Sounds Fantastic

Sound cards are no longer the poor relation of pc components - we can now enjoy music via our pcs at full tilt. Robin Morris seeks out cards that’ll do gamers and mp3 fans proud as well as tweaking settings and positioning speakers for optimum output.

By Robin Morris, Scott Bartley / Monday, February 28 2005

Manufacturers are only too keen to lure us with blistering processor speeds, cutting-edge graphics cards and gargantuan hard drives. But the sound system is an area many PC makers feel they can relax their otherwise rigorous standards. To be fair, audio processing chips have come on in leaps and bounds and even onboard (built into the motherboard) sound cards offer high-quality audio.

But if you take sound seriously, you won’t want to compromise. You’ll want the latest digital signal processors (DSPs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs) to assist with high sampling rates, plus the pick of the gaming and surround sound standards to provide a compelling experience.

Here, we’ll tell you exactly what to look for, give you the lowdown on installing and tweaking your new acquisition to perfection and tackle a few irritating audio-related problems.

Listen up
At the heart of every modern sound card is its DSP. Popular DSPs include the EMU10K1/K2 chips used in the Creative cards and the VIA Envy2HT family used by Gainward, Terratec, M-Audio and Turtle Beach. The DSP analyses and manipulates sound data and creates the audio effects that you hear. As this chip takes over a lot of the duties from the PC’s processor, an effective DSP can also marginally increase game frame rates.

For musicians, the quality of the DSP’s sampling rates and the codec chips make the most difference. When the sound signal first enters the PC, it’ll usually arrive in an analog form and must be digitised so the DSP can work on it. This task is handled by DACs and ADCs (analog-to-digital converters), which may need to convert each signal many times.

Discussions about the merits of DACs and codecs can be happily ignored unless you want to record sound. Resolution/sampling rate figures are liberally tossed around by sound card manufacturers, with typical figures ranging from 16bit/48kHz right up to 24bit/192kHz. The higher sampling rate is obviously better but be aware that the capabilities of the card will be limited by the lowest denominator. If the ADC only supports 24bit/96kHz, the overall sampling rate will probably be restricted to this, too.

If possible, record from digital sources so degradation during conversion isn’t an issue. CD, MiniDisc players and DAT decks are all good options. Usually you simply connect the line-out jack of the external source to the sound card connector. But the cables provide an analog connection, so conversion to digital is needed. A better bet is a card that supports SPDIF (Sony/Philips digital interface format). Look for optical (Toslink) or coaxial (RCA) connectors for a purely digital connection.

Don’t delay
Musicians should check the sound card drivers support Steinberg’s ASIO (audio stream input output). If not, you’ll get latency — a delay between you pressing a Midi keyboard key, the PC telling the sound card how to respond and the note being heard. This is a significant problem with multiple tracks, particularly when laying down a new tune while listening to recordings. ASIO speeds up communication so sounds occur exactly when they should; ASIO 2 reduces latency still further.

Most sound cards are internal PCI versions, but on some PCs the audio controller is built into the motherboard. Although exceptions such as Nvidia’s SoundStorm motherboards have several top-end features (enhanced Dolby Digital AC3 encoding and decoding among them), in general onboard audio is a poor substitute for a dedicated card.

To upgrade from onboard sound to a dedicated card, you’ll first need to disable the sound controller in the motherboard Bios. Instructions for this vary so visit the board maker’s website for a rundown. First, you’ll need to enter Bios mode by pressing <F2>, <F8> or <Delete> as the PC boots up. Then navigate to the onboard peripherals menu and disable the sound.

As with graphics cards, as long as you’ve got a spare slot on the motherboard it’s possible to have two sound cards in your PC — one an ace at gaming and the other good for music and DVD playback.

Assessing audio quality
Ideally you shouldn’t buy a sound card without first hearing it in action, as audio quality tends to be subjective. Even so, be aware of the following:
SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) Measured in decibels, this refers to the amount of interference generated by the card. The higher the ratio, the less the sound will be affected by background interference and the cleaner and more pleasing the results should be. Creative’s Audigy2 ZS has an SNR of 108dB which is significantly better than the 90dB of Creative’s SoundBlaster Live 5.1.
THD+N (total harmonic distortion plus noise) rating Expressed as a percentage, this measures the distortion or incidental noise picked up as the sound makes its way through the PC. The lower the figure, the less the distortion and the cleaner the effect will be. Aim for 0.5% or less.

