sound card to improve and amplify the sound without headphones

Hi guys,
I have the sager np9150, I need an external sound card to improve and amplify the sound of this unit, I wish if its something portable, price is not an issue and btw I want something that I can use without the need of headphones/external speakers (No combinations eg. amplifier+sound card+headphones ...etc, only one device for the whole charade ) and thanks.

 

unfortunately im 99% positive that this isnt possible unless you figure out a way to solder it to the board without damaging your unit

 

I have seen some external sound cards with amplifier inside them, I am just not sure if they contain speakers, too or not .

 

Why instead, don't you just buy something like the X-mini portable speaker? It has better sound than a normal laptop, and it's amplified and it's battery lasts a lot can stay connected trough USB for infinite time as power source.

Soldering speakers inside, remember there's a big limit, you can't just put a 10 inch speaker inside a laptop... so you could only use laptop type of speakers.
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the external speakers will be my last resort as researching on the sound of the sager np9150 and reading many many reviews about how crappy the sound is, buying an external speakers (without the external sound card) will be useless. and I only want one device attached to the laptop as my studying require me to move from one place to another very frequently. do you guys know if there is any external sound card with amplifier and speakers installed inside it?

 

The closest you will get are external speakers that connect via USB, thus containing their own internal DAC and amp.

 

do you recommend any?, and btw I have bose headphone (quite comfort 15) if lets say I am ganna use it with the sager whats the best sound card compatible with it(can make the most of it).

P.S I know you are an expert in the sound department, so your opinion is really important to me and thanks

 

I don't see why is the original sound card on your laptop really that bad...

I have a laptop from 2003, and have heard music playing in every kind of old CRAP computers. Quality is very acceptable in everyone I tested, not much of a difference in terms of music quality for the normal kind of speakers and headphones (some however were just not that loud, but surely all of them were loud enough and without sound glitches at all).

I'm a music enthusiast, but seriously the only RUBISH really unnaceptable sound card I ever heard is the one from my PC Desktop Motherboard ASUS Sabertooth P67 which if you put the volume on like 60% it starts to make scratches, and for games where I need to hear people footsteps, at 100 volume when u shoot it makes such a freakin bad scratches which even my 2003 laptop doesn't make (probably something is quite wrong, specially because it's a Realtek, and I have heard so many and have realtek in this crap Asus from 2006 and none ever made that scratch).



Buying a good sound card, is only if you want to use some real Hi-fidelity speakers or headphones of high quality and want lot of impedance and like 115 DB or more of SNR.

And then back then buying like a creative soundcard, used to make tons of difference because of the EAX, but now that was killed and barely any sound card can have good sound effects in games under wind7. (though I wish Creative EAX would come back on hardware side for gaming ).

ps: I don't think you will ever require paying a lot for a sound card which will not make any difference in portable speakers, since none have quality studio as far as I know. I don't think you will spot any difference in portable laptop speakers under a good sound card. It may have little more bass output, but that will make the no quality speaker to even start scratching, and you probably have an equalizer and can increase bass or other frequency in the original sound card if you want.

external DAC, are probably the best way for professional audio on PC. But I don't have a clue is if he will ever find a good high quality one with attached external speaker+battery.

I do believe the ones that would bring a speaker, would be internal crap cheap DAC which probably will even have lower quality than the laptop soundcard.


All I know is even buying the best super high quality external usb DAC, won't make much of a difference for like gaming sound. I would recommend a good one, only for someone that really needs professional type of audio like for making a studio from a PC, for the most common human being, they will not make much of a difference...


I my self, am very music enthusiast, and have an Auzentech sound card on my desktop, but I don't even bother with the laptop sound, because i'm not using it to make professional audio on studios, neither I connect 9.3 speakers like I connect to my desktop (yeah 9 speakers and 3 subwoofers at same time, requires a lot of impedance for having two inputs in a single input or kills the bass). Other than that, most people actually don't see any difference in quality...
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I hear ya, frankly I did not receive my laptop yet ( I will in two days), but reading about how crappy the sound is and seeing how many people ing about it, worried me alot and I had two laptops in my days
which were a complete peice of garbage sound wise a lenovo and dell, and btw I do not listen to music in my laptop I want to improve the sound for watching movies and gaming mainly, just realized that youve edited your post, you know what I will wait for the laptop and check the sound quality myself and then will tell you guys about my opinion regard it, just one last thing what external speakers do you recommend I want something portable

 

I never heard a clevo, dell or anything like those laptops. But buying external portable speakers, won't also make much difference in quality (I mean it has lot more quality than laptop speakers, but no match against even crap 2.1 speakers or things like that).

