Best cheap 5.1 soundcard

VERT · March 28th, 2003, 08:51 AM

What do you guys recomend for a cheap/ budget 5.1 soundcard?

best in quality of sound, speed etc

Shawn711 · March 28th, 2003, 09:00 AM

I like the Creative Labs Soundblaster Live cards...........$29 shipped on www.pricewatch.com .........

VERT · March 28th, 2003, 09:06 AM

oh and by the way dont mention Creative please, I have a creative free system and would like to keep it that way

smurffart · March 28th, 2003, 09:20 AM

I've got this one...
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...82E16829117106

Really nice sound for really nice price...$25.00 shipped. Check out the reviews at newegg.

maface · March 28th, 2003, 09:20 AM

I have Creative and M-Audio but since you don't like Creative, I have heard good things about the Guillemont Hercules cards
newegg

review

I don't know if newegg ships to you though

MD1032 · March 28th, 2003, 07:02 PM

Don't get an SBLive if you don't have to. I have one and to be frank, IT SUCKS!! It constantly distorts when I play music and really can't handle anything, especially a 5.1 system. I have a 4.1 system, and it still distorts a lot on my headphones as well.

VERT · March 29th, 2003, 09:04 AM

I have had a soundblaster live before and was not impressed, I have a Game Theatre XP now and would like a cheap 5.1 card for my other system.

tangluva · March 29th, 2003, 09:32 AM

Best card by the dollar:

AudioExcel C-Media based Sound Card

Best sound card you can get for $11. 6 channel even!

poopeyhed2 · March 29th, 2003, 09:34 AM

The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz is a good card for 5.1 also the Phillips sound cards are nice too at a great price, but you have to make sure that if you get a Phillips card, that it does 5.1 as there are some that do 2.1 and 4.1 and 5.1 .

OuTpaTienT · March 29th, 2003, 10:10 AM

Absolutely nothing wrong with the SBLive 5.1. It'll produce crystal clear sound with no distortion at all.

Of course any sound card can be made to sound crappy and full of distortion by having any of a number of various level settings set over their clipping point. Basically it boils down to "you have to have at least SOME idea of what you are doing."

I've never owned, tested, used, seen, heard, or otherwise come across any sound card that sounds horribly bad. Even the cheapest no-frills cards have acceptable quality output.

If a sound card (ANY sound card) is giving you output with distortion or other nastiness, then there are only a few possible causes:

1. User error. Check ALL your levels everywhere. Make sure none are over 80%.

2. User error. Mute or zero out the levels of unused channels. For example, if you have no Mic connected but you have the Mic level turned up within the Mixer, then you might be making an easy access for electrical interference into the circuit.

3. User error. Make sure you're using the appropriate peripheral hardware. For example, don't use powered speakers to connect to a sound card that was intended to use non-powered speakers.

4. User error. Don't use the "mic boost (+20db)", or "loudness boost" or any type of artificial signal boost. These are often a culprit of poor sound. I'd also advise you set any bass/treble/eq settings flat.

5. User error. Make sure you're using the most recent (or most appropriate) drivers for the sound card.

6. Defective hardware. Take it back and get a new one.

If you're dead set against anything Creative, then the Turtle Beach is a good alternative.