Overclock.net - Overclocking.net - Sound Cards and Computer Audio

Add on product to AuzenTech Forte

QuinnMallory — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:52:18 GMT

I was looking at AuzenTech's page regarding the Forte and seen that you can buy the Titanium I/O drive add-on. Is this worth the purchase or is it really something I don't need?

http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/xfi_iodrive.php

The best speakers for �60?

meticadpa — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:27:23 GMT

Hi. :)

Well today I got my new soundcard, and I'm impressed with it so far, but I feel that the Dell speakers I use are limiting my audio experience somewhat.

I want a new pair of speakers, and would use them for 60% music (metal mainly) and 40% gaming. I wish I could get Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers, but they're not available here, so I ask the audio gurus of OCN this:

What are the best speakers for around �60 that fit my needs?

These have been recommended to me, can I get some more input please?

Thanks. :)

A good desktop amp?

QuinnMallory — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:09:31 GMT

I'm looking to get a good desktop amp here shortly to use with my current pair of Sennheiser HD 555's and eventually a new pair of cans when I decide what would be the next pair to get. Any ideas on good amps for non outrageous or crazy prices?

Gaming sound card?

Johnny_O — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:30:32 GMT

Well its time to move up a bit. Currently i have a Creatice X-fi titaium( the one without the cover). ANd there is more to be desired in it. For my headphones ihave the JVC Ha-RX 900. Buget is less then 300...preferably 200or less. I have looked at the creative X-fi Fatalities(the 200$ one and the 140). What else is there, remeber this is for basically gamming and music. I am open to ideas.

Just making sure.

Pouleterie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:22:46 GMT

I finally ordered a pair of AD700 yesterday, and decided to settle down with this card: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23788

Now it would have to fit between my two GTX 285 SLI in that one PCI slot in the middle. Think it fits? I need confirmation before I order. u_u

Thanks. Rep to all.

What should I get, AD700 or HD555? (EXPLAIN WHY ONE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER!)

Lord Xeb — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:34 GMT

THERE IS TO BE NO HD555 FANBOI-ISM IN HERE!!!!! Explain why either or is better than the other. Anything off topic or is not contributing to the thread will be reported.

Thank you. I am looking into getting one of these bad boys and I would like someone to explain the differences between the two!!! What would be best for me?

I mainly do the following:

Listen to music (given)
Play LOTS of games
I am on OCN vent a lot
Also I watch moves and love to watch Anime, and other episodes (House) on here.

If it were to go percentage wise:

60% Gaming
20% Music
20% Vent/movies/anime
Thanks

Looking for a budget price soundcard

qTAP — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:24:46 GMT

Okay, I have X-FI xtrememusic soundcard and I love it. I'm looking to buy another soundcard for my brother PC. Budget price of 45$, can anyone recommend me a good cheap soundcard? I seen a couple X-FI xtrememusic go for really cheap on this website but recently not anymore.

Onboard sound broke, Will PCI card work?

woodyfly — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:21:09 GMT

My onboard sound / jack broke, the sound is all garbled. Am i correct in assuming that getting a PCI sound card will work just fine?

Best of Both Worlds?

FattyMcFatFatFatty — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:51:18 GMT

So,I got a pair of Logitech G35's a few months ago, and I have never owned a pair of higher end head phones before this, so the sound blew me away. I was extremely impressed with the positional audio that it offered me. Alas,
there was a problem, (that was apparently well known to logitech) with the mic making a high pitched hum.They said that it would be fixed without a few weeks, but its been about a month since they said that, so i'm kind of getting disgusted with logitech (previous "fanboy" of them) Now I have been on the never ending quest to find the best possible gaming headset available to me (without paying stupid amounts of money, lol).

I have been mulling around these forums for a bit. I found out that most people will agree that the audio quality of the headphones that offer "5.1 or 7.1" isn't as good as it should be for the price. However, I really enjoyed the surround sound experience that the logitech g35's offered me. So I tried looking in the higher end surround sound headsets, and ended up finding the Astro a40's, and the Pysko 5.1's.

The Psyko 5.1's didn't really suit me from what I can tell, but I read some good and bad reviews about the A40's. Eventually I figured, the A40 headset is probably not the best that it could be for the price you are paying for it, but the mixamp will be worth it for dolby encoder.

