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Topic: ADVICE: Moving to a dedicated Sound Card Setup (Read 1674 times) previous topic - next topic
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ADVICE: Moving to a dedicated Sound Card Setup

I recently upgraded to an Abit K8N-Ultra motherbaord and the onboard sound leaves a bit to be desired.  Not only does it sound "tinny", it also breaks and cracks randomly when I am working.  Also, the system in question is a work box, not a gaming box.

What I am looking for is very good 2-channel sound for CD/MP3 playback.  I already have a good speaker setup and a huge music library, now I just need a better soundcard option.

Scanning here and Google keeps pointing back to any of the cards with the Via ENVY chips, esp the Chaintech AV-710.  However, when I go looking for that particular card, no one seems to have it in stock.  I have also looked at some of the higher end M-Audio solutions (among others) but quite often these are also designed for people making music in addition to listening to music - seems like overkill for my needs.

So, the questions I have then are:

1) What other cards are available with the same chipset as the AV-710?

2) And/Or, What other cards should I be considering for 2-channel audio(phile) playback?  Again, I will not be gaming at all.

3) Before you recommend that I go get a receiver/amp and better speakers, please bear in mind that I only use this system for work and I want to be able to play music while I do, but I also want to make it sound as good as possible without going overboard.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions & advice!

-JPS