Seeking USB sound card recommendation

[Kompu Kid]

Hello All:

I built myself a new computer. Unfortunately the sound card on the
motherboard turned out to be not very good.

To experiment with a USB soundcard, I got Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1.
It was around 60 bucks at Fry's.

I am finding that the sound quality is pretty good. However, I don't
think I will ever use the features I see on this card. My main goal is
to convert some older tapes and records. Occasionally I may listen to
some MP3s through my computer speakers.

So I'm wondering if there is anything similar to this Creative
soundcard that may be cheaper but gives me about the same quality.

Any suggestions?

Deguza

[Paul]

Kompu Kid wrote:
> Hello All:
>
> I built myself a new computer. Unfortunately the sound card on the
> motherboard turned out to be not very good.
>
> To experiment with a USB soundcard, I got Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1.
> It was around 60 bucks at Fry's.
>
> I am finding that the sound quality is pretty good. However, I don't
> think I will ever use the features I see on this card. My main goal is
> to convert some older tapes and records. Occasionally I may listen to
> some MP3s through my computer speakers.
>
> So I'm wondering if there is anything similar to this Creative
> soundcard that may be cheaper but gives me about the same quality.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Deguza

The CM108 is a stereo USB sound solution selling for $20. I don't
know if you'd use the word "quality" while standing near it, but
it is cheap. It comes with a short USB extension cable, in case
the area around your USB jack is cluttered.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829128002

(This might not be exactly the chip used in that $20 product, but
this is probably close. It uses 16 bit converters in and out.)

http://www.cmedia.com.tw/pdf/USB/CM108AH+DataSheet+v1.0.pdf

I think I'd just keep what you've got. Too much of a nuisance
testing the $20 device and being unhappy with it.

Paul

[Mr.T]

"Kompu Kid" > wrote in message
...
> I built myself a new computer. Unfortunately the sound card on the
> motherboard turned out to be not very good.
>
> To experiment with a USB soundcard, I got Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1.
> It was around 60 bucks at Fry's.
>
> I am finding that the sound quality is pretty good. However, I don't
> think I will ever use the features I see on this card. My main goal is
> to convert some older tapes and records. Occasionally I may listen to
> some MP3s through my computer speakers.
>
> So I'm wondering if there is anything similar to this Creative
> soundcard that may be cheaper but gives me about the same quality.


Almost anything! :-)
However since you already have the Creative, why exactly are you looking for
something similar now?

MrT.

[AZ Nomad[_2_]]

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:16:56 +1000, Mr.T <MrT@home> wrote:

>"Kompu Kid" > wrote in message
...
>> I built myself a new computer. Unfortunately the sound card on the
>> motherboard turned out to be not very good.
>>
>> To experiment with a USB soundcard, I got Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1.
>> It was around 60 bucks at Fry's.
>>
>> I am finding that the sound quality is pretty good. However, I don't
>> think I will ever use the features I see on this card. My main goal is
>> to convert some older tapes and records. Occasionally I may listen to
>> some MP3s through my computer speakers.
>>
>> So I'm wondering if there is anything similar to this Creative
>> soundcard that may be cheaper but gives me about the same quality.


>Almost anything! :-)
>However since you already have the Creative, why exactly are you looking for
>something similar now?

The cheapskate probably wants to exchange it for something cheaper
following the age old advice of "if it works, fix it". He'll continue
the process until he gets sometihng that doesn't work.

[kony]

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:20:36 -0700 (PDT), Kompu Kid
> wrote:

>Hello All:
>
>I built myself a new computer. Unfortunately the sound card on the
>motherboard turned out to be not very good.
>
>To experiment with a USB soundcard, I got Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1.
>It was around 60 bucks at Fry's.
>
>I am finding that the sound quality is pretty good. However, I don't
>think I will ever use the features I see on this card. My main goal is
>to convert some older tapes and records. Occasionally I may listen to
>some MP3s through my computer speakers.
>
>So I'm wondering if there is anything similar to this Creative
>soundcard that may be cheaper but gives me about the same quality.
>
>Any suggestions?
>
>Deguza


Buy a proper PCIe sound card, no need to tie up the USB
bus/CPU. Then again, it's not worth bothering with. You'll
have to try several USB products to find one and then it's
not worth the tiny bit of money saved as the tiny ones that
hang out of the USB port like a flash thumbdrive probably
aren't going to sound as good for output, but maybe for
input/recording though this is just speculation, I've not
had a chance to pop open one of those and examine it.

[kony]

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:41:54 -0500, AZ Nomad
> wrote:

>On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:16:56 +1000, Mr.T <MrT@home> wrote:
>
>>"Kompu Kid" > wrote in message
...
>>> I built myself a new computer. Unfortunately the sound card on the
>>> motherboard turned out to be not very good.
>>>
>>> To experiment with a USB soundcard, I got Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1.
>>> It was around 60 bucks at Fry's.
>>>
>>> I am finding that the sound quality is pretty good. However, I don't
>>> think I will ever use the features I see on this card. My main goal is
>>> to convert some older tapes and records. Occasionally I may listen to
>>> some MP3s through my computer speakers.
>>>
>>> So I'm wondering if there is anything similar to this Creative
>>> soundcard that may be cheaper but gives me about the same quality.
>
>
>>Almost anything! :-)
>>However since you already have the Creative, why exactly are you looking for
>>something similar now?
>
>The cheapskate probably wants to exchange it for something cheaper
>following the age old advice of "if it works, fix it". He'll continue
>the process until he gets sometihng that doesn't work.


:)

Probably true, though Kompu Kid was off to a pretty bad
start if looking for cost effectiveness instead of features
and chosing Creative... and thinking $60 was a low price for
merely needing sound I/O for low-fi tapes and records.

For tapes and records the motherboard line-in would probably
be quite fine to record them, though the record player would
probably need go through an amp/pre-amp instead of direct to
a sound card line-in jack.