best on-board hd-audio chipset

[indietronic]

i am about to buy a new pc, so i am configuring it . most likely an amd-based combo, so my question is clear :

what is the best on-board hd-audio dac (chipset i.e. realtek886, 888 etc) is it possible for an on-board audio chipset to record/process at 192KHz/24bit ???) i dont care about multichannel, only for hd record/playback quality ?

if intel-based motherboards contain some pioneer chipset or what please suggest some either.

thank you

indietronic.

ps i also wonder if we can find coaxial output in motherboards with onboard sound as well ..

 

[Dougal1331]

Any Realtek unit, on a reasonably priced mobo, will be perfectly capable of surprisingly good results. In fact, most PC onboard soundchips are very respectable these days.

The Realtek range is pretty good, but, if you have a spare PCI (standard) slot, a Soundblaster X-Fi will only set you back thirty-five squid or so, and this will enhance quality significantly. Even an older Audigy series card would do- these had a good sound, a little smoother than some of Creative's cards.

However, glancing through the specs shows that the maximum recording rate is 24/96 for both the X-Fi and Audigy.

192kHz recording is available- you'll need a £230 Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 and a spare PCI Express slot for that!

For top quality, check out Yamaha and Turtle Beach soundcards. And perhaps Roland or Korg? They cost a lot but they're reputed to be the dog's... You might get a good deal second hand though.

 

[Anonymous]

actually you can find the Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 Soundcard for under 150GBP at scan.co.uk