Onboard sound VS dedicated sound card

I'm curious. How decent headphones or hifi set-up do you need to notice the difference when going from onboard to dedicated?

And is there any point in buying a cheap >50$, sound card?

I was looking around at sound cards today and found that they are either really cheap, or soomewhat expensive. I found a few costing less than 300nok kr(less than 45$), and then it jumped up to 1000 nok kr(120$ I think) and more. Nothing in between... Well nothing that were internal, only external.

i havent heard of anyone buying sound cards in years, unless you have some really super amazing surround system.

Well most I found were released 2012 and earlier...

Makes sense. The last game I ran that cared if I had a sound card was BF 2142

Think the biggest thing is whether your soundcard has a amp to it for your headphones.. Most onboards don't have a built in amp, in less it is a premium motherboard..

Headphones that benefit from amplification start around $100, so if you have headphone that benefit from an amp and want the best sound from them, you'd want an amp'd soundcard. My Grado SR 225i's sound amazing through an amp'd soundcard, but without them they lose all their bass and punch.

Speakers are a different matter. You don't want amplification but you want something that isn't susceptible to EMI. Motherboard sound is very susceptible to noise, crackling, and hissing. If your speakers are good enough, it'll quickly become evident if you need a new soundcard. My KRK Rokit 8G2's were absolutely abominable through onboard. Turn up the volume even a little bit and I'd begin to hear crackling and noises that I never heard with cheaper speakers. I'd say once you're spending more than $300 on speakers, you want a soundcard or external DAC.

Beyerdynamics DT770 are the headphones I use... I don't think my surround set-up is a high enough quality to notice. It's a cheap one. I pretty much switch every other week between the two.

Hmmm when you mention it. Not a whole lot of bass when I use the headphones.

Your headphones would benefit from an amp, but not enough that I'd absolutely recommend one. I don't know what sound signature the DT770 sports, but not all headphones are very bassy, even when amplified - depends on their design.

If you turn the volume up all the way on your mobo with your headphones attached, is it much too loud? From my experience, if you need to turn your volume past 75% for ideal listening, then you probably need an amp. It basically means that the headphones are barely receiving enough power to be adequately driven. If you find yourself listening at 50% or less, then odds are your headphones are receiving enough power that an amp upgrade wouldn't make a very noticeable difference. All you really stand to gain is more volume, and perhaps slightly better bass (more of it, more definition).

@KHAndAnime: Ehm... I rarely go over 25%. But it is flat. A friend of mine has the same headphones, but used with a DJ-set and there was a lot of bass... :P

I don't need louder sound through them.. I guess I could mess with the equalizer...

It's usually not recommended using an equalizer to try to achieve better sound - the way they work is usually more detrimental to the overall sound than helpful, unless you have really bad speakers or headhones. But you're welcome to try. I don't think your headphones need it or would benefit from it. If your buddy's sounded significantly more bassy in his setup, then he must've EQ'd it that way - some people like an excess of bass in their sound. For the most balanced sound, I'd just leave it as is, or fiddle with minor adjustments with the low-end of an EQ. I've tried doing this with my Grado SR-225i to make then bassier in the past and in my opinion, EQ's sound way too fake, even with very small adjustments made. But it's all preference, it's possible you can get exactly what you want from EQing.

Here are good tips for using an equalizer to achieve better sound.

I wouldn't bother with sound cards, unless your on board goes out, you have popping or DPC latency issues with the drivers.

I also use 25% volume. My mobo has a built in amp... None amp I set it around 75-80%.

He might have special base boosting software. I typically don't like a lot of base. :P

I buy the Asus Xonar sound cards because they come with Dolby Headphone technology.... sounds better when I use headphones and does virtual surround on them.

If you have quality speakers and headphones, a nice soundcard with a good DAC will make a difference. I have the Sound Blaster ZxR myself and it is great. I get a very clean and rich sound. However, I do find the built in headphone amplifier somewhat lacking. I output from my ZxR to a Schiit Magni amplifier and plug my headphones into that.

Most MoBo these days come with decent sound. The average person won't care enough to upgrade. The DT770 are good headphones and I would recommend an amplifier of sorts for sure.

My experience with bass-boosting is that it sounds cool and appealing at first, but after doing extended listening it just gets obnoxious. People love to do with their shitty subwoofers too. Usually when that shit should be set to "5", halfway, or whatever blends in with the system - I noticed people just love to crank their bass to 11. Especially common when people discover the EQ on their cars' sound system.

Having a balanced sound is the best. Sometimes the EQ can help to combat characteristics of certain headphones. Take the DT770... they are bass and treble heavy (when amplified properly) and don't have a neutral sound. An EQ could help balance it out.

They're useful since I often have ground loop issues with onboard soundcards.

I just use a x-fi hd usb and I haven't had any issues like that now.

As for sound quality, it's definitely better.

I am just using the hyperx cloud headset.

Never going back since I bought my Essence STX, might upgrade eventually to an extern DAC, already have an amp for my headphones

It's not worth it unless you're buying a decent one.. around $100 or more.

