# Add in sound card v/s realtek 892 codec



## Minion (Apr 14, 2012)

I have some question 

1)Does a 2k sound card will provide better sound quality than onboard realtek audio (ALC 892).

2)Suggest me a sound card within 2k.

3)Is is worthy to spend on add-in sound card.

Help me out guys clear my doubts.


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## MegaMind (Apr 14, 2012)

Not a worthy investment... 

Which speakers are u using?


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## Minion (Apr 15, 2012)

I am using my PL 11 now but planning to buy logitech z623 for my Pc.


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## MegaMind (Apr 15, 2012)

Minion said:


> I am using my PL 11 now but planning to buy logitech z623 for my Pc.



Then Spend more & get atleast a Xonar DX..


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## Minion (Apr 15, 2012)

what about Xonar DS & Xonar DG are they any good ? Actually I am looking for something that will provide noticeable performance gain over onboard audio.


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## MegaMind (Apr 15, 2012)

Minion said:


> what about Xonar DS & Xonar DG are they any good ? Actually I am looking for something that will provide noticeable performance gain over onboard audio.



The ALC 892 is decent enough.. I'm not saying there won't be any diff. with DG, but diff. is not worth the 2K...


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## Minion (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks megamind,
I am getting Xonar DG for 1,400 is it worth & how much Xonar DX cost?

I have seen your signature you are using Xonar DX does it provide noticable performance over onboard.


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## MegaMind (Apr 16, 2012)

Minion said:


> Thanks megamind,
> I am getting Xonar DG for 1,400 is it worth & how much Xonar DX cost?
> 
> I have seen your signature you are using Xonar DX does it provide noticable performance over onboard.



You can't get the best out of a good speaker with that card.. But u can try it if u want it badly.. You'll notice the diff. from onboard, only if u have a good set of speakers/headphones.. 

Xonar DX - 4.2~4.5K

Yes, by a good margin..


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## Minion (Apr 16, 2012)

Then i guess I have two option save littlebit more and go for DX or wait till price come down.

Megamind,

I got a very review on Asus Xonar DG
here it is 
Asus' Xonar DG and Xense sound cards - The Tech Report - Page 1


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## MegaMind (Apr 16, 2012)

Minion said:


> Then i guess I have two option save littlebit more and go for DX or wait till price come down.
> 
> I got a very review on Asus Xonar DG
> here it is
> Asus' Xonar DG and Xense sound cards - The Tech Report - Page 1



The price of sound card going down is a very hard thing.. 

1.4K is a good price for DG, it will be a good start for a sound card...

When i moved from ALC 888s(slightly lower than ALC892 in SQ) to SB audigy value(slightly lower than DG in SQ) for my VS4121 the SQ was slightly better.. But SB audigy value to DX was a drastic improvement..


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## Minion (Apr 16, 2012)

With my old comuter which is a amd athon xp based system and a VIA pro savage graphics when i upgraded my graphics to low end GPU geforce 6200 I was amazed by picture quality every thing was lot clear.

I think same case for sound card too spending around 5k for sound card is too much instead I will spend on AMD 5670 for 4k and 1.5k for sound card.

Later will buy some quality speaker.


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## Minion (Apr 22, 2012)

Only difference between Xonar DX and Xonar DG is former is 24bit 192Khz and later is 24bit 92Khz.
See this 
*www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAcFkzhaFRA


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## AcceleratorX (Apr 22, 2012)

It's all in the SNR nowadays, unless you are concerned with gaming. ALC888 is better than ALC892, which is just an "adequate" chip. A lot also depends on the motherboard's implementation and noise protection circuitry so you cannot just compare two chips like that.

For example, the ALC892 on my Biostar motherboard sounds much better than the ALC892 on an Asus motherboard I have lying around.

In general, VIA's audio chips are very, very good. Onboard audio, what you should look out for is detailed below:

- Realtek: ALC887, ALC889, ALC898
- VIA: VT18xx, VT17xx, VT2xxx (all are good)

As for your particular question, if you have a decent pair of headphones/earphones/speakers, the Xonar DG will make a difference. It may not be significant, however.