So, I decided heck, why not get the best of both worlds,ill mix the mixamp with some other type of high quality stereo headphone, and probably a zalman mic or something of the sort. I have a few questions about this however.

I need a good quality closed stereo pair(I need them for late night gaming sessions) of headphones that is good for gaming, I have been looking at the HD448, and the Denon Ah-D1001. I was wondering if these would be good for any gaming, and if not, what should I be looking at? If either of these do need an amp, will the mixamp cover it? I will be connecting this to my onboard sound on my laptop, or I will be using the TOSlink option from my HDTV through an HDMI setup.

Also, my last question is, if anyone has any experience with the astro a40 mixamp, how well does it do surround, and what will it sound like with a nice high quality pair of headphones? Will it be a significant improvement from the g35 headset?

Thanks for the help!

anyone had experience with laptop soundcard?

forcifer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:17:33 GMT

im thinking of getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102025 because my laptop doesnt really have the best sound. it has a grounding issue (from what this theater sound guy said) so it has this incredibly high pitched buzz almost 24/7 unless i use a three prong -> two prong connector. im using hd280 pros and mostly game but listen to alot of trance/dance and progressive metal. any and all help would be welcomed :)

Christmas cans!

HoldYrPistlstr8 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:08:10 GMT

Well OCN,

I've got a wish list to fill, so here it goes. I currently have Sennheiser HD201s driven by a Sony CD player

Click below to show/hide Hidden Text Below!

or my computer, and I'm kinda disappointed by them, because they aren't really that clear, and they're not great for gaming. Don't get me wrong, they're better than anything I've owned, but still, I feel like I'm missing so much form my music collection. What I need for cans:

1) 50% gaming, 50% music
2) Gaming is Halo 2, Halo 3, CoD4, possibly CoD: MW2, CS:S
3) Music is bass-heavy, such as dubstep, drum n' bass, some rock here and there.
4) Does not matter whether open or closed back, although I would mostly prefer open for better sound staging.

My budget is <$100, and I'm looking at either AD700s or HD555s; although neither are bass-heavy, I've heard they're excellent for gaming.

Thoughts?

Sub, bi-wiring, and AVR hook up questions.

Sistum Id — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:35:36 GMT

Okay, thanks for taking the time to read and maybe answer a few of my questions.

I just my Onkyo 707, Polk Audio Monitor 70's (front), Monitor 40's (rear), CS2 (center), and PSW505 (sub) and I'm having some questions on how to hook it all up the best and right way.

This is how I have it hooked up right now, which is how Polk recommends. My fronts are setup to be bi-wired which I would like to try and see if it makes a difference.

How would I bi-wire my fronts if this is what polk recommends? Do I need to run 4(2) extra wires from the AVR to the Sub and another 4(2) to the Speakers? Or should I use the LFE Input and bi-wire and leave the speaker input/output alone on the sub?

Thanks

Getting remote function in Xfi Platinum

xxsubzero568xx — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:40:41 GMT

So I was wondering if there is a way to get the Rm1800 remote to work on windows 7 running youp pax?

I appreciate all you responses!

Is Sansa e270 Good?

myresolution_72 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:54:51 GMT

Hey everyone. My iPod Touch 2G got stolen a while back and it was a gift to me and I want another MP3 player and I ran across the SanDisk Sansa e270 on Newegg.com for $39.99. I have a 8GB and 1GB Memory Card for my G1. I can put the 8GB in the e270 since I only use it for music anyway and replace the 8GB with the 1GB for my G1. Is the e270 a decent player just for listening to music? I'm not an audiophile.

ATH AD700 broken

solidgear — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:50:23 GMT

So I've had my Audio Technica ATH AD700 headphones since August and have been enjoying them. Over the past week I've also been recommending them to a lot of people. Oh the irony. Today I come back home, and while in the process of doing some work they fall. I think aw its okay they usually fall anyway. Then I decide to go to ign.com and watch a video and the only sound I hear is out of the left speaker. Hook them up to my laptop, again no sound out of the right. They are probably broken, and I'm very unhappy because I paid $80 for these thinking they would last me a long time. I always seem to have bad luck with headphones/sets. I bought them off buy.com through a seller, but do you guys think I should contact audio technica and see what they can do? Anyone here have experience with them?

xFi Extreme Gamer Modding Questions

seb_allen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:43:29 GMT

Hi there, I have read several posts stating that modding can greatly enhance the sound produced by the card.

