General: On Board Sound

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      CommentAuthorcoyote
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008 edited
     

    I was reading a preview of an MSI K9N2 Diamond mobo, it seems mostly OK with the new nForce 780a chipset. What I found intersting was the complete removal of the onboard audio. Well to me that's a great idea, it seems the space has been use for better things and I suppose more useful things.

    I generally dislike on board sound, it isn't up to the standard of a decent pro sound card, although vast improvements have been made recently. What MSI have done is supply a PCIe x1 X-Fi add-in card with the board. I have little idea how good this is as I would like to try one before making a judgement. some like it and say it's the best thing since Spode opened a forum, some say it's worse than the better quality on board sound.

    But, (to start a sentence to make Lolly wince) you don't have the power and space wasting, non removable on board electronics, which after all you did pay for, but may never use. This way you can use the X-FI card if you like it, or sell it and buy something better.
    I like to have more choice on the mobo's I buy, only one of my four rigs is using on board sound and that is only very temporary until I get the cases and guts transferred from two rigs. This ageing AMD 939 machine and the newer AMD AM2 6000+ rig I'm going to use instead.

    Any opinions, comments, or better ideas on how computer sound should be implemented?

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      CommentAuthorLolly
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    Heh. It's OK to start a sentence with "but" if it's a logical continuation of the previous sentence (but better grammar to use a semicolon instead of the full stop before it). But starting a paragraph with it? :P

    I'm actually all for better integrated sound for certain systems. Since there is a lot of motherboard noise analogue on-board audio is never going to be as good as it would be on an add-in card, so taking it off the board and onto a PCI Express card is a good idea for most systems.

    However, on a low profile system destined for use as a thin client, media centre, etc., having the sound on board takes up less space in the system and the quality isn't normally needed. On a media centre system, of course, you would hope that it would be the digital audio outputs which would be used (and that therefore there would be no quality reduction due to motherboard noise), so features like DTS Connect and Dolby Home Studio would be very desirable in this type of board, so that high quality compressed 5.1 digital audio can be sent along a single digital cable. Even better, this audio should be combined with video into an HDMI connector (or, even better than that, the royalty-free DisplayPort). Nearly all motherboards of this type will be microATX.

    Happily, this is starting to happen. A great many microATX boards are starting to come with decent integrated sound with all the digital excitments - all of Gigabyte's range ending in -S2H have it, Asus' Digital Home range are starting to get it and many others manufacturers are following suit.

    So: Good onboard sound for microATX boards destined for media centres
    OK / cheap onboard sound for microATX boards destined for thin clients
    No / addin board only onboard sound for full ATX boards and high performance microATX boards

    :) Enjoy the long post...

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      CommentAuthorcoyote
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    Now that is annoying, somehow that just ate my post and I was touching nothing!

    Lolly, thanks for the grammar lesson, that is actually very helpful. :D

    As a quick reply before it disappears again, yes I agree with your summery.

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      CommentAuthorLolly
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    I like summery. Alas it is still quite springy. Soon, perhaps, it will again be autumny and wintry... :P

    Spodey - the post eater is back! :(

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      CommentAuthorcoyote
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    ^%&$%*. Summary. :$

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      CommentAuthorLolly
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    Lol.

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      CommentAuthorSpode
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    It's back? Crazy!

    I would have used "However," instead of "But,".

    :)

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      CommentAuthorcoyote
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     

    Trying to broaden ones vocabulary and keep ones thread in mind isn't always that easy. Especially when one has to rush a post before it disappears. I think I will use Word to compose the post then paste it before whatever it is times out. "However" is a good one Spode, I will keep that word in mind. :D

    • CommentAuthorMike
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2008
     

    I like your point Coyote. I'm using onboard sound atm, but it is High Definition, so I didn't previously think I needed to change...but seeing your post is giving me second thoughts.
    What do you think?

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      CommentAuthorSpode
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2008
     

    Well I have an X-Fi, but I'm not using it at the moment because of space in my Shuttle. But when I used it on my full machine, I was quite impressed by the crystaliser.

    I find you only really hear the noise when you are listening to something really quiet, or through headphones - where you might get hard drive interference...

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      CommentAuthorcoyote
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2008
     

    There is something timing out on here Spode. Try writing something more than five or six lines long and leave it, it times out at around (Guessing here) fifteen minutes. Yes, it can take me that long to compose a post.

    This also appears when I click on "Add your comments" sometimes.

    "Some problems were encountered
    There was a problem authenticating your post information".

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      CommentAuthorcoyote
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2008 edited
     
    Posted By: Mike

    I like your point Coyote. I'm using onboard sound atm, but it is High Definition, so I didn't previously think I needed to change...but seeing your post is giving me second thoughts.
    What do you think?

    The rig that's using on board sound is also called "Hi-Def" Mike, whatever that means? It's OK, but it is noisy . I find this background digital hash on board sound seems to suffer with blurs the overall sound. You may not be able to hear it most of the time, you can heat it's effects. I've not had the pleasure, or otherwise of hearing the X-FI card, because that means I would have to buy one. If I hated it, then that's a waste of money.

    On the rig I use for best sound quality I found a semi pro card that kicked the proverbial (please put your own expletive here) out of even some of the best Creative soundblasters I have. The card is an M-Audio 2496.

    at £69 it's a bargain, you won't believe the difference this card makes until you try one.

    See it HERE Unfortunately you can’t hear it! Then again it does depend on what you are listening to it on. Cheap computer speakers are a waste of money with any kind of sound manipulating equipment. HiFI standard amplifiers and speakers are a must to get the best out of the M-Audio. You don’t have to go OTT with the HI-FI, highly recommended entry level stuff should do fine.

    • CommentAuthorMike
    • CommentTimeApr 21st 2008
     

    I think my PC speakers are adequate - THX Logitech Z2300s.
    I don't think you can buy a better set of 2.1 PC speakers...... (c)
    Bit heavy on the sub, but that suits the music I listen to (but not my neighbours...)

    Hi-Fi is definitely on its way in the future, but being a student.....even a cheapo decent setup is at least a couple of hundred - unfortunately it'll have to wait. Thanks though - I know who to go to for sound advice! (No pun intended!) (@)

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Copyright Andrew Miller (Spode), 2008