Choosing A New Sound Card

[seekermeister]

Yes, I recorded a commercial on Hulu without any problem. It would only save it as a .wma, but that could always be converted to some other format if necessary. This is one of those times when I learned more answering a question, than asking one...thanks.

Even though you are not a gamer, you might find it's VoIP function useful. I have not yet tried it out, because I got rid of Skype, but that was one of the reasons that I chose it.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Yes, I recorded a commercial on Hulu without any problem. It would only save it as a .wma, but that could always be converted to some other format if necessary. This is one of those times when I learned more answering a question, than asking one...thanks.

Even though you are not a gamer, you might find it's VoIP function useful. I have not yet tried it out, because I got rid of Skype, but that was one of the reasons that I chose it.

Thanks for going to the trouble of confirming that capability.

As an aside, you can use a free audio app such as Audacity to record what you hear and save it directly in any of about 10 formats, including mp3 and WMA. Audacity also give you the capability to alter the sound file by fading in, fading out, reducing hiss, adjusting bass and treble through an equalizer, etc. Great free application.

I have considered Skype, but balked at the idea of relying on a PC for phone capability--even though my PC is usually on.

 

[seekermeister]

I don't consider VoIP to be a replacement for regular phone service, only for long distance calls. I don't recommend Skype to anyone, because even though I had a year's subscription, I never got to use it to place a call, because I never found a compatible phone, even though the ones that I have are supposed to be compatible. Since this would probably only involve outbound calls for me, any faux pas shouldn't become a problem. I'm still looking for a replacement service, because what I'm aware of isn't to my liking.

 

[seekermeister]

seekermeister, Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 over here... performs remarkably well (~a year of ownership), never crashed, never crackles, never hinder standby/wakeup, sounds phenomenal, overall a good card. If you have analog speakers, go with Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 Deluxe, it got a separate daughter board, the H6 card that holds the rest of analog output (another 6 analog out IIRC). As for bay access, I don't need any since I can use the front panel connector, which is connected to my HDAV.

zzz2496

Maybe it's the difference in the models of the cards, but I haven't found a way to connect the front I/Os to this card. The only connectors on it are Midi, Aux and CD In.

I don't use the Creative bay very much, but it does provide a 1/4" input for my guitar tuner. Unless I find a means to adapt this, I guess I will have to use my secondary rig for tuning the instrument, which is not as convenient as I would like.

EDIT: I just realized that you said that you connected the front I/O to the HDAV, which I assume is on the motherboard, rather than the sound card. If that is so, doesn't it require resetting the audio device in the BIOS when needed?

 

[zzz2496]

In my HDAV, there is a set of pins that connects to front panel audio... There should be a similar pins on yours, just connect your front panel socket to that pins, no other setup needed, Xonar will know automatically...

zzz2496

 

[seekermeister]

If such pins exist on my card, they are well hidden. I shall recheck, but I doubt that they exist.

EDIT: Again, I replied before considering what you said...the HDAV pins are on the motherboard?

 

[seekermeister]

A minor annoyance that I've run into, is that the only PCIe slot that I had available for the sound card is the second x16 slot. Installing the card there causes the an error message to appear on start for the EZ Plug, provided for powering a second video card for SLI. I have looked in the BIOS settings and not found a way to disable it. Am I overlooking something?

 

[zzz2496]

My HDAV's pins are located at the top of the card... I'm currently googling for pictures of your card...

zzz2496