Which sound card should I get?

[Jonathanese]

I'm currently on the lookout for a long-term sound card investment.

I currently use on-board sound, and use my DJ Console Mk-II for FL Studio. The nice thing is that I can plug my guitar directly into the mic port and it works fine. The downside is it can only really record in 44.1/16 and has a really high noise floor. Also, the output is limited to 48/24. I suppose with Nyquist theorem, I don’t NEED higher.
A while back, I tried getting an Sound blaster Z from Fry’s. They didn’t have it yet so I figured the Recon3D would be similar. I’ve never been so wrong or so disappointed.
So here are the cards I’ve been looking at:

-ASUS Xonar series
-X-FI Titanium HD
-Sound Blaster Z/ZX/ZXR

And here are the features I’m looking for:
-Low noise floor output
-Plug guitar into Mic input
-very low noise input
-96/24 or higher
-5.1 surround
-ASIO support
-Future-proof

And I’m trying to stay under $200.

 

[hybird9012]

I have used Asus Xonar before, it didn't blow my mind away in any aspect. I felt that it was just as good as my on-board. I recently purchased a Logitech G430 and Sound Blaster Z and let me tell you, it is like day and night. The logitech G430 comes with a 7.1 usb dongle (sound card) which ables logitech to brand the headset as 7.1. Now when gaming and listening to music, the dongle was incredible. I was able to hear sounds that I couldn't hear before (with both on-board and Xonar). Since I didn't want to operate with a USB dongle sound card, I decided to buy the Sound Blaster Z. I game and do sound designing for small films, this card (especially with a budget in mind) is well worth the small-ish price tag comparably. Hands down it is the single best audio card I have ever purchased.

If you're looking to save money but want the exceptional power then check out Newegg's Sound Blaster Z OEM deal at $57. The only thing is it doesn't come with a microphone or shield, but you get the same card in the retail version. Here's the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=29-102-054


Just for sound quality, I'd get
- Sound Blaster Z, ZX or ZXR (there is no difference in the card between Z and ZX, just the ACM controller - so it's preference)
- Heard a lot of good things about the XiFI Titanium too

 

[Jonathanese]

I was thinking of getting the ZxR because of the higher-quality components, and having the ports right there on the desk would be nice. I ended up stopping by Best Buy and I saw the Z there. It was right in front of me, so I kinda bought it as an impulse.

I'm really fairly impressed with the sound quality from this thing. I tried ASIO, but it sounded funny. Looked in the drivers and realized it also applies all the effects to ASIO audio. I sqeed when I realized I can now have a universal equalizer that also goes through ASIO. Tweaks galore!

I also tried plugging in my guitar directly to the mic port. I had to disable the crystalvoice effects. Once it was up and running, the noise floor was still there, unfortunately, but it was at least more warm and consistent, rather than clicky and annoying like it was before. The guitar has a nice warm sound through the mic in.

I'll probably just build myself a USB mini pre-amp or something to boost the signal, then feed it into line in, rather than mic in. But at this point, I wonder if I'm hitting a minimum to my input noise.

 

[hybird9012]

Nice! You will be happy. You are always going to get a noise floor. Like you said, you'll need a preamp to fix most of it, if not all of it. At least you have a high quality sound card to really mix your music the way you want it and hear a wide range of frequencies.

Yeah crystalvoice is great for games and voip but I turn it off too for recording. It actually raises the treble/mid so you will get a little bit higher noise floor.

As for your guitar, definitely plug into line-in. I don't really recommend plugging it into the mic input - fidelity will be off and you will get much higher noise floor. It won't sound nearly as clean too. If you are using an acoustic guitar, get a good mic and feed it into the mic input.

 

[Jonathanese]

When I had crystalvoice and noise reduction on, the input was intermittently turning on and off each half second. I was still debating on saving for the ZxR, since this is sort of a long-term investment thing. I'll just have to see how much use I get out of this card, since I've only had it a day.