Topic: Sound Blaster Sound Card good or bad???

[Depechemode1993]

well I am looking on the market to buy a new Soundcard. this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1059048992608&skuId=5846855&productCategoryId=cat01053&type=product

it looks good to me.I have herd sound blasters are good? has some RCA in and Optical in...  have one now but its horrible... Realtek...

1. are RCA in jacks basically the same as Optical in?
2. would it be hard changing my soundcard from old to my new one? or just a few hookups and all is good?
3. anyone ever put a new soundcard into thier computer?

[John Kelly]

Are you planning on using the digital ins for transfers?  If so this isn't the card to go with as it resamples.

[hzgone]

You can pick up an audiophile 2496 on ebay for 150 or less

[highwayjill]

You can pick up an audiophile 2496 on ebay for 150 or less

or you can buy a new one for $95 ($102.50 including shipping) from http://www.core-sound.com/audiophile_2496.html

[silverbullet]

Can someone explain resampling?

I use opt dig in and currently I'm using SB Plantium Audigy 2 ($200). I got it because I like the connections in front and it was the only thing in my local retail stores that had opt in/outs and RCA input jacks.

How inaccurate or bad is resampling? Should I really ditch the SB?

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Not sure how to explain resampling, but here is a MB topic I found with Google:

http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/tm.asp?m=167129

Pretty much:  Soundblaster = BAD

T

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Get this instead, I bought one used for about $40:

http://www.digit-life.com/articles/zoltrixpro6/

Terry

[silverbullet]

Thanks, I remember when I got my SB card reading something bad about resampling. I wasn't recording as much or as seriously then but all the out/in inticed my to purchase. That and I figured $200 bucks would be the best. Stupid me.

I'd still like something with RCA in/out , opt in/out, and S/PDIF (RCA) in/out as well as computer speaker outputs. The Audiophile 2496 seems very popular. Are folks just using the S/PDIF RCA connection instead of a digital optical connection? I thought the optical connection was better than coaxial connection or are bits just bits in this case. I'll be replacing my SB card soon enough.

[John Kelly]

Thanks, I remember when I got my SB card reading something bad about resampling. I wasn't recording as much or as seriously then but all the out/in inticed my to purchase. That and I figured $200 bucks would be the best. Stupid me.

I'd still like something with RCA in/out , opt in/out, and S/PDIF (RCA) in/out as well as computer speaker outputs. The Audiophile 2496 seems very popular. Are folks just using the S/PDIF RCA connection instead of a digital optical connection? I thought the optical connection was better than coaxial connection or are bits just bits in this case. I'll be replacing my SB card soon enough.

Both optical and coax work just as well.  Neither is really any better than the other.

[nic]

bits are bits(coax vs optical s.pdif), but remember, the optical cable is inherently more fragile than the coax cable.

fyi, m-audio makes other cards with optical i/o if you prefer

[silverbullet]

Well, I prefer the thickness of a RCA cable over a flimsy optical cable. If it's all the same I'll stick with coaxial. My DAT Tascam homedeck has a coaxial output wth no optical output so I might as well get used to it. I only used optical cord running from my M1 to computer. I can just as easily use my Tascam unit.

There is so much bull out there spoken by sales reps. Chaulk it up to learning.

[Depechemode1993]

so what is the soundcard you all use? I have a D8 and what cables would I use to use one of those listed above? I am still very confused and don't know what cables needed to transfer shows....  ahhh.!!!!

[creekfreak]

get the audiophile 2496.....soundblaster are great for gaming, but in the tech support arena the audigy series is dodoo, their drivers and software sucks

[Simp-Dawg]

ok, stay away from creative if you are at all concerned with preserving he integrity of the master recording.  sb cards resample.  who knows if they're bit perfect either (or is that the same thing?)
anyways...
to answer your original questions:
1. rca digitial in (coax) is in the same digital domain as optical digital, just a different format.  if you have a d8 you'll be wanting rca (s/pdif) on your soundcard
2. depends...if you get an internal pci card it may be difficult if you've never opened up a computer before.  but if you're at all tech-savvy you should not have problems.  basically you install the software, then install the card (or vice-versa according to the directions you get with it) and voila, you're set to go.  even easier with a usb device such as the egosys u24 or emagic 2|6.  there might be some tweaking necessary on your system to optimize performance and prevent dropouts while transferring recordings.
3. yes, i have   i've installed a few into my own, first a sb live card before i knew any better, and then an echo mia card. 

[silverbullet]

ok, If I'm just transferring files from my JB3 to computer via firewire then upgrading my soundcard ASAP is no big deal at this point. right?