Question RealTek chipsets for music recording

[kjon99fm]

I am looking to get a new Windows PC for DIY home music recording and I am wondering what the good, the bad, and the ugly of RealTek chipsets are. In my research thus far, I have found everything from ALC269 to ALC1200 or 1220 in prebuilts by the likes of Dell, HP, and Geekom. Some chipsets offer 4-channel, 5.1 and 7.1 audio. Are there any real differences to an audiophile? Any guidance, suggestions, and links would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Eximo]

The higher end realtek chips certainly offer more features.

Isolation is key to clean analog audio, but until it runs through the DAC, it is digital. Many audiophiles use external USB DACs rather than sound chipsets or sound cards.

High end sound cards can have more filtering, since there is more room on the board. Sort of a dying breed really. Still a few high end Creative and ASUS cards floating around. I last bought a ASUS Xonar sound card to fix a microphone interference issue (pretty sure the SLI cable caused interference, since it was unshielded and really the only variable)

 

[kjon99fm]

Thank you Eximo. I have also briefly looked at the Creative Sound BlasterX G6 external sound card but not being a real techie (hence the search for prebuilt PC's), I am unsure how I could bypass the integrated audio chipset already on the motherboard. My needs are both audio input quality as well as output.

 

[CountMike]

Thank you Eximo. I have also briefly looked at the Creative Sound BlasterX G6 external sound card but not being a real techie (hence the search for prebuilt PC's), I am unsure how I could bypass the integrated audio chipset already on the motherboard. My needs are both audio input quality as well as output.

When you use external DAC all you have to do is to disable integrated sound (CODEC chip) from BIOS. That disables analog part for sound on the MB.

 

[Misgar]

I am looking to get a new Windows PC for DIY home music recording

A good external DAC with the relevant inputs for microphones and electrical pickups (if needed) should yield better results, but a cheap $20 mic hardly justifies a $2,000 DAC.

The Realtek DACs (codecs) on the motherboard are OK for general purpose work, but they're not quite up to serious studio work.

A huge amount depends on how demanding you are about audio quality and more importantly, on your budget. If you cannot hear the difference and you're not selling your work, there's no need to buy expensive kit.

You can start off with the built-in mobo DAC, then graduate to an external DAC as you become more proficient. Balanced inputs are a bonus, but usually cost more and may not be necessary.
https://soundrating.com/home-audio-accessories/digital-to-analog-converters-dac/


For general purpose computer audio playback I use an old Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100, linked to four PCs via a USB KVM switch.
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/hi-fi/dacmagic/dacmagic100

For more critical work I use a Sennheiser HDV 820 DAC amp with balanced headphone output to drive a pair of Sennheiser HD 820 closed-back phones.
https://www.headphonesty.com/2019/05/balanced-vs-unbalanced-audio-connections/

https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-US/p/hdv-820/

https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-US/p/hd-820/

I thought long and hard before squandering my money on the Sennheiser combination plus an Astell & Kern SR35 DAP, but my listening experience has improved. I could've bought a new PC instead, but the next build isn't due until mid 2026.
https://www.astellnkern.com/product/product_detail.jsp?productNo=143

The speakers in my computer room are prehistoric Goodmans Magnums coupled to a Kenwood tuner amp. Not HiFi, but the 12in woofers can shift some air.
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/goodmans_magnum.html

Some chipsets offer 4-channel, 5.1 and 7.1 audio.

Before you start worrying about creating sophisticated multi-channel audio, start off with 2-channel stereo. You can investigate surround sound encoding at a later date.

Whatever you buy, don't worry. Just enjoy the vibes.
https://ehomerecordingstudio.com/home-recording-studio-essentials/

 

[kjon99fm]

Wow Misgar...tons of info to sort through. Thanks!

 

[Misgar]

Before you start considering external DACs, check out the system requirements for the DAW software you might need for recording. You can add a USB DAC at a later date.

A DAW is the heart of the recording system and your computer hardware needs to be sufficient to run the software. You won't need a fancy graphics card for audio work, so you could save money and use the iGPU built into many CPUs.

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/best-daws-for-beginners/
https://midination.com/daw/free-daw/best-free-daw/
https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-free-daws-music-production-software

Instead of getting an RTX 5060/70/80/90, you'd be better off buying a pair of HiFi headphones or high quality bookshelf monitors and a HiFi amp. Forget gaming headsets and puny little Bluetooth speakers.

If you're on a modest budget, consider these monitors if you don't already own something similar. A pair of decent "cans" will probably be cheaper than good speakers.
https://www.slashgear.com/1549632/best-studio-monitors-for-home-recording/
https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-studio-monitors-and-monitor-speakers