Do You Really Need a Discrete Sound Card?

crookedvulture writes "Integrated audio has become a common freebie on motherboards, causing many to question whether there's any need to have a sound card. Tech Report took a closer look at the issue by testing the latest integrated Realtek codec against a couple of sound cards: Asus' $30 Xonar DG and its considerably more expensive $280 Xense cousin. Everything from gaming performance to signal quality is explored, and it's the blind listening tests that prove most revealing. The integrated solution is obviously flawed, and in a bit of a surprise, the cheaper Xonar is the one most preferred. Discrete sound cards certainly have their benefits, and you don't need to spend a lot to get something that sounds a lot better than the average motherboard."

Discrete sound card?

[ElMiguel]

As opposed to what? Continuous sound card?

That depends.

[Dan East]

Only if what you listen to requires discretion.

Re:My Soundblaster 16 works great

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh yeah, need something to power this 2X CD-ROM drive. Now if I can just find my CD caddy so I can load it...

Re:Discrete sound card?

[Anonymous Coward]

To be honest, I prefer my sound to be continuous. I tried playing left for dead with a flickering sound card, and let me tell you, *silence* *silence* *silence* *Roar of Tank right behind you* *silence* Not a good way to play. Don't even get me started on Voice Chat.

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[eldavojohn]

As opposed to what? Continuous sound card?

You know, do you need a sound card that doesn't let your roommate or neighbor know that you listen to porn all day?

Hello? What about the dick-waving contest?

[Anonymous Coward]

How am I supposed to gloat about how awesome my sound setup is if I don't have a discrete sound card? Instead of wasting time with blind listening tests, they should go to a bar, walk up to a woman and say:

Hey, baby, wanna come home and listen to my 7.1-channel, 24-bit, 192kHz Xense sound card while I rock you all night long?

versus

Excuse me, miss, would you like to come home and listen to my integrated sound card while I cry about my ex-girlfriend and prematurely ejaculate?

This is what I call real-life testing scenarios.

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[Stregano]

I always end up with the opposite. The gun shots are so loud I pretty much assume that there is a drive-by outside and am surprised my neighbors in my apartment complex do not call the cops for me shooting somebody in my house, and then when I watch some awesome porn, I can't hear the storyline, and nothing is worse than not knowing the storyline.

I know he is supposed to be a repairman fixing the cable, but maybe he has another motive.

Re:Discrete sound card?

[sjames]

Yeah, but sometimes I use the computer when others are sleeping. I need it to be discreet.

Re:No

[DarthBart]

I put my PC into a wooden case so the bits would properly resonate before being sent to the speakers.

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[CaseyB]

I wonder how complex your algorithms would have to be to determine if the sounds produced are of gunshots or female moans.

They should give the Turing award to anyone that can produce an algorithm that can tell the difference between porn and women's tennis.

Re:Hello? What about the dick-waving contest?

[pspahn]

I think in this case, since you don't want to wake up your parents upstairs, the integrated option would probably be best.

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[Anonymous Coward]

They should give the Turing award to anyone that can produce an algorithm that can tell the difference between porn and women's tennis.

You mean women's tennis isn't porn?

Re:Discrete sound card?

[l0b0]

Analog of course. They've got this new qbits that can have literally any value between 0 and 1!

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[aevan]

Subtitles! Porn with subtitles on is the only way to watch. Not only will you know the plot, but you'll learn to recognise "high pitch moan", "soft moan" "moans increase in volume" etc. Just need them to start putting the subtitling at the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Now if only they also had porn come in Described Video, preferably by Betty White

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[diesel66]

The music gives it away.

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[Locke2005]

Now if only they also had porn come in Described Video, preferably by Betty White. Dude, don't make in invoke Rule 34!

By the way, just to be clear, did you want Betty White doing the acting, or Betty White doing the voice-over? 'Cause I'm pretty sure either way would be fucking hilarious!

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[aevan]

Hmmm.... remember those old television shows where the narrator was physically present in the shot, while the action froze?

Yeah, Betty White sitting on a chair right beside the action, narrating over a cup of tea...I could watch that.

Re:Yes

[ChrisMaple]

Under the right conditions, coat hangers can introduce clearly audible distortion. Coat hangers usually have a high iron content. The iron enhances the magnetic field inherent in any current flow, but if there's too much current flow, the iron saturates. Bingo, distortion.

Re:Yes

[fyngyrz]

...and I was simply attempting to continue in your humorous vein by alluding to something with veins, but alas, the moderators recognized neither of our efforts, rendering us symbolically redundantly redundant, regardless of our intended thrust. We've been given the shaft, symbolically speaking. Those dicks.

Re:Yes

[Anonymous Coward]

Which is why pro audio equipment using iron core transformers can sound so damn good when the i/o stages are driven to saturation. I dare say that using coathangers in place of bell wire to connect passive speakers would grately improve the sound of most of todays sterile sounding music. Not as much as muting it or turing it off, but it's a good start.

Re:Discrete *wink* *wink* sound card?

[hedwards]

Generally in porn, the racket gets held in other ways, if you catch my drift. Also, you usually don't get an odd number of balls.