
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March 29, 2014 6:48:33 PM

I am looking to upgrade my sound card in my system. I currently have a Asus Xonar DSX and would like something better as i plan to upgrade my speakers as well later on. Right now i have the Logitech z506 5.1 and have been eyeing the z906. I'm not set on those i just haven't seen many others for less money with digital optical ports which are a must for me. So what would be a nice sound card for a great pair of speakers? if i have to il go a little higher if need be. When i get the new sound card the old one will go in my lower end build, and same with the speakers.

I7-4770k(soon will install a Cooler Master v8 gts i just got)
Asus z-87
24GB ram Corsair(2x4) and g skill(2x8)
Cooler Master storm scout 2
128 Samsung pro
3tb Seagate
7970 ghz Sapphire 3x24 Asus eyefinity
6570 an additional 24 monitor in and 55 in tv
two additional 24 in monitors on Intel integrated graphics
all 6 24 monitors on a hex stand
Logitech z506 5.1
Asus Xonar DSX

More about : sound card 150

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May 3, 2014 10:02:14 AM

frogsot said:
filippi said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Sound Card: 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($181.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $181.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-29 22:56 EDT-0400)


Please explain why you think I should get these sound cards and not just post random ones.


The short answer is that the HT Omega eClaro is an excellent card, but here is the long answer.

1.) Mother boards are fazing out PCI so PCIe is the way to go.

2.) The eClaro gives you analog 5.1 and 7.1. All other high end PCIe cards with great specs (GREAT SPECS is the key phrase here) and swappable op amps (with the exception of Auzentech which is out of business) require a daughter card (2 cards) for analog 5.1 or 7.1. These 2-card sound cards are much more expensive, eat up an extra slot and are no better than the eClaro.

3.) The eClaro has less driver and compatibility issues than asus or creatives high end cards. (as evident in newegg's reviews)

4.) MORE ON ANALOG. Optical is great for stereo but it cannot send a full quality 5.1 or 7.1 signal. With optical the surround signal is a compressed lower quality signal than the original that is then reprocessed or post-processed @ your speakers control module if it has the capability.

So with digital optical you are you are taking a low quality surround signal then post-processing it into analog in a control module of much lower quality than a high-end sound card and then amplifying it for your speakers.

With a good analog surround capable sound card you are processing a full uncompressed surround (5.1 or 7.1) signal into analog for your speakers amp with no post-processing with inferior components.

Whether your amp/speaker system is good enough for you to tell the difference depends on what you have, but regardless the quality will be there.

If you are just going to use optical and your motherboard already has it (IMO) there is no need for a sound card since most of the work is post-processed @ your speakers control module.

However if you want great quality surround sound you still need a 5.1 and/or 7.1 analog capable sound card.

5.) I have been using a HT Omega eClaro for 3yrs and it's quality is 2nd to none (don't let the size fool you). It replaced a creative sound blaster x-fi titanium hd that was nothing but problems and had no analog for surround. The HT Omega eClaro is a great card.:D 



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May 3, 2014 10:20:37 AM

Idonno said:
frogsot said:
filippi said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Sound Card: 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($181.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $181.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-29 22:56 EDT-0400)


Please explain why you think I should get these sound cards and not just post random ones.


The short answer is that the HT Omega eClaro is an excellent card, but here is the long answer.

1.) Mother boards are fazing out PCI so PCIe is the way to go.

2.) The eClaro gives you analog 5.1 and 7.1. All other high end PCIe cards with great specs (GREAT SPECS is the key phrase here) and swappable op amps (with the exception of Auzentech which is out of business) require a daughter card (2 cards) for analog 5.1 or 7.1. These 2-card sound cards are much more expensive, eat up an extra slot and are no better than the eClaro.

3.) The eClaro has less driver and compatibility issues than asus or creatives high end cards. (as evident in newegg's reviews)

4.) MORE ON ANALOG. Optical is great for stereo but it cannot send a full quality 5.1 or 7.1 signal. With optical the surround signal is a compressed lower quality signal than the original that is then reprocessed or post-processed @ your speakers control module if it has the capability.

