Can sound cards improve mic quality?

[Oakley999]

Right now im using onboard sound. I have a siberia v2, the mic is pretty good, I've followed a few tutorials to make the most out of onboard sound for my mic, like using recording volume at 15 and mic boost at 30+ seems to do the job. However, Are there any sound cards out there that both improve sound and improve microphone quality? Thanks

 

[Intel Celeron]

basically, it all boils down to compatibility. If your mic is really bad, even on onboard no sound card can save it. If your mic is really good with a really bad sound card, then a better sound card will make it sound awesome.

 

[Oakley999]

Well, my mic is not too bad I suppose, its got good quality but it has a slight hiss. Hopefully that can be fixed

 

[Oakley999]

Does anyone recommend a good sound card that improves both mic and audio quality? anything thats better than onboard will do. I have an asus P8Z77-V if anyone knows generally what kind of quality that motherboard gives.

 

[Intel Celeron]

For the really high-end stuff check this:http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-sound-card-xonaressencestx
For cheaper options check this:http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-sound-card-xonardgx

 

[Oakley999]

I was thinking about this card. http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006 : the ASUS Xonar DX 7.1, as it seems pretty good for its price, it goes up to 192khz and 24bit. It also has 7.1 channel, which will be nice if i ever decide to pick up a 7.1 headset.

 

[Intel Celeron]

That would be fine too. In the end, it is your choice. But modern games nowadays require DX 9 or 11 sound cards but with latest drivers you could run this.

 

[Oakley999]

Sorry for the late reply, you said about dx 9 or 11 sound cards, what is the Xonar dx 7.1? Do you think its a good soundcard? would you recommend a different one? thanks

 

[Intel Celeron]

try to check asus' website for dx 9 drivers. If so, It's still god for modern games.

 

[Oakley999]

I found these drivers for the Xonar dx - http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=Xonar%20DX&p=21&s=3&os=30&hashedid=R3E8hhLCEgwyAOt9

It worries me though, because there has only been a few driver updates, and it seems they've only been releasing 1 every year, which makes me want to check out creative instead.

 

[Intel Celeron]

you should get the 2013.10.03 update because based on previous updates, You can have sound on CS:S and HL(2?) Which are both DX9 at high audio settings so you could probably run DX9 games. For DX11, You should really consider an upgrade.

 

[Oakley999]

What would you consider an upgrade? I would go up to about £80-90. I would obviously like better sound for dx11 games especially because i have a gaming pc.

 

[Intel Celeron]

The sound differences in DX11 and 9 are pretty slim. The only difference I experienced is the sounds are more real (If an explosion happens on the left a very long distance away, the sound comes from the left and is faint and muffled.) So if you're willing to sacrifice this then you're probably good on the card you have.

 

[Oakley999]

alright, will the xonar dx be alright with a siberia v2? ive heard that some sound cards mess up the sound because of some headphone amp or whatever, something like that, apparently the line of xonar dx cards are also home theater, so it sounds like they wont be so good for headsets, as my speakers are usually hooked up to my xbox one, and i tend to have more private conversations on the pc with my headset.