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## Minion (Apr 24, 2012)

But sound card is something most people skip on So a low end will surely give good sound quality or else why would asus releases something that is redundant I will confirm this after buying Xonar DG.
I have searched a lot over internet about this card most of the reviews say it will provide noticeable difference in quality over onboard.


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## funskar (Apr 24, 2012)

Xonar dx still costs 4.5k..
I bought it 1 year before for 5k From Np

But You can buy Auzentec x-raider pci sound card for 3k from primeagb.
Buy Auzentech | Auzentech X Raider 7.1 Surround Sound System | Surround Sound System


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## MegaMind (Apr 24, 2012)

AcceleratorX said:


> It's all in the SNR nowadays, unless you are concerned with gaming. ALC888 is better than ALC892, which is just an "adequate" chip. A lot also depends on the motherboard's implementation and noise protection circuitry so you cannot just compare two chips like that



so true.. BTW, Its THD+N



funskar said:


> But You can buy Auzentec x-raider pci sound card for 3k from primeagb.
> Buy Auzentech | Auzentech X Raider 7.1 Surround Sound System | Surround Sound System



Better to save up and get xonar dx


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## funskar (Apr 24, 2012)

MegaMind said:


> so true.. BTW, Its THD+N
> 
> 
> 
> Better to save up and get xonar dx



Yeah. Bt he will need another 1.5k more..

Between xonar sounds great with z906


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## Minion (Apr 24, 2012)

funskar,

what is difference between XONAR DG &  Auzentech X-Raider ? later one cost almost double than the first one.


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## MegaMind (Apr 24, 2012)

X raider is not a good option.. Get xonar dg or all the way to dx..


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## Minion (Apr 24, 2012)

Yeah megamind,

They are overpriced for what they offer.


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## kai840 (Apr 27, 2012)

U can easily go for a XonarDG it will provide a diff. In quality dnt wrry abt that but  XonarDX is much way bttr but thinking that its price will come down dont wait for it hopefully its cost arnd 4800 in np


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## Minion (Apr 28, 2012)

Guys got my Asus Xonar DG yesterday I must say it has noticeable difference over my realtek crap well defined bass,I can hear lot more detail that I was not able with realtek,sound is more realistic for example in wolfman movie there is as scene in beginning where people are taking with each other doing party I felt they are around me.very good stereo separation ,very good positional audio. 

I felt these difference with my cheap Pl 11 so I must say people who need better sound don't waste money on software like srs sandbox instead buy this.

Thanking megamind,AcceleratorX,funskar,kai840 for helpling me out.


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## MegaMind (Apr 28, 2012)

Congrats..!


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## Minion (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks mate.


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## kai840 (Apr 29, 2012)

Congo!!!!


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## A_ashish_A (Apr 29, 2012)

Hello guys..i also wish to get a decent sound card..but I m also very confused between DG and DX. I have two questions-
1) Does DG has all Dolby features found in DX or it lacks any major or important feature??

2) Is DG capable of giving 5.1 output through 2.1 stereo speakers??

Plz reply.


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## Minion (Apr 29, 2012)

A_ashish_A,
Dolby feature is even found in DG. DX is better but you need very good speaker to figure out difference between DG & DX.
DG supports upto 5.1 Speaker configuration.


I would Suggest if you have very good speakers go with Xonar DX else with DG.To be honest Dolby is crape I don't use Dolby with Xonar DG they make my sound muddier I use HiFi mode found in Asus control panel.

Asus Xonar costs 4,200 while Xonar DG costs 1,500.So decide accordingly.


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## MegaMind (Apr 29, 2012)

Minion said:


> To be honest Dolby is crape



Can you explain how you came to that conclusion?
DG has Dolby Headphone technology & not DD live...



A_ashish_A said:


> Hello guys..i also wish to get a decent sound card..but I m also very confused between DG and DX. I have two questions-
> 1) Does DG has all Dolby features found in DX or it lacks any major or important feature??
> 
> 2) Is DG capable of giving 5.1 output through 2.1 stereo speakers??



Mention your audio equipments...

1. Some important points..


Xonar |
*DG*
|
*DX*

SNR(signal to noise ratio)(dB)|105,103|116,112
THD+N(total harmonic distortion+noise)|0.0025 %|0.00056%
Max. Sample Rate and Resolution|96KHz|192KHz
Dolby digital live|No|Yes
2. Yes & even a onboard realtek audio proc. does that...