Speakers and sound standards
Most speaker systems have some sort of surround sound facilities. The terms 2.1, 5,1, 6.1 and 7.1 sound refer to the number of satellite speakers. A basic 2.1 speaker system consists of two satellite speakers and one sub-woofer, with stereo sound created by placing the two speakers on either side of the PC.

A 4.1 system, on the other hand, gives you an extra pair of speakers designed to be placed behind the user, thus creating a surround sound effect. For the best DVD movie playback, choose a 5.1 system. This gives you an extra centre speaker to boost voices and handle sounds positioned in front of the audience. Soundtracks supporting Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS or DTS Digital Surround will sound best with a 5.1 setup.

For still more atmosphere, you need a 6.1 or 7.1 speaker setup — and support for them built into your sound card. The Dolby Digital EX, THX Surround EX and DTS-ES standards introduce an additional “surround back” sound channel, which allows sounds to be played on a speaker located behind the audience. You’ll need a 6.1-capable card to take advantage of these standards. In addition, many speaker sets have special decoding facilities that split the surround back channel into two, thus turning them into 7.1 systems.

Just because a DVD soundtrack is only 5.1, it doesn’t mean your 6.1 or 7.1 system will necessarily go to waste, however. Many 6.1 and 7.1 sound cards have decoders capable of spreading the 5.1 soundtrack across the speakers.

Game players are not left out either, as there’s a raft of standards promising atmospheric gaming for those with five speakers or more. Creative’s EAX 4.0 is the most popular, making gunshots and explosions reverberate realistically, while occlusion effects hint at the locations of the various sound sources in the game.

After this, EAX 2.0 seems less impressive, but is still a decent option. Sensaura and DirectSound are other popular but less technologically advanced standards. Essentially though, if you’re an ardent gamer, only the Creative products are likely to give you the full range of standards you are looking for.

What’s good for you?
Creative’s $200 Audigy2 ZS is an excellent mid-range sound card that has good 7.1 speaker support, more 3D gaming standards than any other card (including EAX 4.0) plus strong recording and audio quality. If you can settle for 6.1 speaker support and slightly less sampling capabilities, the original Audigy2 card can be bought for slightly less.

Another budget option is Gainward’s $80 Hollywood@Home 7.1 card which provides reasonable audio quality as well as full speaker support. Musicians should seek out the Creative Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro. In addition to the card’s capabilities, Creative includes a remote control and an external hub with six high-definition input channels and bolts a potentiometer onto the microphone socket. The vastly increased connectivity and its additional talents for gaming make it well worth its $390 price tag.

Terratec’s $390 DMX 6Fire 24/96 Sound System is another high-class music card with DACs and sampling capabilities arguably superior to the Audigy2’s. It’s not great for games, though, so you might consider running it alongside a second card. Unlike every other product we’ve listed here it’s also all but impossible to find locally so you’ll need to hit the internet to pick one up.

Creative makes quality speakers to complement its sound cards. The Inspire 5200 and T7700 offer 5.1 and 7.1 support for $130 and $260 respectively. If you have the money, plump for Creative’s GigaWorks 7.1 S750 THX, which justifies its $920 price tag with full-throated audio quality. Logitech’s $380 Z-5300 THX speakers are also a good bet with superb audio quality for 5.1 DVD surround sound enjoyment.

If two speakers and a sub-woofer is enough, go for some really high-quality ones — Altec Lansing’s 2100 2.1 speaker system offers a surprising amount of grunt for just $140.
Robin Morris

Swap an existing sound card for a new one
Although it's possible to use two sound cards in the same system, unless you desperately need two separate cards it’ll be easier to uninstall the old sound card before fitting the new one. Familiarise yourself with the connectors before installing the card.

The Creative Audigy2 ZS card we’re using here has six connectors and a FireWire port. Two of the connectors are for the line-out and microphone. There are also three separate connectors for general speaker systems and a proprietary digital-out socket for use with certain models in Creative’s Inspire range of speakers.

1) Remove any currently installed sound drivers and associated software to avoid clashes. Click Add or Remove Programs on the Control Panel, select the sound card drivers/software option and hit Remove. Depending on the quality of the uninstallation process, you may need to remove several sets of software.