Currently using a Asus Xonar DGX which I think was around $50 and it's great. I got it because my onboard realtek sound had a really hard time with higher quality sound files and couldn't produce enough sound to feed half decent headphones or speakers at decent volume, leaving me with low base and lack of quality sound. Oh and 5.1 didn't seem to work anywhere near as good. Missing whole noises in the back speakers and often whole effects like sounds moving from speaker to speaker depending on where you are. I literally did everything I could find online to remedy the issue and just said screw it and got the card.

I recommend one, even if to just have a AMP/DAC that can up the overall volume and sound. Though for most it's really not necessary as onboard has made leaps and bounds since the early 2000's. But if you consider yourself someone who likes things better then just the bare bones minimum meant for the masses who don't care about sound quality (those who use youtube at 240p for music) or know there's even options. Then you should think about getting one. Even USB ones are great, as my Music nut friends who are stickers for quality use them. And if it's good enough for high quality music being made from real artistic types who know their shit then it should be good enough for the average joe.

If you're a low end user they are worth it for the amplifier, get an Asus DG that goes for $20 I think.

This details the differences supposedly

http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2289952/beyerdynamic-770-pro-80ohms-sennheiser-598.html

Probably 20-20Hz headsets or even 10-20Hz you won't notice, not untill you start with 10-35Hz audiophile.

I have a 5.1 setup and pretty expensive one (Microlab X14) and didn't notice a thing between my 40$ onboard Asus MOBO and Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Titanium Pro.

Price isn't everything, and not all speakers benefit much from a better DAC (or higher bitrate). I'd be surprised if you could even discern between 192kbps mp3 and FLAC on any Bose setup for example.

A decent soundcard will do a better job of converting the digital signal from your PC to analogue, have lower latency (more important for production purposes really) and also have the necessary connectors for balanced cables that will reduce noise (especially over long lengths). There is also the pre-amps for headphones and also for mics on most interfaces.

If you're just gaming and using consumer grade stuff like a satellite speaker surround kit or some Turtle Beach headphones I shouldn't even think about changing really. If you are shelling out for proper audiophile or production grade gear though it would be a waste not to upgrade. My Adam A7X's sound quite noticeably different through onboard and my Focusrite interface and the difference was also evident with my cheaper KRK's when I was using them. I don't use headphones so haven't done any comparisons on them myself.

With all that said I think one of the most important things you can do to improve your listening experience is sort the rooms acoustics out. You can have the best gear in the world but it wouldn't sound at all right in a room with lots of reflection and uncontrolled bass. Understand that this isn't possible for most people if it's a lounge you share with you partner or whatever but if the room is yours, treat it!

I don't have a sound card, but I don't use an analogue signal. I have HDMI running to a receiver.

I didn't see anyone notice it but, not long ago Tom's Hardware made a test/review about this:

What Does It Take To Turn The PC Into A Hi-Fi Audio Platform?

Anything Above $2 Buys More Features, Not Better Quality:

A $2 Codec Sounds (to us) like a $2000 Device

	Benchmark Media DAC2 HGC	JDSLabs O2+ODAC	Asus Xonar Essence STX	Realtek ALC889
Price	~$2000	~$290 (including AC adapter)	$190	~$2 (OEM in volume)
Pros	-Great sound quality -Outstanding build quality -Only device to support 88.2/176.4/DSD64 in practice -Dual headphone out -Greatest number of analog/digital I/O and features (remote control, LCD display) -Free 30-day trial	-Great sound quality -Open-source design that can be self-assembled at lower price point -High-quality volume control -Semi-portable	-Great sound quality -Does not take up desk space -Has both RCA and 1/4" TRS output -Has ADC stage	-Great sound quality -Outstanding value -Does not take up desk space -Supports eight-channel audio -Doesn't require PCIe or USB connectivity
Cons	-Very expensive -You pay for features; sound quality is matched at lower price points -Adds desk clutter	-No RCA output -No TRS 1/4" jack -Power transformer not included -Adds desk clutter	-RCA and 1/4" TRS output cannot be concurrently active; switch is software-only -Requires free PCIe slot -No external volume control -Essentially no portability	-Not as linear or hi-fi as the other devices (-1.4 dB @ 100 Hz) -No TRS 1/4" jack -Fixed gain setting -No external volume control -Essentially no portability
Application	Extreme PC-driven DAC / headphone amplifier and natural interconnect point with any high-end hi-fi system	Dedicated DAC and headphone amplifier with a convenient volume control and option for limited portability	Budget hi-fi solution that allows switching between 2(.1) stereo speakers and high-end headphones	"Near-Fi" solution that fits almost all major use cases and dominates from a value perspective

Using world-class headphones, a $2 Realtek integrated audio codec could not be reliably distinguished from the $2000 Benchmark DAC2 HGC in a four-device round-up. Again, all four devices sounded great.

You can read more in the first link for the article.

I wouldn't bother with sound cards. They're subject to electromagnetic interference from other components (even the ones that come with emi shields) and usually have quite a high output impedance which depending on your headphones might cause quite a significant signal degradation.