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## A_ashish_A (Apr 29, 2012)

i dont have good speakers and headphone atm...but i plan to buy a pair of decent audio technica headphones (most probably Audio-Technica ATH-AD700) and after some time i plan to buy logitech Z623 or logitech Z906....but first of all i want to finalize sound card. so which one will do justice with above mentioned headphone/speakers?? 
btw my priority is-
1) virtual yet realistic surround sound from headphones.
2) virtual yet realistic surround sound from any decent 2.1 speakers.
3) awesome sound clarity.
4) dolby features.

also what is DD live??


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## MegaMind (Apr 29, 2012)

A_ashish_A said:


> i dont have good speakers and headphone atm...but i plan to buy a pair of decent audio technica headphones (most probably Audio-Technica ATH-AD700) and after some time i plan to buy logitech Z623 or logitech Z906....but first of all i want to finalize sound card. so which one will do justice with above mentioned headphone/speakers??



If thats your plan, get Xonar DX... 



> btw my priority is-
> 1) virtual yet realistic surround sound from headphones.
> 2) virtual yet realistic surround sound from any decent 2.1 speakers.
> 3) awesome sound clarity.
> 4) dolby features.



1 & 2 are very hard to get realistic unless you have a dolby headphone combined with Dolby Pro Logic® II audio chipset(present in DX, not in DG)..



> also what is DD live??



Dolby Digital Live encodes any audio signal on PC in realtime to Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sounds to your home theater environment through one single S/PDIF connection.. 
Speakers with digital(S/PDIF) i/p benefits from this feature..


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## AcceleratorX (Apr 29, 2012)

DD Live is not a very big deal as I believe that it can also be done in software by your application if your audio processor does not support it. Look for the more technical specifications first: SNR, output frequency and resolution, DACs/ADCs, etc.


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## A_ashish_A (Apr 29, 2012)

then i think DX is one for me.


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## Minion (Apr 30, 2012)

MegaMind said:


> Can you explain how you came to that conclusion?
> DG has Dolby Headphone technology



Ok buddy  listen to a audio with dolby headphone on & off You will definitely hear the difference using dolby makes sound muddier. I have use X-fi and all most all sound enhancements software X-fi sounds awesome even with realtek.


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## MegaMind (Apr 30, 2012)

Minion said:


> Ok buddy  listen to a audio with dolby headphone on & off You will definitely hear the difference using dolby makes sound muddier.



Yes it does, due to the fact that the headphone connected is not capable of producing dolby surround..



Minion said:


> I have use X-fi and all most all sound enhancements software X-fi sounds awesome even with realtek.



I don't get you?


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## A_ashish_A (Apr 30, 2012)

mates i ve decided this-

sound card- Asus Xonar DX 
price- 4190/-
Asus Xonar DX [DX] - Rs.4,190.00 : Pristine Note, Shop audio, headphones, amplifier, DAC, hifi, mp3, audiophile products online store India

headphone- Corsair Gaming Audio Series™ HS1A Headset
price- 2999/-
HARDOCP - Introduction - Corsair Gaming Audio Series™ HS1A Headset Review

plz tell what u think...i think its best for value.


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## Minion (Apr 30, 2012)

MegaMind said:


> I don't get you?



Buddy I mean to say that X-Fi software that comes with some motherboard gives you a spacious sound without mudding sound.

I tried X-fi with my realtek and they sounds very good compared to dolby.


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## MegaMind (Apr 30, 2012)

Minion said:


> Buddy I mean to say that X-Fi software that comes with some motherboard gives you a spacious sound without mudding sound.
> 
> I tried X-fi with my realtek and they sounds very good compared to dolby.



oh that.. I've never tried will check out, thanks for mentioning..



A_ashish_A said:


> mates i ve decided this-
> 
> sound card- Asus Xonar DX
> price- 4190/-
> ...



Good choice.. Go for it..

Regarding headset, our forum mod *Cilus* has it PM him...

Whats your budget on headset? Purpose?


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## A_ashish_A (May 1, 2012)

headphone budget 4000/- for now...purpose gaming, movies, music...but i dont chat so i dont care its headphone or headset.


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