What sound card are you using for SH3?

[shaggyofwv]

I am using a Sound Blaster Live 5.1, but I have had it for a while and I am curious as to what is the best card on the market right now? Is the SB Audigy 2 a big step up over the SB Live?

[Soulcommander]

Audigy 2 zs...I am using an audigy platinum myself...But I build many systems with the audigy zs. Some $$$ but the zs platinum pro is awesome too. But costly to many.

[The_Third_Half]

I'm using a SoundBlaster PCI512 , with the LabTec Arena550 surround sound system. Had them for about 3 years, neither are too expensive by any means ; And my sound quality is great, music, movies and games. Most importantly the games.

[jbacon69]

I'm still using sb live 5.1 myself. Unless you are into encoding your own audio or need more surround channels you won't notice a difference in sh3. I borrowed a used audigy 2 and it sounded just as clear with the live card.

[sukebeboy]

I'm using an Audigy 2 which I picked up in March. I'd had a lot of problems with my Creative Labs Live! card a few years ago and so avoided using them and bought a Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1 card instead. It was a great little card, but Hercules stopped supporting it about a year ago and with the latest version of DirectX, the sound quality degraded.

I then used my onboard Realtek AC97 mobo sound. The quality was decent, but, as it was part of the motherboard, it used up too many resources and my frame rates suffered.

I didn't want to buy the Audigy, but there were no real options. I have to say, once again, I am disappointed.

My right front speaker qutie often emits a crackling sound and the sound from that speaker very often gets faint or cuts out entirely.

Creative Labs sucks.

[U-49]

I'm currently using an Audigy 2 based sound card. Creative's new X-Fi (http://www.soundblaster.com/products/x-fi/technology/gamers/) based products look pretty good.

[Hiriyu]

Slightly embarrassing, but I'm still running an old SB PCI128 (Ensonique 5880). Hasn't gone south yet, and hasn't met any software it doesn't like, so it stays till either it dies or becomes bus-incompatible http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/35.gif

[PapaG39]

I use the Audigy 2 card...
I really can't tell the difference from my old sb live card. it just works. I can hear most sounds.... I do know that I hear much better with it when I put fresh batteries in my hearing aids...lol...

[blue_76]

sb live 5.1 here. the trick is to get a 5.1 surround sound speakers if you really want to hear things in 3d. audigy 2 is better but its more expensive. i do have crackling noise after i play the game for about an hour.. i found out it had something to do with my VIA motherboard, but i haven't been able to fix it. to anyone thinking about buying a new computer.. stay away from cheap VIA motherboards http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

[The Avon Lady]

Originally posted by blue_76:
stay away from cheap VIA motherboards
Accurately speaking, stay away from motherboards containing VIA chipsets. There are many MB manufacturers that incorporate VIA chipsets into some or all of their MBs.

[Maj_Death]

Originally posted by Hiriyu:
Slightly embarrassing, but I'm still running an old SB PCI128 (Ensonique 5880). Hasn't gone south yet, and hasn't met any software it doesn't like, so it stays till either it dies or becomes bus-incompatible http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/35.gif

Haha, I was still using one of those a few months ago too. Mine is about 5 years old. I replaced it with a SB Live when my speakers died though. I still have the thing set aside as a spare. It is a perfectly good card IMHO. Very few games use anything beyond EAX 1 so for most everything, my new card has no noticable effect. My new SB Live works great, sound quality is slightly better but that is probebly just the new speakers. About the only feature of the new card that is truely useful is the support for more speakers. I don't have a place to set up surround sound but I did move up to a 3 speaker setup (2 regular + 1 subwoofer). I'm pretty sure the PCI128 doesn't support this.

[TASKFORCE1x1]

I'm using the Audigy 2 zs Gamer. Works well for me. No pops,glitches,white noise or slowdowns.

BTW for this card they just came out with a new driver to enhance performance.

[cueceleches]

Audigy 2 here also! Great card, never had problems at all.