If you're not happy with your on board audio, I'd suggest looking into external DACs/amps.

Do you have any sources for that? That's crazy that professional engineers could screw up output impedance from an opamp.

Also I disagree slightly with KHAnime, I've noticed great benefits to using a headphone amp for cheap headphones (audio technica mth30 in my case). I built my own headphone amp though, it's battery-powered and I love it. If you know how to solder you can build the entire thing for less than $30, My next step is to add some EQ stages and lower the gain.

External might be the way to go since you can get better shielding from background noise as well as the ability to use it with more devices.

I use both optical and analog. Optical to my surround system (that's not a great one) and a pair of headphones.

I don't know much about the reviewers at Tom'sHardware.. Can whoever did this be considered an audiophile?

I would recommend external gear over internal sound cards since you're less likely to pick up interference. Most modern onboard is pretty decent - a DAC itself isn't a hard problem and was solved pretty much perfectly more than 10 years ago, it's the implementation that's easy to mess up.

If your onboard is loud enough and has no obvious issues, you're unlikely to benefit from a different DAC/sound card.

Personally I use HDMI to my Denon AVR.

I can't answer you for sure. The guy that did the review (Filippo Scognamiglio Pasini) seems to be very well educated. But a lot audiophile people agree with this article that people should spending more $$ at speakers/headsets/amp than DAC.

Modern Onboard has gotten pretty good.

We recently got the new Asus x99A mobos (and they have premium sound onboard) EASILY the best sound I have heard from an onboard.

STill it doesn't sound quite as well as my Eleven Rack, to a Little Dot mk II headphone amp. (with aftermarket tubes in it) Through my AKG-k712 pro headphones. However, going from onboard (from these X99A mobos) to the Little Dot Mk II headphone amp gets close!

I'm still rocking my old school SB Audigy 2 because I've always been able to hear background noise / interference with onboard audio.

Been rocking Sound Blaster since Commander Keen, and proud of it! :D

My X-Fi eXtremeGamer is definitely better than my onboard sound. More sounds coming through, and louder (I like to have volume in reserve)

@Cobra_nVidia:

I used to have that exact card (still do, in the closet). I can tell you the newer Sound Blaster cards are much better than that. Especially for music. Game audio has taken a step back though since developers started using software based virtualization instead of hardware accelerated solutions like EAX.

im considering that too since i bought a very high end pair headphones ath a900x with a frequence response of 5 - 40000 hz

Well I might eventually get a new SOUND BLASTER! but this one is putting up a good fight. It has some had some...umm...socket problems for a couple years (it has a little "wiggle room" where it can get connection problems) so I've been thinking about replacing it with a PCI-e card, but I won't abandon a peripheral when it is trying so hard to keep working and still has life!

@Cobra_nVidia said:

Been rocking Sound Blaster since Commander Keen, and proud of it! :D

My X-Fi eXtremeGamer is definitely better than my onboard sound. More sounds coming through, and louder (I like to have volume in reserve)

Hmm.. Okay could you listen to this song. How well do you hear the bass?

Actually you are all welcome to do that.

The comments are divided about the amount of bass it has. It has bass, that much I can tell, but for me it is not as much, I mean far from, as some claims it to have.

@horgen:

There is very little bass in that. The other sounds over power it.

That's with my onboard amp and no enhancements.

There's some bass in that song, but it's not really that much. Unless you have your sound system set up incorrectly, that shouldn't be a particularly bassy track.

This song, for example, is something I'd consider to be bassy. If you don't hear a good amount of bass with this song, then there's something up.

This actually sounds a lot cleaner and a bit deeper bass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UijHChw2VOM

That would be the same, just another edition, of the song I linked to...?

Yeah I canhear the bass in that one. As it is meant to be heard I hope.

Bass has as much to do with your speakers as your soundcard - more, actually.

Much of the music for Divinity: Dragon Commander, for example, blew me away when I got more bass with Creative T40 speakers.

I am quite happy with the Sound Blasting capabilities of meh rig! :D

They have enough bass. Not over doing it, but they have enough. I'll test some of these tracks tomorrow with my surround set-up, as doing it right now would wake my son up and I don't want to do that.

@horgen:

It's the same song but the version I linked to is a lot less compressed sounding.

C'mon guys. Those examples are laughable. You want Bass? Check this...

https://youtu.be/cQHTcJYJRgQ

https://youtu.be/BcyXE5xPbDk

BassMan approved :)

Now that's ridiculous :p I wasn't trying to blow anyone up, rather demonstrate a musical example. For that I have the volume at like 1/10th of what I'd listen too and it's too bassy. I don't even have a subwoofer with my 6.5" woofer speakers and it seems like it would bring down my house if I were to listen to that at normal volumes. I guess it's subjective but damn - I'd imagine you'd break your Dr. Dre's Beats with these.

I am listening to the tracks now with my AKG K702 Annies and I get no distortion or bottoming out. They are good tracks to test out if your equipment is up to snuff.

Quoted frequency response without bounds (± dB) is meaningless.