Also nowadays games don't use hardware EAX and things like that, so most people don't actually notice differences between good gaming sound cards and realterk or other crap sound cards (unless like I said you would have hi-fidelity speakers or some Very High quality full range headphones wich require more amplification and better SNR + impedance).

Unless you want it 5.1 or 7.1 and your laptops only have 2.1, in that case you would need something like "creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro"...


But I don't think you will find a real good gaming sound card with all the features that games use which would bring external portable speakers in it.

ps: And even with those type of sound cards, even if you connected external portable speakers, I don't think you would hear any difference in them from like that creative sound card, to the one inside the laptop. (Unless those laptops come with same problem as my motherboard 2011 Asus Sabertooth P67 Realtek which makes scratch sounds, which I never heard even in crap laptops).
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As default after the THX panel is installed, the sound effect tab (EQ) in the Realtek audio panel will vanish.

That means after the THX is installed you can't tweak the EQ.


However, I found away to keep the EQ and also use THX at the same time.

What I did is:

1. Download X-Fi MB2 for P370EM from Clevo site.
2. Install the THX TruStudio pro that came with the P150EM/P170EM and don't activate yet.
3. Restart Laptop
4. Install the OpenAL in X-Fi MB2 package, and don't tick any other option.
5. Restart.
6. Browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\Creative\THX TruStudio Pro\ActMgr and double click on CTActMgr.exe and let it activate.
7. Uninstall X-Fi MB2 from Install manager and choose remove all.
8. Restart.

Now the Realtek Audio panel should be tricked and think that the THX is removed and you can use EQ in realtek audio panel together with THX panel. If you look at your start menu, THX should still remain. Run the THX trustudio pro panel and turn it on. If it doesn't do anything, run the activation again.

Edit: added missing step.

 

OMG LOOL. Good to know thanks!

Does that happen to Clevo W110ER too?

And why doesn't creative brings Equalizer too?


ps: For my Asus laptop speakers, since they have 0 quality I decrease a lot medium and high frequencies and increase the lower ones a lot, I still can get some little BASS, and good quality, though it's not loud anymore, but I don't care. It's so sad not even having an equalizer for the crap laptop speakers. (I don't use much equalizer when using external speakers of course, just very little amount some times).
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rep +1 for the both of you and thanks alot guys

 

It's possible that it'll work, just gotta trick Realtek software and make it think THX isn't installed. And not sure why they have EQ disabled as default when using THX.

 

It's kinda sad the fact the they haven't added one.

But does the laptop brings two onboard sound cards or what? (one realtek, one creative?).

That surely help to improve. Thank You.

But can you please report the sound quality of the original laptop when you get it.

I'm also waiting for my Clevo W110ER, and I do believe both your and mine have same sound card (haven't even seen specs for yours, but I know is that mine is THX too).


ps: Anyway, like I said, as long as it doesn't give scratches on the sound like my asus motherboard, I think we are both good to go.
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The hardware is made by Realtek, Realtek has their own software but some functions are disabled when using the THX software, the foot of Creative in this is purely software.

 

one of the best thing i bought this year. you need nothing with this piece of hardware. best of the best in noise cancelling with impressive sound. brings the live to every sound stream whatever the source is. good for you :thumbsup:

if you like, i use USB Xonar U3 with the quite comfort 15, as advertised: "Pocket-sized Incredible Sound". it's true.

 

Well, I also have this:
Creative X-FI Go Pro. It also does what it says. And I really like a lot the crystalizer from it.

I get decent bass with it, I don't even have to use THX BASS fix to my headset 40mm with neodymium from creative, neither in the 4.2 speakers. In fact for the 4.2 speakers I always have to go to the equalizer and lower a little the low frequencies, since there's way too much bass in the speakers. (But I turn off EQ for the head phones)...

I think this one is Asus Xonar U3 main competition. Probably Asus is better for sound, but ppl say The Creative one is better gaming options (If it was now, I would probably go for the Asus Xonar U3).

But the user don't seem to want just an external sound card, but instead he wants a good external card like those, but with integrated amplifier and speakers, and that I don't know where to get it. I personally recommend going for a external sound card like those, it's more simple and then you can just simply connect your headphones or any amplified speakers and enjoy good sound with good options.


ps: But I still wouldn't have bought any of those sound cards, unless the original sound card of your laptop really has scratchy sounds, or real badd noise interference, if not and just lack some bass, just equalize it and your ready to go. I had to buy a crappy external card just because my ouput of the laptop is killed, if not I would not buy the Creative sound card. Like I said for huge SNR and high impedance, u need is a good DAC USB amplifier to enjoy proper power .
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