However, I'm not really sure what i can specifically do to enhance my own sound card. I have an xFi extreme gamer sound card.

I am ready and willing to do some soldering on the card, to replace certain components, but i'm not sure what components could be upgraded, or even if they should be changed.

Also, while i'm here, i've also read that downloading different drivers to those provided by creative can be beneficial, any reccomendations?

Any links, pics, and posts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Seb.

Best Earphone for Laptop??(�70-�80)

BabakSanei — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:31:39 GMT

hi everyone,
in your opinion what is the best earphone in �70-�80 price rang??
I want it for music, a want high clarity, and also prefer in-ear type (close).
so what is your suggestion??

Thanks in advance.

Hearing "footsteps" from speakers

Formula7 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:04:32 GMT

My speakers are acting up. I just restarted to do some clocks and adjust settings in the bios. When the system started there was a loud sort of thud that came from my speakers. Now, every time I play sound the thud continually pulsates. I can only describe it as footsteps. I have no idea what it is. It might be the fact that I bought these speakers from Fry's and they were discounted due to the fact that they were returned, or maybe it was something I did in the bios? Anyhow, it's kinda driving me nuts. Can anyone help me out?

How would I get a Analog tape video on a computer on a digital format?

M3T4LM4N222 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:59:10 GMT

Me and my friends are continuing a video started a year ago, and it was all captured on a tape (The little ones you can put in a VCR tape) and we need to know how to get it into a digital format on my computer so we can edit it. If anyone knows, please let me know, thanks :) The little tapes say hi8 on them btw. I have a capture card (Like the dazzle) as well.

SteelSeries Siberia v2 USB vs. Roccat Kave

fluffmyster — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:32:13 GMT

Hey guys, I was kind of debating getting a new headset and am looking into what I can get for my money for around the �70-80 mark. I currently have a set of Medusa 5.1's which I have had for 3 and a half years now. Initially I was blown away by the sound quality and the surround sound but now I'm not as impressed. I am thinking about the Siberia v2 USB and Roccat Kave.

Basic question is how do these compare in terms of sound quality?

I know that generally stereo headsets deliver better sound quality for the money and was thinking about making the switch back to them with a siberia v2 - going by reviews they seem to be great at everything and have superb sound quality + for the �80 version you get the USB sound card which would improve audio over my onboard sound.
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=871
http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/h...es-siberia-v2/

Then there is the Roccat Kave which is just pure awesomeness as far as 5.1 headsets go. I have heard that the sound quality is great on these too, but the base is slightly lacking. If i was to get this I would have to stick with onboard sound for the price.
http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/h...s/roccat-kave/

What would you guys reccomend?

Thanks.

My Realtek/Windows 7/Overclock Headache - Plz Help

strider4200 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:36:18 GMT

I'm having a really wierd problem with my overclock and audio in games. I know its my OC because at stock the problem goes away. Here's my rig:

evga 680i mobo revision a1
q6700 oc'd to 3.33 - p95 stable 24hrs at 1.43v - 1333 fsb - 10x multi
OCZ reaper pc-8500 at 1066 5,5,5,15 2t
evga 8800 gtx ko edition

voltages

vcore 1.43
vdimm 2.25
fsb 1.4
spp 1.5
mcp 1.3
spp < > mcp 1.4

i just started overclocking this summer. Got my rig locked in stable at 3.25 ghz. Then upgraded to win 7, and decided to up the OC a little to 3.33. Worked, stress tested sucessfully, thought i was done...

When I play games, notably crysis and dragon age, my on board realtek high definition audio drivers do not play nice with my overclock. After about 30 seconds I start to hear poping noises, then the sound cuts out completely after about 3 mins... and then "swwwwwiwshssshhshshshshs" it sounds like a plane is landing in my office. I'm serious i get this crazy garbled sound for about 10 seconds, and i have to lower the volume quickly to avoid blowing out the speakers (and my wife's ears). The sound eventually comes back up if i keep playing, but then the process repeats itself shortly after.

It sounds like graphical artifacts look... if that makes any sense.

