Recomend A Good Ext. Soundcard

Sir Games-A-Lot · Post by **Sir Games-A-Lot** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 3:59 pm

Here is my position:

At the moment the only computer I have access to is my rapidly aging laptop (HP Pavilion ze4300 1.52 Ghz 192 mb ram), which is now SFPC since the back light died (well is dieing but flickers badly), and it has no battery. Any way I'm sick of playing my beautiful FLAC archives through it's crappy on mobo sound card (output is noisier than a NYC subway).

So I need either a USB (I think I only have 1.1, but they seem to make 2.0 PCMCIA adapters) or a PCMCIA sound card solution. Unfortunately I have an upper limit of about $200, since I also intend to invest in set of Grado Prestige series cans to go with it.

Recording capabilities aren't important since I don't have any analog recordings and I don't play an instrument, I'm just interested in play back.

So the point of all this is I am looking for personal recommendations for a good unit for an aspiring audiophile on a budget.

Cheers

Post by **bicostp** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 4:06 pm

Creative makes some external USB Sound Blaster units. We got one for our Dell PowerEdge tower PC a couple years ago.

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/pr ... oduct=9103

If you really want good quality sound, find yourself a WOW Thing. It's an external box that processes SRS WOW effects. (Windows Media Player does it too but this will do all your sound.) What difference does that make? Well, disable the wow effects in media player while an mp3 is playing. There's a difference.) If it doesn't came with a power adapter, you can use any wall wart that puts out 9 to 14 volts AC. (The NES adapter might fit.) Mine was only 2 bucks at the Salvation Army.

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:16 pm

I'd go for a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS. This is the cheapest I found it. Not too bad, I'd say.

The Audigy 2 ZS is probably THE most popular high-end (gamer, movie watching... things that aren't recording) card out there. Just check out how popular the PCI model is on NewEgg.

However, audiophiles tend to badmouth the Sound Blaster series a lot. They're all about companies like M-Audio and E-MU. But cards from these kind of people will most likely be overkill, and they're usually meant for recording anyway.

Sir Games-A-Lot · Post by **Sir Games-A-Lot** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 8:18 pm

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I actually stumbled upon a good card while looking for reviews of the sound blasters, it's called the Echo Indigo and is similar to the ZS (albeit 25 - 50 bucks more than the ZS's list price), but seems to be universally considered the better of the two. I could pair that with a pair of SR80's and be good to go