So with digital optical you are you are taking a low quality surround signal then post-processing it into analog in a control module of much lower quality than a high-end sound card and then amplifying it for your speakers.

With a good analog surround capable sound card you are processing a full uncompressed surround (5.1 or 7.1) signal into analog for your speakers amp with no post-processing with inferior components.

Whether your amp/speaker system is good enough for you to tell the difference depends on what you have, but regardless the quality will be there.

If you are just going to use optical and your motherboard already has it (IMO) there is no need for a sound card since most of the work is post-processed @ your speakers control module.

However if you want great quality surround sound you still need a 5.1 and/or 7.1 analog capable sound card.

5.) I have been using a HT Omega eClaro for 3yrs and it's quality is 2nd to none (don't let the size fool you). It replaced a creative sound blaster x-fi titanium hd that was nothing but problems and had no analog for surround. The HT Omega eClaro is a great card.:D 





thanks but your way late. I have already gotten a asus xonar phobus
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May 3, 2014 1:38:23 PM

Well sorry I'm too late. According to specs the asus xonar phobus should be a decent card. It also features C-Media's first chipset made specifically for PCIe. The main reason it didn't make my recommendation is 28% of the newegg reviews only give it one egg, mostly due to driver issues.

How are you finding it?
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May 3, 2014 2:21:02 PM

its a great card, and i found that most of the one egg reviewers are morons. Most of there problems could be solved with a google search. you must disable on board sound, uninstall older sound card drivers and something with nvidia sound needs disabling as well. If you don't do these thing then it causes problems, and even then you got people plugging cords into the wrong ports since there not color coded. For music there arnt any profiles other then the default one. to get the best sound you have to mess with the equalizer, which my friend did for me. Movie setting same thing though i haven't messed with it yet. It is such a nice card turning up my speaker to the max with no sound playing results in almost no noise. You have to put your ear the the speaker to hear it. gaming is a wonder and that is the main focus of this card so i don't complain about the movie and music profiles since that is what this card was meant for in the first place. In fps i can hear sound from farther away and more accurately as well. sound effect and explosion are amazing even with my z506. Im hoping to get the z906. also this card is 181 on amazon
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May 3, 2014 3:42:56 PM

frogsot said:
its a great card, and i found that most of the one egg reviewers are morons.

Somehow I don't find that surprising at all.
I have known for a long time that different sound drivers don't play well together and I always disable other sound devices like on-board and video card sound, then I only install the drivers I need for the audio hardware I use. It's kind of a no brainer, but then again see above. LOL

Asus is my favorite hardware company, but as someone that's really into music and quality sound in general it has annoyed me that asus's high end cards haven't had analog 5.1. It's like they figure that if you like music you only need quality stereo and if your a gamer you don't need quality 5.1

As somewhat of an audiophile I can see where allot of music sounds best in stereo, but I also have a rather large collection of music DVD and blue-ray IMG files that were made to be listened to in 5.1 and even though I don't game often that doesn't mean I don't want the best possible quality when I do.

So I was intrigued by the initial pre-release reviews of the phobus and was pleased to see that at least from my point of view one card maker (Asus) was on the right track, then was then disappointed by the later user reviews. I'm glad to see that it's working well for you and the user reviews may just be skewed by the millions of morons we all know are out there.:D 


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May 3, 2014 6:14:10 PM

Idonno said:
frogsot said:
its a great card, and i found that most of the one egg reviewers are morons.

Somehow I don't find that surprising at all.
I have known for a long time that different sound drivers don't play well together and I always disable other sound devices like on-board and video card sound, then I only install the drivers I need for the audio hardware I use. It's kind of a no brainer, but then again see above. LOL

Asus is my favorite hardware company, but as someone that's really into music and quality sound in general it has annoyed me that asus's high end cards haven't had analog 5.1. It's like they figure that if you like music you only need quality stereo and if your a gamer you don't need quality 5.1

As somewhat of an audiophile I can see where allot of music sounds best in stereo, but I also have a rather large collection of music DVD and blue-ray IMG files that were made to be listened to in 5.1 and even though I don't game often that doesn't mean I don't want the best possible quality when I do.

