willofgod
15-09-2004, 07:49 PM
My soundcard is years old, and was probably years old when I bought it off Villan. I've decided to get a new one. Can anyone recommend a good one for no more that about £60 - £75 quid tops? I've been looking at the Audigy 2 ZS PCI at Dabs, but have no idea if its any good or not. Most likely much better than my current SoundBlaster Live 1024 budget rubbish!
PS I dont like the idea of these new fangled USB ones.
PPS I might have changed my mind about USN, the article I've just copied below sounds interesting... and it'd be easy to get to the ports if it were sat on my desk...
PPPS Bollocks, I'm just ordering it! Sounds nice.
PPPPS Changed my mond, dont know what to do.
External sound cards have several advantages over their internal brethren. Not only are they easier to install but they also provide more convenient connections as you can place them almost anywhere around your working area. Plus, they're portable, so you could share a device between your laptop and your PC.
The Audigy 2 NX is our favourite external device, as it crams most of the ZS Platinum Pro's features into a space smaller than its breakout box. The specification list leaves you with a warm feeling inside thanks to 7.1 surround, Dolby Digital EX, EAX Advanced HD, USB 2, 24-bit/96kHz, and 5.1 DVD Audio playback. This should mean even the most demanding gamers will be satisfied.
Musicians will be better off with either the TerraTec or M-Audio FireWire boxes, since both support ASIO 2 and have full-size jacks. The NX, meanwhile, has no ASIO support and only 3.5mm minijacks for input and output. But to criticise the Creative for being a poor music production tool is to miss the point - this is an entertainment sound card that's intended for gaming and DVD/music playback.
And on these counts, the NX beats the rest hands down. Both the Hercules Muse Pocket and Philips PSC805 seem basic in comparison, offering 'only' six-channel output and no Advanced HD support. Our only real gripe with the NX is that it isn't powered by the USB interface - it comes with a separate PSU, which means you need to find another spare power socket.
But this is outweighed by the fact that there are optical S/PDIF input and outputs as well as a coaxial output. We also appreciate the microphone pre-amp, despite the fact that the input is only a 3.5mm minijack.
Creative bundles plenty of software in the box, including MediaSource 2, WaveStudio and a DVD-Audio player. The drivers and control panel offer the same setup controls as the Platinum Pro - the only item missing is the THX console and certification. Unusually, Creative includes four minijack-to-minijack cables, but these won't be compatible with every speaker set. There's also the same infrared remote control as the Platinum Pro's.
Our scientific tests showed the NX to be second only to the ZS in most areas. Both signal-to-noise and dynamic range were excellent - only distortion let it down slightly. However, its 3D performance was the slowest of all cards at 40.4fps.
Ultimately, if you're after an external sound card, the Audigy 2 NX provides plenty of bang for your buck and measures up to its technical specifications well.
PS I dont like the idea of these new fangled USB ones.
PPS I might have changed my mind about USN, the article I've just copied below sounds interesting... and it'd be easy to get to the ports if it were sat on my desk...
PPPS Bollocks, I'm just ordering it! Sounds nice.
PPPPS Changed my mond, dont know what to do.
External sound cards have several advantages over their internal brethren. Not only are they easier to install but they also provide more convenient connections as you can place them almost anywhere around your working area. Plus, they're portable, so you could share a device between your laptop and your PC.
The Audigy 2 NX is our favourite external device, as it crams most of the ZS Platinum Pro's features into a space smaller than its breakout box. The specification list leaves you with a warm feeling inside thanks to 7.1 surround, Dolby Digital EX, EAX Advanced HD, USB 2, 24-bit/96kHz, and 5.1 DVD Audio playback. This should mean even the most demanding gamers will be satisfied.
Musicians will be better off with either the TerraTec or M-Audio FireWire boxes, since both support ASIO 2 and have full-size jacks. The NX, meanwhile, has no ASIO support and only 3.5mm minijacks for input and output. But to criticise the Creative for being a poor music production tool is to miss the point - this is an entertainment sound card that's intended for gaming and DVD/music playback.
And on these counts, the NX beats the rest hands down. Both the Hercules Muse Pocket and Philips PSC805 seem basic in comparison, offering 'only' six-channel output and no Advanced HD support. Our only real gripe with the NX is that it isn't powered by the USB interface - it comes with a separate PSU, which means you need to find another spare power socket.
But this is outweighed by the fact that there are optical S/PDIF input and outputs as well as a coaxial output. We also appreciate the microphone pre-amp, despite the fact that the input is only a 3.5mm minijack.
Creative bundles plenty of software in the box, including MediaSource 2, WaveStudio and a DVD-Audio player. The drivers and control panel offer the same setup controls as the Platinum Pro - the only item missing is the THX console and certification. Unusually, Creative includes four minijack-to-minijack cables, but these won't be compatible with every speaker set. There's also the same infrared remote control as the Platinum Pro's.
Our scientific tests showed the NX to be second only to the ZS in most areas. Both signal-to-noise and dynamic range were excellent - only distortion let it down slightly. However, its 3D performance was the slowest of all cards at 40.4fps.
Ultimately, if you're after an external sound card, the Audigy 2 NX provides plenty of bang for your buck and measures up to its technical specifications well.