6 channel audio card recomendations

[TelemachusMH]

I am looking for a good 6 channel audio card to connect up with my 5.1 channel speakers. I would like to know if there is a good card that gets all the channels sent to the correct speakers. One that has good driver support, and will work in windows and linux. (I don't know if linux has the ablility right now to output 6 channel audio,(If you know, please tell me) but I do want linux support for it.) Also, if you recomend one, could you give me an aproximate price for it.

Thanks a lot,
TelemachusMH

[omol]

Originally posted by TelemachusMH
I am looking for a good 6 channel audio card to connect up with my 5.1 channel speakers. I would like to know if there is a good card that gets all the channels sent to the correct speakers. One that has good driver support, and will work in windows and linux. (I don't know if linux has the ablility right now to output 6 channel audio,(If you know, please tell me) but I do want linux support for it.) Also, if you recomend one, could you give me an aproximate price for it.

Thanks a lot,
TelemachusMH

For Linux compatibility, you can always consult this page (http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/). If you are using a recently released motherboard with AC97, and the codec onboard is very good quality, e.g. AD1980 and ALC650, try the sound quality of it first to see if it's decent enough. If it's 845PE board from Intel comes with SoundMax (Asus one also does), it is absolutely not worthing in investing a sound card except you want the extra goodies.

regards,
omol

[TelemachusMH]

right now, the computer does not have any sound card. I just want to find a good 6 channel audio card (I suspect that almost all have linux support through alsa). What I am really looking for is a 6 channel sound card that works well, I have had one before that didn't have good drivers, and wouldn't play the sound through the correct speakers. (I had a mad dog 5.1 predator (C-Media 8738 based), that always plays the center through the subwolfer) Thanks for the help

TelemachusMH

[Emp3r0r]

Turtle Beach Santa Cruz is highly recommended, the nForce southbridge also is highly recommended by me. Just don't get Creative!

[omol]

Originally posted by TelemachusMH
right now, the computer does not have any sound card. I just want to find a good 6 channel audio card (I suspect that almost all have linux support through alsa). What I am really looking for is a 6 channel sound card that works well, I have had one before that didn't have good drivers, and wouldn't play the sound through the correct speakers. (I had a mad dog 5.1 predator (C-Media 8738 based), that always plays the center through the subwolfer) Thanks for the help

TelemachusMH

Intel's motherboard SoundMax is indeed a 5.1 solution, in case you want to switch motherboard....:) IMHO, the AD1980 used in SoundMax is a much better codec than C-Media, and probably any other AC97 codec used in various motherboards. Emp3r0r's recommandation of Santa Cruz is probably the best in consumer level. I personally use it even my ASUS mb has SoundMax builtin. For nForce board, the DSP function is no doubt the most powerful builtin option among any other builtin implementation, but the quality of sound is still depends on the AC97 codec. I do notice some nForce2 board does not do 6ch output, like EP-8RDA from Epox. So you should take extra care when going the nForce route.

regards,
omol

[Emp3r0r]

Only go the nForce route if you plan on hooking it up via optical or coaxil SPDIF. This is the whole reason for getting a nForce.

[destemido]

i think philips have nice sounding and priced sound cards.
you can check that out.

[theReal]

I have a Philips Acoustic Edge and I like it very much. I'm only using 4-channel surround sound right now, so I'm not absolutely sure about the correct channel-alignment - but I guess it does well.
The price was ok, the sound is good, plus it's working in Win2k with a VIA southbridge (unlike some Creative cards...). The only downside is it doesn't have a real equalizer (you can only raise trebles and/or bass)

[TelemachusMH]

Well, I bought a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz today and put it into my computer. It was far easier to get working then my old card (although I haven't had a chance to test the channel allienments) but it sounded great watching a movie tonight and it clearly did have the 6 channel setup working. :-) Thanks a lot for all who gave me some info, and I'll post later any problems I have with channel alignments or linux compadibility so that all my know. ;)

TelemachusMH

[omol]

Originally posted by TelemachusMH
Thanks a lot for all who gave me some info, and I'll post later any problems I have with channel alignments or linux compadibility so that all my know. ;)

Remember to enable oss mmap (module loading option) if you use alsa instead of the original oss driver in the stock kernel.

regards,
omol

[((( atom )))]

very interresting thread...

i was actually wanting to buy a new soundcard, since i had a yamaha dsp-factory at home from a friend to check if it behaves allright in my configuration. well, i put that card in (expensive mother..., around €1000 back than) and it simply sounded /way/ better than my cd-player!

that card was so expensive that i didn't even start thinking about it, but ever since than i am looking for a card with good a/d-converters in the region up to 150€. the problem is, one can not compare them in a shop like one can compare an amplifier in a hifi-shop.

could you guys maybe tell me, what converters are being used on both the philips and the turtle beach? - if you can figure.. that would be interresting to know..

thx

[theReal]

All I can say right now is that the Philips Acoustic Edge sounds way better than my old SB Live! Player (I'm using a HiFi-Amp with good 3-way speakers as the front channel, a Labtech 5-speaker system as the rear channel).

[omol]

Originally posted by ((( atom )))
could you guys maybe tell me, what converters are being used on both the philips and the turtle beach? - if you can figure.. that would be interresting to know..

thx

The codec on Accoustic Edge are Sigmatel's STAC9708 and STAC9721. The OP amp is Philips' NE5532N. Where on Santa Cruz are Crystal's CS4294 and CS4297(A). OP amp is TI's TLV2465.

Accoustic Edge in linux is a NO for those who are interested. No even the non-free OSS driver (http://www.opensound.com/osshw.html).

regards,
omol

[rudeboymcc]

Just don't get Creative!

well i'm no master on sound cards, but i thought that sound was creative's strong point? i have a creative 5.1 channel surround card with creative 5.1 speakers, and the sound goes through the correct speakers, and sounds great. what's better about other manufacturers?

[omol]

Originally posted by rudeboymcc
well i'm no master on sound cards, but i thought that sound was creative's strong point? i have a creative 5.1 channel surround card with creative 5.1 speakers, and the sound goes through the correct speakers, and sounds great. what's better about other manufacturers?

I guess the strong point of Creative is their greed in charging driver/util update (remember the Liveware 2.0->3.0 fiasco?), and the horrible clash with certain chipset southbridge, e.g. early Intel 815 and VIA (almost all of them), reasulting distorted sound. I have 3 Creative cards, AWE64, AudioPCI 64, and Live. The best sounding one is AudioPCI 64, and this card is actually a Ensoniq card and is the cheapest among others, not even designed/manufactured by Creative. Go figure..... Now I am using Santa Cruz, I swear I will never go back.

regards,
omol

[redcane]

I've never had a problem with creative cards. I've had my sound blaster live for quite some time (when they first came out they defintiely had the best sound in the home market). Running on via boards in win2k and linux.

They work really nicely under linux. (surround output is supported too).

The sound blaster still has a really decent sound, but there are a lot of newer cards out there now.

[hardwork12]

Just a note on the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and Linux. There is a bug in the linux driver when trying to use the sound in full duplex. You will get really bad "cracling". It will work perfectly for recording or playing by themselves. If you try to use it for PVR (I am using mythtv) then if you try to record and watch TV at the same time the the sound will be very poor. My son is the Linux person here so I do not know all of the details but what he did is use the onboard AC97 sound capability for recording the sound (have an Epox 8KTa2 and a ECS K7S5a MOBO's) and the TB santa Cruz for SPDIF sound output to my stereo system so I can play sources with AC3 sound. In linux the SB live works just fine in full duplex (even on a VIA board) but in win2k I had the "crackling problem with the SB live even just recording.

[Xayd]

Creative Cards seem to be designed with the gaming market in mind primarily. For that they do well IMO.

But for video/audio capture and DVD output, they're just not that great.

Best bang for the buck, IMO, would be the new low end M-Audio cards. The company is primarily a manufacturer of audio cards/equipment for professional musicians, but their Revolution and Audiophile cards recently released for low end audio/video setups are pretty nice.

http://www.m-audio.com

[((( atom )))]

m-audio cards are very recomendable!

[((( atom )))]

..so i did a litte research on this "new" m-audio card you were writing about. formerly known as midiman i only knew m-audio cards to be for professional applications, but the "lower"-end pro-models to be payable and very recommendable for home-use. the downside alwas was, that one was bound to 2 channels.

this friend here - m-audio revolution 7.1 (http://www.m-audio.com/products/consumer/revolution_page1.php) drastically changes that, indeed. thx a lot for the hint!

it is based on vias new chipset Envy24HT, wich via actually developped to be put on mobos directly. one can be rather sure, that if m-audio chooses to use it to build a pci-card around it, it will sound fantastic.

so i wrote a little more, but i believe, that this is top-information for people looking for a new soundcard. i will put it on my wishlist right away.. price btw is around 119$.

[Xayd]

I'm currently running an Audiophile in my DVD box. Was a tough choice between the Audiophile and the Revolution 7.1, reason being the inputs.

I'm also using my DVD PC for capture, so the main thing I was after, in addition to at least multi-channel output if not true surround ouput, was multi-channel inputs.

Sadly that's a sacrifice with the Revolution cards, they only have the standard single channel input, whereas the Audiophile card is designed more in line with their professional products, just with less inputs than the higher end cards.

But yes, for anyone looking for simply surround sound output in a consumer-priced soundcard, the Revolution cards are the only way to go IMO.

**edit**

BTW I just noticed while ordering a new CPU, for those in the States, that Newegg is now carrying M-Audio products :D. Price on the Revolution 7.1 is 90 dollars, and 120 for the Audiophile.

[((( atom )))]

Price on the Revolution 7.1 is 90 dollars, and 120 for the Audiophile.
?!?

..this is what i found -> http://www.midiman.net/products/m-audio/audiophile.php

could you please send me a link to your card?

thx.

[Xayd]

www.newegg.com , shop by brand, m-audio.

[((( atom )))]

wow!

[JJI666]

TelemachusMH-

I'm surprised no one mentioned this. If the center sound is coming out of the subwoofer on your Mad Dog card there may be a simple solution.

The signal for the subwoofer and the center channel travel to your surround 5.1 speakers over an analog line that is basically the same as left and right if the cable were being used for stereo. Try switching the channels (for example, use 2 miniplug to RCA adaptor cables and cross over the cable colors in the middle) and see if you then get subwoofer sound from the subwoofer and center sound from the center speaker.