So I was intrigued by the initial pre-release reviews of the phobus and was pleased to see that at least from my point of view one card maker (Asus) was on the right track, then was then disappointed by the later user reviews. I'm glad to see that it's working well for you and the user reviews may just be skewed by the millions of morons we all know are out there.:D 




Well this card is a 7.1 and my music plays out of all 5 of my speakers. Would you know the best setup for doing a custom 7.1 surround sound? I am looking into building my own setup rather than do 300 on a pre built 5.1. I know that it would cost a lot more, but if i can get an extra 2 speaker and better sound out of it I may do it.
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May 4, 2014 1:02:30 PM

Well the easiest way would be to turn an existing 5.1 setup into a 7.1 by adding 2 powered (or active) speakers like some audioengine 5's for your front L&R and then use the ones they replace for your additional 2 surrounds. Then if you want you can have stereo on some pretty nice speakers for music and 7.1 surround in games and video.

Another would be to forgo the sound card, buy a 7.1 home theater receiver, connect it through your video card and buy some speakers. The only reason I didn't chose this option is I didn't want a receiver sitting around my desktop and I don't know how that would work with 3 monitors.

I have a Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Multimedia Speaker System W/Upgraded Amp & Speakers (Front R/L Infinity bookshelf, PSB center) and I have about $1,400 into it, but inspite of that it will never have the potential that a system with a 7.1 home theater receiver could have.

Building your own 5.1 or 7.1 for your computer with quality speakers can get real expensive, real quick.

You can also buy professional audio monitoring equipment, but you should expect to pay between $1,600 and $10,000+ for a set of completely self powered 5.1 speakers. So while a buying a home theater receiver for my PC is not the option I chose, in so many way's it is the best option.
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May 4, 2014 6:36:57 PM

Ah i see. I guess il get the z906 and when games start to use more 7.1 il add another two the the setup. Thought the problem with just adding another two would be the length of the cord.
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May 5, 2014 6:14:12 PM

frogsot said:
Ah i see. I guess il get the z906 and when games start to use more 7.1 il add another two the the setup. Thought the problem with just adding another two would be the length of the cord.


Not really the new powered speakers would be connected directly to the sound cards front output most likely (depending on your speakers) by a 3.5 mm male plug that then splits into 2 (front left, front right) female RCA type plugs.

The rear and center/sub would be connected just as they normally would, but the side output on the Phoebus would connect to the front input on the Z906 and you would then connect the side (906) speakers wire to the front speaker wire terminals on your sub.
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May 5, 2014 7:48:03 PM

Idonno said:
frogsot said:
Ah i see. I guess il get the z906 and when games start to use more 7.1 il add another two the the setup. Thought the problem with just adding another two would be the length of the cord.


Not really the new powered speakers would be connected directly to the sound cards front output most likely (depending on your speakers) by a 3.5 mm male plug that then splits into 2 (front left, front right) female RCA type plugs.

The rear and center/sub would be connected just as they normally would, but the side output on the Phoebus would connect to the front input on the Z906 and you would then connect the side (906) speakers wire to the front speaker wire terminals on your sub.


i looked into the ones you listed their 400 bucks. too rich for my blood. id rather spend around 100 on the extra set of speakers or less since they wont be used as much
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May 5, 2014 8:12:44 PM

frogsot said:
i looked into the ones you listed their 400 bucks. too rich for my blood. id rather spend around 100 on the extra set of speakers or less since they wont be used as much

That was just one example of many possibilities. Just remember if you do go that route they have to be powered (active) speakers.

You could always get something like these Behringer MS16 Active Monitor (pair) $79.99
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May 5, 2014 8:29:55 PM

Idonno said:
frogsot said:
i looked into the ones you listed their 400 bucks. too rich for my blood. id rather spend around 100 on the extra set of speakers or less since they wont be used as much

That was just one example of many possibilities. Just remember if you do go that route they have to be powered (active) speakers.

You could always get something like these Behringer MS16 Active Monitor (pair) $79.99


yea they look good. i guess il just have to balance quality with lost cost for the extra set
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