# best soundcard for linux? [SOLVED...sb live 5.1]

## gnychis

Hey all,

I have officially struck out twice on sound cards in linux.  My onboard sound is really crappy in linux (inte8x0), i hear the hard drive and interference through it (though i also heard all that in windows).  It just sounds ehhhh, not great.

I also bought another sound card, a Creative Audigy LS, and for some reason, everyone who owns the card can only get mono from the card with alsa.  I obviously want better sound than mono.

So, i guess what is the best sound card for linux? any price, any brand, any suggestion

Thanks!

GeorgeLast edited by gnychis on Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## edudlive

Soundblaster Live!

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## gnychis

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102177

Is that the correct sound card?  Because under ALSA I see a Sound Blaster Live that uses the ca0106 module, which is the same module that I can only get mono sound with.

So can you verify that card above will use the emu10k1 module?  I believe that is the module that most people use?

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## bertaboy

 *hedpe wrote:*   

> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102177
> 
> Is that the correct sound card?  Because under ALSA I see a Sound Blaster Live that uses the ca0106 module, which is the same module that I can only get mono sound with.
> 
> So can you verify that card above will use the emu10k1 module?  I believe that is the module that most people use?

 

The 5.1 cards use emu10k1, while the 24-bit PCI uses ca0106.  The 24-bit USB uses another driver that I havn't bothered to remember.  The 5.1 has onboard mixing, while the 24-bits do not, so they rely on software mixing (which can also eat up cpu cycles, how much in percentage I havn't the slightest idea.)  The alsa-driver-1.0.9b drivers appear to fix the speed issue that many faced with the -1.0.9a drivers.  If you can figure out how to use software mixing, then the two cards should be pretty equal.  The main plus I see for hte 5.1 over the 24-bit right now is the hardware mixing and the gameport.

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## Bill Thompson

It depends on what you want to do. Since I wanted midi recordinig, I got the M-Audio Audiophile 2496, which has a dynamic range of 104db (this is not an item to be overlooked. Modern recordings can cause clipping in a less robust card). It supports 24bit/96kHz performance. It has a direct midi connection (not just USB -- which I don't trust), Alsa has the alsatool 2496controlpanel (or if you use my favorite - the commercial OSS sound drivers, there is a separate mixer panel). S/PDIF passthrough is much more robust than alsa, if you going to install a dolby system. etc.). take a look - the sound is superb.

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## gnychis

 *bertaboy wrote:*   

>  *hedpe wrote:*   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102177
> 
> Is that the correct sound card?  Because under ALSA I see a Sound Blaster Live that uses the ca0106 module, which is the same module that I can only get mono sound with.
> 
> So can you verify that card above will use the emu10k1 module?  I believe that is the module that most people use? 
> ...

 

I am confused then, because you said the 5.1 cards use emu10k1, and the 24-bit PCI uses ca0106.  Why then does newegg show the link above, which is a 7.1 24-bit PCI, as having the emu10k1 chipset?

so either you are wrong or newegg is wrong... which is the case?

i got a SB0410 Creative Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit 7.1 card from Comp USA, and before I open it, i'd like to know if it uses ca0106 or emu10k1 .... and if the one on newegg will actually use emu10k1 or ca0106

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## colo

You are best off grabbing a first generation SB Live! Audigy or SB Live! 5.1 Player from ebay (i keep on buying as many as I can get, for about 10EUR a piece), they just work absolutely flawless with the Linux kernel.

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## cwt137

I had a SB Live! Value Edition and it was great

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## revertex

I've got a Creative Audigy and it work's much better in linux than windows.

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## vandorp

 *Bill Thompson wrote:*   

> It depends on what you want to do. Since I wanted midi recordinig, I got the M-Audio Audiophile 2496, 
> 
> ...
> 
>  take a look - the sound is superb.

 

I got myself this card last week. I tried the analog outputs, and the sound quality is indeed superb. I don't use them however,  because I wanted the best sound quality possible and I figured that S/PDIF was the way to go. The reason I got this card was for the S/PDIF and the good support on Linux. It works very nice. The GPL envy24control program to control the mixer works very well too.

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## sorinev

 *bertaboy wrote:*   

>  *hedpe wrote:*   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102177
> 
> Is that the correct sound card?  Because under ALSA I see a Sound Blaster Live that uses the ca0106 module, which is the same module that I can only get mono sound with.
> 
> So can you verify that card above will use the emu10k1 module?  I believe that is the module that most people use? 
> ...

 

And what if the soundcard is both 5.1 and 24-bit? I have a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS (not platinum, or pro, or gamer or anything. Nothing at all after the ZS). I've had it for a couple years, but it's not any of the newer 6.1 or 7.1 versions by this name. I spent several hours a day for a week trying to get it working, but I never did. I tried my onboard sound, but couldn't get sound from any more than 2 speakers, and it sounded terrible anyways.

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## vrln

 *revertex wrote:*   

> I've got a Creative Audigy and it work's much better in linux than windows.