This is really annoying. I've tried reverting to vista drivers, as well as the newest win 7 drivers. Muted every other audio device excpet the speakers, reduced the quality to 16 bit cd quality. The only thing that works is reverting to stock speeds and voltages in the bios.

I'd like someone to give some sugesstions about voltages. Specifically spp, mcp and spp <> mcp. Could that be the problem? are they to low, to high?

Alternatively the problem only happens in games. Which led me to believe it is a dx11 problem, since the realtek drivers only support dx10. but when I run media player or itunes with visualization, there are no problems at all with music playback. Nor are their any issues on the internet with flash videos or music.

I'd rather not have to buy a sound card but, i'd be willing to if i can't fix this problem.

Any ideas? If this isn't the approriate forum, let me know and I'll post in the intel mobo or cpu forum.

Thanks in advance for your time, much appreciated.

X-FI xtrememusic DRIVER

qTAP — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:55:24 GMT

okay, anyone know where I can find X-FI xtrememusic drivers. I normally get it from creative but there site seems to be down for the past couple days. I need to find another trusted website for the drivers. The version of driver I need is windows 7 64-bit

Thanks
Michael

X-Fi Extreme Gamer not working..

Shane1244 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:10:07 GMT

I turned on my computer today, and my Audio hasn't been working, I can't figure out why.. I've reinstalled the drivers, tried another PCI slot. It's being detected fine, but there's just no volume slider or anything. (see picture)

Attached Thumbnails

Sound system manger?

TaT3rs — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:02:30 GMT

Hi guys, I am soon getting ready to upgrade my whole home theater in my basement. I'm talkin about a wrap around couch, 52-inch lcd, and the whole deal:D. I have full surround sound setup in my walls and a few extra speakers.

What I want to know is if there is any sort of equipment that can help manage my sound system. Although the audio system is nice, is does not have enough connectors in the back. I have a tv, xbox, computer, record player, blue ray, and a wii. Im tired of having only a few things hooked up to surround sound and having to change out cables constantly.

If there is anything like this please let me know. Thanks!

The age-old onboard vs dedicated

SporkofdooM — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:37:03 GMT

I have one of these http://www.diamondmm.com/XS51.php in my possession.

I've been using it up until my switch to windows 7 ( either windows 7 or 64-bit doesn't play nice with the software, and I've been forced to run in stereo :/)

Would I take a noticeable performance hit if I switch to my onboard (realtek hd, that supports surround in windows 7)

ROCCAT KAVE 5.1 headphones - I wanna 5.1 switch

Morbid_666 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:42:33 GMT

I bought these 5.1 headphones the other day but realised that every time i would like to use it i will have to go at the back of my PC to connect/disconnect - not good. after googling i found out that using splitter will decrease volume of both Surround system & headset. tried to look for a product that could switch 5.1 3.5mm signal & i couldn't find any - apparently there are quite a lot of peple wanting this device...

so how do you guys use your 5.1 headphones?

I need a new headset w/ a mic (Like the turtle beach X1)

Lord Xeb — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:32:18 GMT

Hi guys,

um... I broke my headset by tripping over the cord... D:

These are what I had before: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...rtleBeach%20X1

I want something similar and must have the following:

GOOD SOUND!!!
Good mic quality
Must be around or below 120 USD
NO WIRELESS!
Compfy (I ware mine for sometimes 3-4 hours +)
I prefer 2.1

40/60$ Earbuds with great sound Quality

Unknownm — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:47:24 GMT

I'm looking for earbuds with great sound Quality for around 40 to 60 dollars.

I rather not buy online and only pick them up. Maybe use http://www.ncix.com (Canada version).

Asus Xonar D1 Issue

Vitaminx — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:02:05 GMT

After running memtest for 3 hours and getting no errors I restart my pc and then go to youtube to look up some videos and discover I have no sound with asus xonar sound card at full volume and speakers at full volume. Also tried headphones and get same result. Anyone have any idea what could be the problem?

Headphones for gaming, ad500 or ad700?

kyle-reece — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:27:10 GMT

I'm looking for some new headphones, primarily for gaming but also for a little bit of music (mainly metal and classical) needs to fit round the ear and have a large and accurate soundstage.
is the difference between the ad500 and the ad700 worth the extra �30 (�60 to �90) to get the ad700 for gaming? or is there a better value headphone i can get for gaming at that price?