2) Now turn off the PC and detach all its cables, earth yourself to prevent electrical discharge damage and then unscrew the PC casing. Locate the sound card — usually the one with the most sockets and connectors — and remove the screw securing it. Lift the card out of the system.
Find a spare PCI slot and carefully insert the sound card and secure it with a screw. Hook up all the internal and external cables (including the digital CD cable) and speakers to your card. Cards tend to differ slightly, so consult the accompanying manual to check that everything is correctly connected. Close your PC’s case and restart the machine.

3) Windows will automatically detect the sound card and ask for the driver software. You should consult the manual to see what to do from here, although the process usually entails inserting the supplied software CD and following the onscreen instructions.

Install an external sound card
Although they don't provide audio reproduction as impressive as the top PCI cards and aren’t as frame rate-friendly, USB sound cards are a significant improvement on many of the sound setups supplied with standard notebooks. Installing one is a cinch. We’ll demonstrate this with the help of Zalman’s 5.1-channel ZM-RSSC.

1 Make sure you’ve uninstalled any previous sound cards and their drivers — see step 1 in “Swap an existing sound card for a new one” on the preceding page. Plug the USB connector into an available USB port. If you have Windows XP, the sound card should automatically install any appropriate drivers. Windows 98, Me and 2000 users may have to install drivers from CD.

2 You’re likely to get a good selection of ports and connectors. The Zalman ZM-RSSC has three speaker jacks, while the digital port (both coaxial and optical) is perfect for connecting digital peripherals.

Position the speakers
Placing the speakers to create the optimum sound environment is a matter of trial and error. You’ll need to experiment with various speaker positions, but these diagrams will give you a few pointers.

The centre speaker should be positioned directly ahead of the listener with the left and right speakers placed to either side. Rotate the front speakers towards the listener and try increasing the distance between them. Plot imaginary lines between the listener and the left and right speakers — these should form an angle of 45-60 degrees. Rear speakers should be placed behind the listener at a 60-90 degree angle. The human ear is oblivious to the direction of low-frequency sounds, so the sub-woofer can go anywhere (subject to cable length, of course). In movie theatres it’s usually placed in front of and to the left of the audience.

Tweak your sound card settings
Most sound cards will allow you to tweak the settings to quite a high level. Here’s what the latest Creative drivers let us do with an Audigy2 ZS card.

1) If you have loaded the software correctly, the Creative MediaSource menu should appear when your mouse travels to the top of the screen. Next, you should select EAX from the MediaSource menu.

2) At the EAX console we can set up our own effects, altering the acoustics by selecting options under the Active Preset menu. You can specify the extent of your changes using the Effects Amount slider.

3) Use the CMSS 3D button to alter the CMSS settings and adjust the speakers. There are further controls on offer under Speaker Settings.

4) You can specify your speaker setup (5.1, 2.1 and so on) or headphones mode by choosing from the drop-down menu under Speaker/Headphone Selection.

Sound cards troubleshooting
There’s no sound when I play audio CDs.
Remove the PC lid. Make sure a digital CD cable has been connected between the CD-in connector on the sound card and the audio connector on the back of the CD/DVD-ROM drive. If it still doesn’t work, go to Device Manager (in the Windows Control Panel) and click on the DVD/CD-ROM drives category. Right-click on the name of your drive, select Properties and check that digital CD playback has been enabled.

I only get sound on two of the satellites in my 5.1-channel speaker set.
Ensure all speakers are plugged in correctly and then look at the speaker settings for your sound card. This can usually be accessed through the sound card’s proprietary software interface.

The sound has gone muddy.
This could either be caused by a dodgy or outdated driver or by a corrupt file. Uninstall the existing software and reinstall from the driver CD. Better yet, go to the manufacturer’s website and look for a more recent driver.

I can hear popping noises during playback.
Make sure that the DMA feature has been enabled for your drives. Go to Device Manager (in the Windows Control Panel), click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers category, right-click Primary IDE channel and choose Properties. Select the Advanced Settings tab and check that Transfer Mode is listed under the “DMA if available” option.

Can I expect my games and DVD titles to cause clashes?
In previous years, incompatible sound standards used to result in the PC seizing up on a regular basis. Thankfully, the stability of the latest Windows operating systems has reduced the frequency of such problems. Even so, you should still try experimenting with the different sound profiles and settings to ensure that you’re getting the best surround sound out of your games and film titles.
Look at what standards the game or film supports and then check the features of your sound card to see whether it can support the highest quality modes.

