soundcard for 40-50$

hi,

I am wondering which is the best usb sound card in 40-50$ range for t500(vista ultimate 64 bit) and macbook.

Thanks,
Martin

 

For mac's - I think there are limited options - try turtle beach:

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/micro/whatdoineed.aspx

For pcs - I would go with creative - there should be some good sales coming up soon.

 

do you have an idea when this sale is coming? i can wait for another 10-15 days. will it be applicable to E-MU Products?

 

PC or mac, I'd avoid creative. Check out M-audio, Echo, Ibasso, and turtle beach.

 

try creative Sound Blaster 5.1 Surround sound

 

Macs are NOT supported !

 

m-audio has nothing below 50$

turtle beach is okay. i will think about it.

Echo and ibasso, never heard of them. any information is helpful

 

I just recently got the Behringer UCA202, it does the job I need it to do, and it was $33 CAN

 

how good is it for games, movies and music?

 

Oh, the m-audio transit used to be around 50$, looks like they've went up recently. :S Echo is does more firewire products than USB, and I use the AudioFire2. It'll set you back more than 50$ though. Looks like ibasso and echo are both out of your price range too. Personally I'd save up a bit more and get something in a higher range, but I'm somewhat a serious listener.

 

increased my budget to 65$. usb or firewire dos not matter as long as i can use it with my thinkpad t500. Presently leaning towards Turtle Beach 5.1 / 7.1 Channels USB. if there are any better choices, please suggest.

where can i buy echo or ibasso products?

 

just ordered a xmod for 20$. will this be enough for games, movies and music?

 

Yeah, it will be, but for me it doesn't suffice(I have one). I order Echo and ibasso products off of the internet. Google is your friend. As far as the average listener and gamer goes, the xmod should be fine, and it still gets the sound card out of the laptop so you don't have the noise that you get with an internal card.

 

Thank you for the replies. i generally use um1 and HD 485 with the laptop. so xmod may be enough.

i will be saving for a higher end sound card but that will force me to upgrade headphones to get the best .

what headphones do you use with your echo or ibasso?

 

I use my Ultrasone HFI-780's. They're low impedance so they don't need the amp for the power, but I use them for the pure sound. I'm actually looking into getting some UM1's. If you could give me a idea on how you like them, and maybe compare them to other IEM's you've used. I used to some some HD580's with the xmod, It worked, but I could tell it was always holding those headphones back. But those are up there with the most power hungry headphones you can get(300 ohms).

 

try the ASUS XONAR D1 External USB Audio Station.

heard some good reviews on them but i have no idea if they are compatible with macs.


Look into it

 

um1's are pretty good. i stopped using super.fi 3 completely. since i got them. extremely comfortable, excellent sound and stylish. they don't protrude out like most of the IEM's. complete value for money. The cable of um1's is very strong. one of the best IEM's i ever used. they literally kick of every IEM i have heard within that price range . the only thing i hate are the comply foamies. they are good, comfortable and get dirty very fast, but you will have to replace them every 2 months or so that's if you do hydrogen peroxide treatment. so i have to get shure soft tips. they are very comfortable and can be cleaned under tap water.

second best is super.fi 3, they are amazing if you get good fit. the bass will also come out if you get a good seal.

third best is ETY e6i, they are as clear as the um1's, except for the complete lack of bass. the filters are another pain in the . if you don't want to spend another dime on them, i suggest stay away from them.i also borrowed pairs of EP 630 and EP 830 form my friends and can confirm they are absolute crap.

on the other hand the um2's are not that much of a value for money . they are not that great compared to um1's except for the bass. there are better IEM's for that money.

i always like IEM's for their portability . this year i was looking for some headphones that can be used without an amp. i found HD 485. i did not get any in the rest of the bunch (hd 555, hd 580, hd 595), buying an amp which will surely put a hole in my bank account . hd 485 are pretty awesome. they do get better with time.

did you upgrade to Ultrasone HFI-780 from HD 580's? do you use a portable source with your 780's?

 

is it the ASUS XONAR D1 External USB Audio Station or ASUS XONAR U1 External USB Audio Station?

 

Yeah, I went from the HD580's to the HFI-780's. About the only portable source I use is the D2, and it does great, I could even use that unampped with the 580's although they sound better with a proper amp, but didn't do so bad without one. Yeah, I wouldn't get the UM2's for that price theres other products I'd like better. I'm just looking for a cheap alternative to the ETY E6i's because those don't have any bass and I need at least a little, if not alot.

 

iBasso cannot be had for that budget.


he can try for Crossroads GoVibe DAC which is like $30 and works on USB.

 

i think i tried the GoVibe DAC. did not like it .

 

the um1's are pretty awesome when coupled with d2 . i usually listen at 7-12 and dont hear any ambient noise. the seal they give is almost perfect.
if you are looking for a lot of bass. try out the beyerdynamic DTX 50, 99$ djays first and than um1's. i did not try out the djays, but i picked out the um1's due to their comfort over DTX 50.

i listened and tested to all the above earphones with d2 over Flat and custom EQs.

 

then i am afraid u ll have to try Creative X-fi Soundcards.

they aint the best in terms of audiophile grade sound but do a great job for day-to-day use.

your budget is too low.

 

Same here!

 

what should be the minimum budget?