emu soundcard or audigy 2??

[khanhhuynh4u]

ok i just read something about sound card that the audigy 2soundcard are best for gaming but not for music and that the emu are the high end cards and alot better for music??

have anyone heard both of them and compare them to music clarity?? because i want a new card for music listening now and was about to go with the audigy 2zs but now that i read that i need some future tips and haven second opinion

[Google]

[oldmandingus]

i would go with the audigy i have had one and it was awsome! 24 bit sound is amazing in music and games.

[Josh]

[khanhhuynh4u]

anyone in here thats a audiophile? that takes their music seriously and that knows alot about music on pc? i need some help getting a new set up please....not that these guys are not helping but i THINK you guys just want the loudest and best for gaming while im not into that at all but want something thats more sound instead of bass

[[KoG]^weaZel]

look at the M-Audio brand as well. They make some very nice sound cards for music listening.
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[fussnfeathers]

What exactly are you looking for, in terms of price, more than anything else. I have some suggestions, for a kick-a$$ sound system, but some aren't cheap. Alot more goes into it than just a decent soundcard and the latest high-powered speakers. For example, my studio monitors are only a quarter of the power of the Logitech Z680's, but they're just as loud (closely matched drivers to amps), and much clearer and musical.

Ask away, I'll try to help as much as I can.
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[khanhhuynh4u]

i think the max ill go is $500 bucks...like it doesnt have to be professional stuff just the best for a comsumer i guess or stuff for audiophiles....like lets say the nvidia 6800gt the best video card now so i would be pretty happy with a 6600gt because saves some money wild its badass as well..hope my analogy help lol

[fussnfeathers]

Well, easy enough. You'd have to go crazzy on a soundcard to spend more than a couple hundred.

General guidelines: If you're doing more gaming than music listening, go with the Audigy 2. You don't need the Platinum, the front-panel box is sortof useless, unless you use headphones alot. If you're doing more music listening/movie watching, I suggest the M-Audio Revolution. It uses a bit more CPU than the Audigy, but the overall clarity of sound is much better. If you do both equally, then go with the Mp-Audio. The few clock cycles it takes to render surround in the CPU won't be noticable, except under extreme circumstances (10 man deathmatch in UT2004, for example).

On the higher end, if you don't need surround sound, check into either the M-Audio Delta series of soundcards, or RME's soundcards. Both are internal, have actual recording capabilities (pro level), and have much clearer sound than either the Revolution or the Audigy. Pair them with a decent set of studio monitors, and you'll have sound to drool over. Like I said, though, unless you use multiple cards, you won't have 5.1 surround as an option. Those cards run in the $250-$400 range, depending on the features. More inputs=more money.

Then you can get into outboard systems, like I use, but they're generally out of the $500 range.

What speakers are you planning on using? That'll make a huge impact as well, depending on your room/sound preferences/budget. Expect to spend at least $350 for a decent set of 5.1 speakers, more for an excellent-quality setup.
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[smith.p.sean]

i spent 50 on my z640s and i think they are decent enough :) =P. But damn... ^^^^^^^^^^^^ thats some sweet info, the more posts of urs i read, the more and more i become impressed. Sean award for u my friend!

[archaeic_bloke]

well fussnfeathers... after reading your post i went and had a look at all the RME and the M-audio products..(because i am gonna be buying a Sound Card soon).. even though i do record with my band... and use my computer as a partial amplifier/mizer at shows we do... the RME products are just far too expensive and extensive.. they have so much i dont need lol.. i am sure they are amaizng cards but i just would NEVER use 90% of the stuff on em.. and even at 100 USD MSRP for the revolutions.. for a hundred bucks canadian i can get the SB audigy 2 platinum ex which has everything i need, its cheap and apparently pretty good.. whats your take on it?
-josh
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[fussnfeathers]

Options and quality aren't the same thing. If you're doing serious band recording, the extra money spent on an RME or FireWire unit is well worth the leaps in sound quality. Very few people use all the connectivity available in the pro-level stuff, but it's there if you need it. For myself, I use a FireWire 1814 and (now) three Octane preamps lightpiped into that. I never use the MIDI stuff, really, except for final mixdown (the MIDI time clock is essential), but it's there if I need it, and on rare occasions, I do. You'd be surprised how much of it you actually will use, after awhile learning about it. It's a difference of coming out with an OK final product, and a stunning final product.

Nothing wrong with the Audigy, for a gaming card. I'll happily plug an Audigy into a gaming machine, or an all-around family machine, it does a fine job. Same with the Revolution, I just find the Revolution to be more "musical", smoother throughout the frequency range, and more spacious in the surround seperation.
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[fussnfeathers]

Hm........no delete button anymore........or am I missing it?

As far as the front panel box on the Audigy 2 Platinum.......don't waste your time. Really. While it has mic inputs, they're not anywhere near quality preamps, the recording bitrate is low (Creative claims 24 bit recording, it's only 18 bit through the mic inputs), and it's a noisy card. I like it as a media card, but as a recording card for music........don't bother. Use the front panel thing as a headphone jack, but that's about it, the rest is sub-par. It'll work, but your recordings will sound like medium quality MP3s right out of the gate.

What software are you using to record/output for your band?
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