soundcard suggestions

[Subsider]

Im looking to get a new soundcard any suggestions ?

[sodface]

What will the primary use be? Gaming? Recording? Movies?

[Subsider]

Gaming mostly but i do alot of recording also

[sodface]

Only reason I ask is because I've been looking at some of the new EMU sound cards for doing some home recording (guitar and stuff)

Like the 0404 (http://www.zzounds.com/item--EMU8803)

and the 1212M (http://www.zzounds.com/item--EMU1212M)

But these might not be the best choice for gaming, EAX support etc.

Even though the audigy line of cards boast impressive specs, many of the reviews I've read cite a marked improvement when using a card designed specifically for recording over a general purpose card like the audigy.

Then you have the home theater cards that seem to be tailored to, well, multi-speaker home theater setups ;) - again, at the expense of top notch gaming performance or recording quality.

I know I'm not being much help here as far as suggestions go, I'm just wondering if you have a specific purpose in mind or are trying for a general purpose card that covers all the bases.

[Subsider]

Sodface
your questions to my questions are making me think ! thinking before making a desision is always a good idea ! :D so to answer your question im a hardcore gamer ! :cool:

[chief]

Creative Audigy 2 ZS 7.1 without doubt is the best sound card for gaming.

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/

[sodface]

Hardcore gaming it is then :cool: What's your budget?

[Subsider]

no more the 200 bucks US lol

[Android Vageta]

If youre a hardcore gamer any Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS soundcard will suit you well. Theres no better gaming soundcard out there. The Audigy 4 isnt worth the money in my opinion unless you want the newest hardware out there, but currently its not worth the price. So yeah, at this point it all depends on what type of Audigy 2 you want. Regular, Platinum, Platinum Pro or Gamer Edition (which is just a Regular Audigy 2 ZS bundled with some games).

[sodface]

What he said. I don't think you'd go wrong with the audigy2 ZS.

[joeMan]

I use Audigy2 ZS also, but I need to caution you. It pops and squeels intermitantly during really busy parts of HL2. There is a thread at Creative al about it, you can read it here (http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=soundblaster&message.id=6824&view=by_date_ascending&page=1) . That thread suggests HL2 and WoW do it the most (although some blame the WoW trouble on the game code), and UT2K4 sometimes as well.

I am going to test a fix suggested on their board in aothe thread and will report back if it works.

Up until these HL2 pings, sqeels, and pops (all high -pitched intermitant) the card has been flawless. I really like this card very much other than these recent game probs.

[tbyte]

Dito the "Creative Audigy 2 ZS 7.1 without doubt one of the best sound cards for gaming for the $$$.

[joeMan]

Okay, I tested that fix out for my Audigy2 ZS and apparently it works (so far so good anyway).

1 - In Creative Surround Mixer, click Default. Then mute the things you don't use (i.e. Line In, Mdid Synth, or whatever...). Do not tweak Trebel and Bass settings after this, leave them both at default.
2 - In EAX console, click on the CMSS 3D tab, uncheck the "Enable CMSS 3D" box. Under the Effects tab, turn off any effects you're running.
3 - In Speaker Settings, click on the Bass Boost tab, then turn bass boost off (uncheck the Bass Boost box).

I did these three things upon recommendation from a guy at Creative Labs forums, and the popping/squealing never did return during my closing hours of HL2.

I will report back here if it arrises again - but fingers crossed I hope not to report back...

[BB_One]

Oh thank you for the heads up joeMan, do keep us inform. I've got one coming and will ease up on the setup and tweaking.

Thank you.

[joeMan]

Sure will. You know it's still lame though that basic things like trebel and bass - and other built in features cannot be used in certain circumstances.

I'm glad that only in HL2 I have experienced the popping/squealing problem (so far). Under all other circumstances the Audigy2 ZS has rocked seriously, flawlessly. Other games, music, whatever with my own trebel, bass, nd other personal preference tweaks have all performed perfectly.

Since the Cretive Labs forums are full of very similar or identical complaints to mine - and many of them under the same game, I tend to think that it is a CL driver problem...but I just wonder if it is being blamed on CL simply because audible evidence of a problem somewhere is manifested through the sound card...in other words - what if those of us experiencing this popping/squealing thing are barking up the wrong tree? Could be a little breakdown somewhere else in the chain altogether - but that breakdown creates a symptom of popping/squealing through the sound card, so it leads everyone to think the problem is the sound card. Follow?

[BB_One]

Yes, I follow. On would assume/hope that CL's engineers due to so many complaints will investigate. If the problem is pinpointed and proven to be somewhere else, say for example with the game itself doing something not in spec with coding or what ever, I would hope that CL works with game developer to identify and provides hints to resolve . Hence ensuring that their mutual customers enjoy the full benefit of both products, as oppose to the other way around where each other would be pointing the finger at the other one, leaving the customer hanging high and dry.

From second hand comments there and overthere, I must say that CL's reputation on driver update and releases is not shall we say, bright and shiny hence a big hesitation for me when I bought this card. Cross fingers that only minor problems popup, or a shift in direction with CL.

[joeMan]

Indeed. And, you're right about the CL support - it's lacking from what I've read - and that on their own forums too! Shameful. Not wanting to cut them too much slack here, but I do have to say in their defense that if you consider the incredibly massive volume of CL sound cards that have gone out to market in past years, and add to it those that are currently shipping and selling in large numbers every day - that their support teams I'm sure are waaaaayyy outnumbered by consumers. I mean like 4 out of 5 people I talk to (that have a s.c.) have a Creative product.

But, by no means do I think you have made a bad or even risky decision. That is a good card you've got coming and I think that even if you do have a problem or two here and there over time it is worth the other 98% of the time that the card will rock. :rock: