sound drivers?

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urrlord

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My old computer bit the dust ,it was an older(5-7 yrs old) AMD gaming rig with onboard sound and I think sound blaster drivers.5.1 speakers (i think turtle beach,can't find a name on them).Sounded really good while listening to youtube etc.I could max it out without distortion. The interface looked like a stereo equalizer and really let me tailor the sound.

I picked up a dell Optiplex gx620 refurb off of Craigslist pentium 2.8 dual ,2 gig ram w/on board sound.A nice upgrade for me.But the sound is below par from what I am used to. Dell uses Soundmax drivers.I have updated everything from Dell and Soundmax but it still sucketh to a degree.

I would put the output of the new unit to about 80% of the older system and I cannot tailor the sound.Which I need as I have some hearing loss in certain frequencies due to an ear infection years ago.When I go high volume I get distortion and crackling.

One friend recommended Foobar 2000.It seems to work w/downloads not real time feeds.So that is out.

Any recommendations for a free download?

Or am I going to have to pick up a sound card to get quality sound today?
 
Real time feeds? You mean streaming music like from pandora and streaming videos like YouTube?

Embedded websites have seperate volume controls, make sure they match the system volume.

Try going to filehippo.com, snd go to the "audio and video" section, and download the klite mega Codec pack. Has tons of codecs, and ive seen it fix corrupted codecs and registry settings.

Make sure your browser is up to date( wether its internet explorer, Firefox, or chrome- my fave), update Java, flash, and Shockwave.

Go to the sound properties in control panel make sure the speaker setup is set to 5.1. In the master volume properties, click "options" and choose advanced controls, should give.you volume settings for each port. If they have an advanced button, click.it and check the digital output box and see.if that helps.



foobar is ok , but I l like jet audio and quintessential player 5.0. My 2 cents
onboard audio on old machines wasnt great, so better speakers or a new card maybe the best bet in the long run.
 
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Put an ASUS Xonar card in it
thumbsup2.gif
That's what I use for mine.
 
thanks Jeffy D.
I like youtube ,streaming vids and a variety of streaming radio shows with wildly varying sound quality.As I said I have updated everything that Dell,Windows have( that took a while when I got this system last month.) and the specific driver for my specific soundmax hardware.I've done recent java updates also.I'm running XP and use Opera.Sound properties is set to 5.1 and max volume there.

Maybe Dells onboard sound just sucketh, and i'll end up buying a card.It is just annoying that my more modern comp is inferior in this area to my older set up,which was also an onboard setup.Or is SoundBlaster that much better than SoundMax?
 
You mean the small form business optiplex that fits under the monitor? The speaker is internal, should be able to plug in the speakers from your old setup, windows will grab whatever it needs at that time.
 
I am using a 5.1 speaker system from my old computer.The present sound is inferior to the old system.There is not an equalizer function to tweak the sound like I need.

Once in a while I like to go full volume on certain songs.The Dell onboard program does not cut it.The old system had no distortion at that level.The new one puts out too much high range resulting in poor quality sound.And it probably tops out at 80% of the old one.

For that matter is there just an equalizer program out there?Must research that.
 
Yeah, the Optiplex is made for an office cube, sound is not its strong point. Is it XP? Are you able to adjust the sound max volume control properties from your system tray (bottom right)?

The cheapest option is let the speakers do the work using Amplified Speakers. Walk into some place like Besy Buy or check out this Walmart link.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
He has an amplified 5.1 setup.........

If he wants better sound, he needs a better card.



Exactly, soundmax is butt. Blaster has always.made quality cards.

he mentioned his old rig was a gaming pc. The difference between gaming/performance cards and consumer grade anything is night and day.
 
I have boycotted creatives labs(make soundblaster stuff)
ever since they sued the guy who fixed their drivers.

back when vista came out they had horrid drivers that crackled..

this guy fixes them and they sued him. They wanted the drivers broke so people had to buy a new sound card to fix the issue.
 
Now that I look at it, I might even buy two of those ASUS sound cards for mine and my wife's LAN party machines. The onboard audio in both is weak. If they have headphone amps, that would be perfect.
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
You guys are missing the point..let the speakers do the work. Do it all the time.


No, we aren't. He said the speakers (the SAME set) worked fine with the previous system. The SoundMAX codecs are garbage, I'm not surprised that it performs far worse than the Soundblaster he had in the other system.
 
Thanks people.

I finally thought to check another comp in the house that a friend had gave me with a bad power switch.It had a SB Audigy card in it.I slid that one in and waited on windows to locate drivers for it.Then I hit youtube and cranked some Meatloaf up to full volume with no crackle or distortion.hoooray!!!

Unfortunately the card is too tall for my case.Does Creative have a slim line card?

Based on this little experience I'll have to concur with several people here.....Soundmax sucketh badly.
 
get a low profile asus xonar... creative labs is a company worth boycotting for their shady business practices and the asus xonar is better anyway.
 
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