Enough difference to matter?

[SpeedKing9]

Is there enough difference in quality between say a Lynx L22 card and an Audigy Sound Blaster 4 Pro card? The reason I ask is I'm a bit setback on the Lynx card, as it doesn't have a breakout box for $700!! Not to mention the Audigy has a breakout box, and additional things like a headphone jack, joystick port for midi controllers. Mind you, I only NEED 1-2 channels..I'm mainly concerned if the A/D D/A on the Audigy is worthless or not..but I would really prefer a breakout box.

Thanks!

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Anything by Soundblaster is not a pro audio card -- it's really a gaming card -- you're far better off with an audio card if you want some quality.....

 

[bigwillz24]

Is there enough difference in quality between say a Lynx L22 card and an Audigy Sound Blaster 4 Pro card?
Thanks!

In a word yes....

If you just gotta have a breakout box look at an emu 1820 or a delta 1010 I think both of those are a better option pricewise than the lynx card.

 

[Ethan Winer]

SK,

> Is there enough difference in quality between say a Lynx L22 card and an Audigy Sound Blaster 4 Pro card? <

Rather than ask others if your Audigy card is any good, here's a very simple test you can perform to determine this for yourself. Record a good sounding track from one of your favorite CDs using the Audigy's analog Line Input. Then listen very carefully and compare what you just recorded against the original track on the CD. Be sure you play back both tracks at the exact same volume, otherwise the comparison is not valid.

If they sound the same, that proves your Audigy is capable of capturing very high fidelity.

--Ethan

 

[Chibi Nappa]

Kind of the same type of question here.... I'm looking to upgrade soundcards for playback purposes only (Mostly WAV and FLAC files through nice Hifi speakers). Would a $100 soundcard such as the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 be a noticiable improvement over the came-with-the-PC-built-into-the-motherboard soundcard I'm currently using? What about E-mu's $100 card?

 

[bigwillz24]

Kind of the same type of question here.... I'm looking to upgrade soundcards for playback purposes only (Mostly WAV and FLAC files through nice Hifi speakers). Would a $100 soundcard such as the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 be a noticiable improvement over the came-with-the-PC-built-into-the-motherboard soundcard I'm currently using? What about E-mu's $100 card?

When I upgraded it made one hell of a differance to me.

But thats just my opinion

 

[aaroncomp]

Is there enough difference in quality between say a Lynx L22 card and an Audigy Sound Blaster 4 Pro card? The reason I ask is I'm a bit setback on the Lynx card, as it doesn't have a breakout box for $700!! Not to mention the Audigy has a breakout box, and additional things like a headphone jack, joystick port for midi controllers. Mind you, I only NEED 1-2 channels..I'm mainly concerned if the A/D D/A on the Audigy is worthless or not..but I would really prefer a breakout box.

Thanks!

I'd recommend using the optical pipe if you decide on the SB - at that route, I would say, no, quality difference would be very hard to decipher. But the Audigy 4 isn't cheap, thus I'd get something else, unless you're looking to game, etc.