 

Same here, it's much closer to "plug and play" in Linux than in Windows. It just works :)

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## micmac

 *vandorp wrote:*   

>  *Bill Thompson wrote:*   It depends on what you want to do. Since I wanted midi recordinig, I got the M-Audio Audiophile 2496, 
> 
> ...
> 
>  take a look - the sound is superb. 
> ...

 

Hi!

Some (many actually) cards output "computer noise" over their analog outs. The 2496 doesn't. So it makes sense to decide if you use them instead of spdif out by looking at the DACs of your amp and your soundcard. I had an older digital amp some time ago and I very much prefered the soundcard's dsp, so I chose the analog out. When you're looking for AC3/5.1 then spdif is the one and only way to go with the 2496, but for 5.1/AC3 I wouldn't have picked the 2496 in the first place, and if my digi amp featured a really decent DAC I would have also bought a much cheaper card, so I guess you're just using stereo, too.

Cheers

mic

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## bertaboy

 *hedpe wrote:*   

>  *bertaboy wrote:*    *hedpe wrote:*   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102177
> 
> Is that the correct sound card?  Because under ALSA I see a Sound Blaster Live that uses the ca0106 module, which is the same module that I can only get mono sound with.
> 
> So can you verify that card above will use the emu10k1 module?  I believe that is the module that most people use? 
> ...

 

I have a SB Live! 24-bit in my computer right now, lspci shows it as

```
0000:04:02.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy LS
```

And it uses the ca0106 driver.  If you try to use the emu10k1, you won't get sound, or you'll get static, I forget which.  If I can find a decent card for around $10-$20 with onboard mixing, I'd probably put that card in and take the 24-bit out, soley because of the mixing issues I'm having trying to figure out which apps have to be set to dmixer, which to dmix, and which ones can't use anything other than on-board mixing.

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## vandorp

He Mic,

 *micmac wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Some (many actually) cards output "computer noise" over their analog outs. The 2496 doesn't. So it makes sense to decide if you use them instead of spdif out by looking at the DACs of your amp and your soundcard. 
> 
> 

 

I appreciate your concern, but my amp doen't have anything digital in it, so I had to fetch myself an external dac. It's a musical Fidelity x-24k http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/825/. Trust me, it sounds better than a sound card - any sound card  :Very Happy:  In fact, the thing is kinda overkill, but I found a used one for a good price. They don't make 'm anymore so you have to buy 'm used anyways. Also, the cable length is 11 metres here, which really doesn't help sound quality when using analog outputs. I know S/PDIF is only spec'd to 5 metres, but when using a thick coax cable with fat gold plated plugs, you can go way above the spec. I know because it works flawless here  :Very Happy: 

 *micmac wrote:*   

> 
> 
> and if my digi amp featured a really decent DAC I would have also bought a much cheaper card, so I guess you're just using stereo, too.
> 
> 

 

Yes, only stereo here. What do you mean by a much cheaper card? Are there S/PDIF cards that are much cheaper and have good linux support? Guess I didn't do my research very well then  :Shocked:  Mind you that the 2496 doesn't resample the digital signal, some cheaper cards do...

Bas

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## gnychis

okay, to update this post...

bertaboy, and others, I got a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 card off of ebay for $16 shipped, and it is amazing in linux.  I use the emu10k1 alsa module with it, and it is beautiful.  It sounds so much better than the card you have bertaboy, because that is the last card I tried, and i also had to use ca0106.  Trust me, $16 for a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 card off of ebay is very worth it.

Go for it bertaboy!  :Smile: 

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## bertaboy

 *hedpe wrote:*   

> okay, to update this post...
> 
> bertaboy, and others, I got a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 card off of ebay for $16 shipped, and it is amazing in linux.  I use the emu10k1 alsa module with it, and it is beautiful.  It sounds so much better than the card you have bertaboy, because that is the last card I tried, and i also had to use ca0106.  Trust me, $16 for a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 card off of ebay is very worth it.
> 
> Go for it bertaboy! 

 

I wouldn't necessarily say it sounds "so much better".  I'd just say that it's much less of a headache.  I've had a 5.1 in my computer, and it just worked.  The 24-bit works, jut not with everything (mplayer has problems, along with mixing).  But, I figure that for what I'm using my computer for, it'll be fine.  The only way I'd switch soundcards is if I got another one for free, or if I traded my for someone else's.  I don't really want to put any more money into my computer, now that tuition and all are much, much closer.

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## longship

 *gnychis wrote:*   

> Hey all,
> 
> I have officially struck out twice on sound cards in linux.  My onboard sound is really crappy in linux (inte8x0), i hear the hard drive and interference through it (though i also heard all that in windows).  It just sounds ehhhh, not great.
> 
> I also bought another sound card, a Creative Audigy LS, and for some reason, everyone who owns the card can only get mono from the card with alsa.  I obviously want better sound than mono.
> ...

 

The M-Audio Revolution 5.1 card is a steal at under $80US at NewEgg.

According to what I've read about this card, it has better audio specs than the Audiophile 2496 and has 5.1 output on top of that.  There's also the Revolution 7.1 which costs a little more.

According to the ALSA sound card matrix, the 5.1 is fully supported.  I would think that the envy24control program works with it, too.

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