Quality Speakers vs. Sound Cards

So my MoBo comes with a Realtek ALC120, which I've heard is pretty good for integrated audio, but somewhat lacking compared to other superior dedicated audio cards. My question is, if i get a nice pair of high quality speakers, will the sound cards really matter? (Reminds my of the guitar's sound and the sound of the amps discussions lol. Btw most say a nice amp can rise the level of guitar) Quality Speakers vs. Sound Cards
Which sound system are you aiming for?Quality Speakers vs. Sound Cards
if it for video game : sound card will grealtyy increase and a X-540 or Z5300+ series are realy awsome for that
and with a sound card you boost them up
apprentyl best sound card on market is X-FI Fatality1 Vs Asus Xonar in some stuff
but xonar as no EAX 5.0 HD feature only to X-FI wich make it downscale for gamer
Im using onboard sound on this pc right now, its realteck too. I have it with some ok logitech speakers that costed about $59 for 5.1.. It sounds good. I'm not going to host any rock concerts on them, but it does get loud I only use it for music though.. So I cant tell you how they sound in WoW or something..
I actually only use 2.1, but all the 2.1 cards i've found are extremely low quality. The onboard one i listed is actually a 8 channel. I am not really gaming, but playing music.
I don't know about the x-540 (which I do own). I haven't tested it on onboard, but my brother has a similar setup on realtek 4 year old onboard and there isn't too much a difference. I don't really have that good card either, it's an Audigy 2 ZS that I got a while back.
X-540's are pretty nice, although the remote wire is really short. I bought some Senheiser 550's on Saturday along with a Auzen Prelude. The headphones are great even with my iPod, so id have to say yes, but it wont replace the need for getting a sound card, just enhance it.
Keep in mind that some of these onboard sound cards are pretty high quality. My mobo comes with Realtek HD-Audio which sounds very nice. I just popped in some good speakers and viola! Some people say there isnt much of a difference. It's hard to say man. You would have to get the best sound card out there, preferably 5.1 or 7.1 and hook up high quality speakers. They go hand-in-hand. Bad speaker system can make a GREAT sound card sound bad. And a bad soundcard can make a great speaker system sound terrible. Like I said, they go hand-in-hand. Expect to spend about $200 or less for the best speakers and soundcard. You can grab Xi-fi extreme gamer 7.1 soundcard for like $80, and grab Logitech X-540 for only $74. For less than $200, you can get yourself some badass sounds for your PC.
[QUOTE=''Luminouslight'']I don't know about the x-540 (which I do own). I haven't tested it on onboard, but my brother has a similar setup on realtek 4 year old onboard and there isn't too much a difference. I don't really have that good card either, it's an Audigy 2 ZS that I got a while back. [/QUOTE]
it better then most on board sound a Adugiy 2 But 4 is far far better and X-fi sure to be on top XD
[QUOTE=''Elann2008'']Keep in mind that some of these onboard sound cards are pretty high quality. My mobo comes with Realtek HD-Audio which sounds very nice. I just popped in some good speakers and viola! Some people say there isnt much of a difference. It's hard to say man. You would have to get the best sound card out there, preferably 5.1 or 7.1 and hook up high quality speakers. They go hand-in-hand. Bad speaker system can make a GREAT sound card sound bad. And a bad soundcard can make a great speaker system sound terrible. Like I said, they go hand-in-hand. Expect to spend about $200 or less for the best speakers and soundcard. You can grab Xi-fi extreme gamer 7.1 soundcard for like $80, and grab Logitech X-540 for only $74. For less than $200, you can get yourself some badass sounds for your PC.[/QUOTE] Yea realtek seems to make really good sound cards, but do you know if they make seperate cards? I never do see them when I look, and i'd really like one.
Realtek only makes integrated equipment (at least in the 'States).The number one factor of your sound quality is the speakers. If you spend more money on a sound card than you do on speakers, you've wasted your money on inferior sound. Now, if you already have high quality speakers, a good sound card would be a wiser purchase. As a basic rule of thumb, if you didn't pay at least $100 for your speakers, don't bother with a stand-alone card.
high quality speakers + dedicated sound card = high quality High quality speakers + onboard = muddy sound, nice bassso so speakers + dedicated sound card = pretty decent sound quality
Basically, it's like the old saying ''Your team is only as good as it's weakest player''. If you have an awesome sound card, but terrible speakers, then your speakers will negate most advantages of the sound card.I would suggest buying decent speakers and a good sound card.
Are there sound cards out there that support USB 2.0? cuz my speakers connect through USB.
[QUOTE=''Strifebringer'']Basically, it's like the old saying ''Your team is only as good as it's weakest player''. If you have an awesome sound card, but terrible speakers, then your speakers will negate most advantages of the sound card.I would suggest buying decent speakers and a good sound card. [/QUOTE]