› Forums › Music › Sound Equipment › Soundcard
- This topic has 18 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated December 18, 2012 at 8:33 pm by DaftFader.
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December 18, 2012 at 1:39 pm #1054649
Anonymous
Still not happy with my setup can anyone recomend me a decent budget soundcard with a 3.5mm audio input jack.
December 18, 2012 at 3:52 pm #1264119What will you be using the sound on your pc for? Just listening back to music? The on-board ones are perfectly fine for this normally.
What are the issues you’re having at the moment? It might not be the sound card that’s the issue.
December 18, 2012 at 4:06 pm #1264113TBH if the music already comes from an external digital device I’d route it into a decent amplifier, or obtain an analogue switching device (far cheaper) and play it directly into your active PC speakers if you are using this instead of a normal hi fi.
December 18, 2012 at 4:20 pm #1264107@General Lighting 512506 wrote:
TBH if the music already comes from an external digital device I’d route it into a decent amplifier, or obtain an analogue switching device (far cheaper) and play it directly into your active PC speakers if you are using this instead of a normal hi fi.
Whats an analogue switching device?
I am currently using onboard soundcard and Harman Kardon Soundsticks II – 3-Piece Plug and Play: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
and I know they can fill a room with good quality sound but at higher volume they just sound crap its so annoying. I have just bout a 20 quid soundcard that’s meant to be good. *shrug* I have no hi-fi sadly nor money to buy it.
December 18, 2012 at 4:21 pm #1264108@DaftFader 512503 wrote:
What will you be using the sound on your pc for? Just listening back to music? The on-board ones are perfectly fine for this normally.
What are the issues you’re having at the moment? It might not be the sound card that’s the issue.
it just sounds poor quality at higher levels like its an old tape, slightly crackely buts its a high quality mp3
December 18, 2012 at 4:25 pm #1264120Send me a copy of the mp3, i bet it’s the mp3 that’s been recorded too loudly with digital clipping in it. I can open it up in my wave editor and study the wave see if it’s clipping or not.
An analog switching device basically swaps the source of the sound … you’ll plug your pc and mp3 etc into it .. and can switch between the two as to what comes out the speakers.
December 18, 2012 at 4:26 pm #1264109@DaftFader 512516 wrote:
Send me a copy of the mp3, i bet it’s the mp3 that’s been recorded too loudly with digital clipping in it. I can open it up in my wave editor and study the wave see if it’s clipping or not.
na tried it with loads of different mp3s 🙁
December 18, 2012 at 4:32 pm #1264114@photographthesun 512512 wrote:
Whats an analogue switching device?
I am currently using onboard soundcard and Harman Kardon Soundsticks II – 3-Piece Plug and Play: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
and I know they can fill a room with good quality sound but at higher volume they just sound crap its so annoying. I have just bout a 20 quid soundcard that’s meant to be good. *shrug* I have no hi-fi sadly nor money to buy it.
A-1009 – UNBRANDED – AUDIO SELECTOR SWITCH, 3 WAY. | CPC
you will need the adaptor cables for this one to convert phono connectors into 3.5mm jack plugs/sockets (they aren’t very costly though)…
December 18, 2012 at 4:42 pm #1264117Have you definitely eliminated the speakers as a possible cause of the distortion? It may be that you’re just asking too much of them. Plug them into a different sound source, say a phone or MP3 player, and see if you can get them to go louder without distortion. If you can, then the issue is at the computer end of the signal chain (it’s worth noting that a lot of MP3 players, including iPods, output at a lower level than most domestic audio appliances so you might struggle to get the same level out of them as your PC soundcard).
Before you rush out to buy a new soundcard it’s worth checking a couple of things in Windows first…
– Try playing with the gain structure: Does it help things if you turn the main Windows volume control down, whilst turning the volume knob up on the speakers?
– Make sure that any EQ or other DSP within Windows is disabled or set to flatIf these don’t make any difference and you’re convinced that the speakers are not the problem, then a new soundcard might be the next step. Some of the on-board ones that come with PCs and laptops really are pretty crap. You can spend as much as you like on a soundcard, so without any knowledge of your budget I can’t really suggest one, but if you have any mates that are into music production they will probably have an external (usb-driven) sound card that you could borrow first to try out.
December 18, 2012 at 4:47 pm #1264121It also might be worth while going into your windows sound settings and playing about with the quality settings as sometimes this can cause problems with dodgy sound. the bit where it sais “CD quality, DVD quality, Studio quality” etc.
December 18, 2012 at 4:47 pm #1264110@cheeseweasel 512522 wrote:
Have you definitely eliminated the speakers as a possible cause of the distortion? It may be that you’re just asking too much of them. Plug them into a different sound source, say a phone or MP3 player, and see if you can get them to go louder without distortion. If you can, then the issue is at the computer end of the signal chain (it’s worth noting that a lot of MP3 players, including iPods, output at a lower level than most domestic audio appliances so you might struggle to get the same level out of them as your PC soundcard).
Before you rush out to buy a new soundcard it’s worth checking a couple of things in Windows first…
– Try playing with the gain structure: Does it help things if you turn the main Windows volume control down, whilst turning the volume knob up on the speakers?
– Make sure that any EQ or other DSP within Windows is disabled or set to flatIf these don’t make any difference and you’re convinced that the speakers are not the problem, then a new soundcard might be the next step. Some of the on-board ones that come with PCs and laptops really are pretty crap. You can spend as much as you like on a soundcard, so without any knowledge of your budget I can’t really suggest one, but if you have any mates that are into music production they will probably have an external (usb-driven) sound card that you could borrow first to try out.
2 Different sets of speaks same problem (one now in the bin grrr). Have also tried both things you have suggested before 🙁 Soundcard was only a punt but at 20 quid its not much loss if it doesnt help).
Its annoying though have spent so much trying to get it sorted man I need a decent hi-fi.
December 18, 2012 at 4:48 pm #1264111@DaftFader 512523 wrote:
It also might be worth while going into your windows sound settings and playing about with the quality settings as sometimes this can cause problems with dodgy sound. the bit where it sais “CD quality, DVD quality, Studio quality” etc.
Tried this to 🙁
December 18, 2012 at 4:55 pm #1264115What is the soundcard and is it internal or external? I always found internal ones to pick up PSU noise and also have IRQ/timing problems.
Richer Sounds still does affordable hi fi. there is one at Reading and another at Guildford.
December 18, 2012 at 4:58 pm #1264122ASUS – Multimedia- ASUS Xonar DG
The DGX is PCIe and the DG is PCI. Should retail at about £30 (some places sell the DG @ £20)
December 18, 2012 at 5:05 pm #1264123If you want to get an external one then I can hunt out a good cheap one for you. but in my experiance you need to pay a little more to get the same quality for external, although imo it’s worth it, at least with music production in mind.
December 18, 2012 at 5:06 pm #1264124ake sure you disable onboard sound in your bios if you install a separate soundcard as the drivers can conflict sometimes causing more problems then it fixs, although not always.
December 18, 2012 at 6:13 pm #1264118@photographthesun 512524 wrote:
2 Different sets of speaks same problem (one now in the bin grrr)
That still leaves the possibility that you just have two crap sets of speakers 😉
December 18, 2012 at 8:17 pm #1264112@cheeseweasel 512540 wrote:
That still leaves the possibility that you just have two crap sets of speakers 😉
But the first set used to be good then suddenly not so good. I may have placed a lava lamp next to one of the speakers :- but the new ones are okay I have herd them fill a small ish room full of decent sound I know it’s no real setup
December 18, 2012 at 8:33 pm #1264116I thought this thread was for soundcloud.
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