Is it worth looking for updated drivers?
Yes. Keep a close eye on the manufacturer’s website as the latest driver releases can unlock new features — for example, enhanced ASIO support — or improve the specifications (such as the signal-to-noise ratio).

Should I buy a card with gold-plated connectors?
Theoretically, gold-plated connectors provide better conductivity, making for less distortion and resulting in cleaner audio quality when you record sound. But there’s little to suggest you’ll be able to hear the difference. They do provide protection against corrosion, but only when used in conjunction with gold-plated plugs.

Can I use two sound cards at once?
Although using two sound cards at once isn’t generally recommended, it is possible. Indeed, if you want one card for music and one for games it’s worth the effort. Each card must be assigned a different IRQ and you’ll have to tell your software packages which card to use for playback and which for recording.

I want to test whether my card is working at full tilt.
Well, the best proof of its quality is to play it alongside another sound card. Failing this, use some software to check out the card’s capabilities. Most sound cards will come with a simple test applet to check that the various sound outlets are working.
For more in-depth analysis, try a test package such as the freeware RightMark program. Used by several leading reviews sites, this has real authority behind it and the frequent updates and forum ensure its relevance. But novices be warned: it isn’t particularly easy to use and you shouldn’t expect instant satisfaction.

Audio accessories
Zalman 5.1 headphones. $100
The thing about having cranking audio on your PC is that sometimes you can’t have your speakers and shiny new 5.1-channel sound card turned up very loud. Be it neighbours, flatmates, children or even sensitive pets, consideration for others is occasionally necessary. Fortunately there’s no need to miss out on multichannel audio: Zalman has a pair of headphones that recreate the experience admirably.
The Theatre 6 headphones actually squeeze six separate speakers into the headset to create a true 5.1 sound field with front, centre and rear channels. It may sound a little far-fetched but the effect is real and quite convincing — just plug the three stereo plugs into your 5.1-equipped soundcard and you’re away. Sound effects in DVD movies whizz around the place and the bass is rich and deep. Musically the headphones are not so adept and sound best only after you’ve fiddled the audio settings into a “stereo x 2” configuration.
For late-night DVD viewing or gaming, these things are great and they come with a handy lapel-style mic.
Contact: Quiet PC, http://www.quietpc.co.nz

Zalman 5.1 headphone amplifier, $112
Not surprisingly Zalman also produces the perfect partner for its 5.1 headphones in the form of a compact external amplifier. It allows you to plug in two pairs of 5.1 headphones to a single sound card and supplies each with a separate volume control.
Setup takes about a minute and involves nothing more than plugging in the supplied cables. It even uses RCA-style jacks so you could potentially plug it into a home theatre receiver equipped with 5.1 line out sockets.
Contact: Quiet PC, http://www.quietpc.co.nz

Creative Audigy2 ZS Notebook, $399
While notebooks have all but caught up to their desktop counterparts in speed, screen size and graphics processing, they remain woefully weak when it comes to audio.
Sound card manufacturer Creative Labs first spotted this shortcoming a couple of years back and released a USB-based external sound card that worked well but was prohibitively bulky. Now it has come up with a gadget that could well be the answer to all your portable audio needs, the Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Notebook.
It installs into the PCMCIA slot on your notebook and brings advanced features such as 3D positional audio, 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, 24-bit audio, THX certification and hardware accelerated gaming. Our review unit hadn’t arrived at press time so we’re not sure if it will enable you to plug your 5.1 Zalman headphones into your notebook but we’ll be sure to let you know next issue with a full hands-on review.
Contact: Renaissance, 09-968 3725, http://www.australia.creative.com

Quiet Feet, $12–$34
You’ve just spent lots of money on getting the best possible audio qualityfrom your PC but one thing still bothers you — the noise of the PC itself. Try installing Quiet Feet. They’re soft, squishy, vibration-absorbing feet for your PC that aim to reduce noise levels.
My computer sits on a wooden floor and it wasn’t until I installed Quiet Feet, one under each corner, that I realised just how much unnecessary noise I was suffering. They come in three sizes with four to a pack. Heavy Duty ($34), Standard ($23) and Micro ($12).
Contact: Quiet PC, http://www.quietpc.co.nz