Buy sound card - what to look for? The main criteria
What you should pay attention to when buying a sound card cannot be answered in general. The most important criteria depend on what you prefer to use your sound card for. We give you buying tips for the most common applications.
Uses of sound cards
What you need to pay attention to when buying your sound card depends on your primary use. The following uses are typical and place different demands on the sound card:
- Audio production: When you make, edit and mix music or sound for film and radio play.
- Headset use: If you mainly communicate via a headset, for example when gaming or in video conferences.
- Home theater: If you like to enjoy music and film via DVD or BluRay ..
Sound card for audio production
Of course, the demands are highest in audio production, as is the number of criteria that play an important role. You should definitely pay attention to the following sizes:
- Sample rate: Your sound card should support at least a sample rate of 48 kHz with a sample depth of 24 bits.
- Latency: Latency is most important here. Input and output latencies in the 6 ms range are optimal. Don't rely on marketing statements like "latency free". Rather read customer reviews.
- Symmetry: If you have a lot of equipment or long cable runs, you should definitely pay attention to symmetrical inputs and outputs.
- 5.1, 7.1: If you produce for DVD or other formats in 5.1 or 7.1, you obviously need a corresponding number of outputs.
- Preamp: To record microphone signals as well as dry guitar and bass, you usually need a preamplifier. This is often referred to as a "preamp" and should be continuously adjustable with a rotary control, or at least with a button in stages.
- Inputs: The most flexible are combination inputs made of XLR and jack. If you want to record many channels at the same time, a digital mixer is often the best choice. These are recognized by the computer as a sound card and can also be used. You can find out more about the jack and XLR in this practical tip.
- Phantom power: Condenser microphones and some other devices require phantom power, also known as "phantom power" or "+48 V". You can find more information about phantom power in this practical tip.
- MIDI: With some older equipment you still need the MIDI interface. However, there are also USB-MIDI interfaces for a few euros. The most important thing about MIDI can be found here.
- Other: Good A / D and D / A converters are important, but difficult to recognize apart from the price and customer reviews. If you want to synchronize your sound card with several devices, it should support WordClock, for example. Many sound cards have implemented hardware effects that work particularly efficiently and save you the money for some expensive software effects.
Sound card for headset use
Headset use is common on the one hand for business, in the office, in the call center or on the go, on the other hand also for gamers, alone at home or in groups on LANs or conventions. Despite the different circumstances, important criteria coincide:
- Microphone input: You need a microphone input for headsets, because a line-only input does not have the required preamplification.
- Full duplex: For Voice-over-IP (VoIP) your sound card must support "full duplex mode". However, this is almost always the case these days.
- Symmetry: Especially for LANs and in call centers with many electronic devices, symmetrical inputs are important for a symmetrical headset microphone.
- Latency for gamers: In many games, many sound sources are rendered simultaneously and signals are mixed into the audio channels in quasi real time. The greater the computing power of the sound card itself, the less power your CPU has to deliver.
- Headset: What you should pay attention to when buying a headset, you will find out in your own practical tip.
- You can get tips on buying optical cables, screens and projectors for home cinema systems in other practical tips.
Sound card for home cinema
Which sound card is the right one for your home cinema depends on the additional equipment you have. The main criteria are the following:
- Sample rate and depth: DVDs and BluRays have a sample rate of at least 48 kHz as standard with a sample depth of 24 bits. That should also be your minimum requirement for a sound card, higher sample rates don't hurt, some music DVDs have a sample rate of 96 kHz.
- Digital Out: If you have a good home theater system with a digital input, you should also output the sound from your sound card digitally. Make sure you need an optical or coaxial SPDIF cable.
- 5.1 / 7.1: If you do not have an AV system with digital input, your sound card should bring the desired number of output channels. Suitable products often advertise with the note "... for up to 7.1 systems".
- Symmetry: If you have active speakers, you should pay attention to the balanced outputs of your sound card. For passive boxes, use asymmetrical ones.
- D / A converter: The quality of digital-to-analog converters is as important as it is opaque. Read customer reviews or, if in doubt, prefer to use a slightly more expensive sound card to get high-quality D / A converters. Implementing many channels is not expensive and can be found on many low-budget on-board sound cards. It will only be expensive if these many channels are to have a decent quality.
No sound on windows 10? You can do that:
In other practical tips we compare stereo and surround, 5.1 and soundbars, and explain how to set the equalizer and subwoofer correctly.