Five Tips to Get the Most out of Your Computer Audio Card
Many people are using their computer as their home entertainment center.
Computers can provide everything from games to music to videos, so it makes
sense to combine all these functions in one machine. In order to get the best
experience from your computer entertainment center, you need good-quality cards
for both audio and video. For now, we will concentrate on what you need to look
for to get the best out of your computer audio card.
- 1. Choose a card which has surround sound capabilities. There are many
reasonably priced cards on the market which allow you to connect six or seven
speakers to place around the listing area. These cards are marked as 5.1, 6.1,
or 7.1. The “.1” part of these numbers is for the subwoofer -- the speaker
that reproduces the lowest frequency sounds. The other number indicates the
number of speakers I can be placed around the listing area
- The card should be capable of reproducing at least CD-quality sound. This
means that the output should be at least 44.1 kHz. If you wish to listen to
DVD audio, you should get a card which can handle up to 96 kHz.
- Audio cards are not simply for listing to music, they can also be used for
recording audio sources. If you wish to record your voice, or a sound source
like a cassette recorder, get an audio card which has stereo inputs. If your
sound source has a digital output, get an audio card with an SPDIF input.
- Some audio cards also function as synthesizers for playing MIDI music.
There are thousands of MIDI music files available for free on the Internet,
but the sound quality is dependent on the type of synthesizer they are played
through. MIDI karaoke is for a popular, so if you would like to use your
computer for this, get an audio card with a good sounding synthesizer.
- If you are a computer game fan, a good audio card with surround sound can
add incredible realism to your gaming experience. Just be aware that the audio
card may take the place of the onboard joystick connector, so you may need to
buy an additional joystick controller in addition to the audio card.
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