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    External Soundcard

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by rajiput, May 19, 2008.

  1. rajiput

    rajiput Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey guys

    I am looking to buy an external soundcard for my macbook pro.

    I use my mac for music, (mostly mp3's, some flac), tv (mostly 350mb files, but on occasion hd), movies (mostly dvd rips of 1.5gb, occasionally dvds and on rare occasions HD movies).

    Not sure if it is worth me getting sound card due to the nature of the quality of the files I watch, as they are not the highest. But is that not what a soundcard is to do? Improve sound?

    I listen/watch either through my creative T20 speakers, bose in ear headphones and when it arrives my new sennheiser hd 555's.


    I was wondering if you guys could recommend a decent external sound card for no more than £40 or $80. I really have no need digital output/input connections, I just want a soundcard which makes listening simply more pleasurable.

    Thanks for reading and any suggestions.

    On another issue, from your suggestions previously, I got a microsoft noteboook 5000 bluetooth mouse. It is awesome, but it has the same problem as my last mouse, where leopard doesn't recognise the middle click nor side buttons, strange as it recongised these button on my other microsoft intelliexplorer mouse. Anyone have this problem?
     
    rajiput, May 19, 2008
    #1
  2. system_159

    system_159 Notebook Deity

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    This Creative card should do everything you need. If you're using primarily MP3's, though, I wouldn't really say you need a sound card as the MBP does quite well in this area.
     
    system_159, May 19, 2008
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  3. tianh

    tianh Notebook Consultant

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    a link would be nice seeing as creative as two soundcards...
     
    tianh, May 20, 2008
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  4. system_159

    system_159 Notebook Deity

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    Notice how the Creative in my above post is blue and underlined? Scroll over that bad boy...
     
    system_159, May 20, 2008
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  5. Nirvana

    Nirvana Notebook Prophet

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    NO!!!!! don't get the Xmod!!!! simply waste of money!!!!
    how do I know? because I have one here. although I paid only $40, it just doesn't worth the price!
     
    Nirvana, May 20, 2008
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  6. wobble987

    wobble987 Notebook Virtuoso

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    i use my xmod with a beolab pc speakers, it sound so much better than the built in sound of my 17" MBP. i dont use the crystaliser or the cmss3d.
     
    wobble987, May 20, 2008
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  7. saturnotaku

    saturnotaku Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    An external sound card for a MBP is a waste of money. The Realtek HD chipset Apple uses is actually quite good. A better investment would be a quality set of headphones or speakers.
     
    saturnotaku, May 20, 2008
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  8. cdnalsi

    cdnalsi Food for the funky people

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    Unless you use sequencing software that requires low latency audio/midi connections, you don't need to get an external soundcard.

    Especially for movies and mp3s.
     
    cdnalsi, May 20, 2008
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  9. Nirvana

    Nirvana Notebook Prophet

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    Nirvana, May 20, 2008
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  10. rajiput

    rajiput Notebook Enthusiast

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    hmm, I am tempted by the xmod.

    What about buying a amplifier and connecting my speakers and headphones to it?

    Or is that not possible because my T20's use a 3.5mm input, instead of speaker wires?
     
    rajiput, May 23, 2008
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  11. wobble987

    wobble987 Notebook Virtuoso

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    does ur notebook comes with optical audio jack? if so; an amplifier is a feasable option. if u're using the standard analogue jack; then quality will be just the same.
     
    wobble987, May 25, 2008
    #11