Sound Card which is easy to install for windows 7 ultimate 64 bit

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classicride72

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Jan 6, 2011
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My system is a new build and I need a sound card with drivers that's easy to install. I'm fed up with Creative Labs because I must disable onboard sound in BIOS, try to install a recommended driver from Creative websight, and then find that the sound card is not recognized AND I cannot use any of the sound card applications I need, such as a graphic EQ. I'm into music and have over 3000 songs, many of which are from the 50's and 60's so the ability to tailor the sound is a necessity for me.
There has to be something better that meets my needs.
I'm not a guru in this field so I would appreciate suggestions.
Thanks...........Bob
 
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Well I guess I'll end this thread. I'm fed up with Creative because their driver doesn't allow use of the applications for their sound cards. Now I don't have any sound. Many people also have problems trying to deal with drivers and rar files for Xonar. There doesn't appear to be any sound card with drivers on the install disk that work with Windows 7 - 64 bit right out of the box. Win7 has been around for awhile and it's ridiculous that sound card manufacturers haven't updated their products so as to be plug and play.
Bob
 
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I agree. My Auzentech Forte was great but ever since I went to Windows 7 last January, it's been hell (with updated Windows 7 driver). It's twitchy and any adjustment I make, i lose all sound and mic capabilities. I see the Fatality series sucks, Titanium HD is not good with games/5.1 digital speakers, and the Asus cards either have issues with W7 or not for games. My head is spinning as fast as yours.

I see no clear cut fantastic gaming sound card. Someone prove us wrong! 😱
* What's funny is Recon Fatality 3d is $99 at Microcenter :lol:
 
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...how the heck have you NOT used .rar yet? EVERYTHING is .rar at this point.

Xonar drivers are pretty good, though I've seen a few people here and there have issue (usually the card not being detected...). No problems here. Creatives drivers, historically, have been far worse.
 
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Thanks for your reply. Using cd that came with Creative Soundblaster card totally fouled up my sound. Using driver from their website doesn't help. All Creative cards have same problem. Many people have problems with Xonar cards (card not recognized). Driver from their website doesn't help according to many people, and the driver is downloaded in .rar which my computer will not open. I'm not keen on spending time trying to delete every vestige of Creative and then buying a Xonar, going thru the steps to install it, only to find I can't open the .rar file and still have a sound card that doesn't work. I had no problems with Creative on my old XP OS but it seems no manufacturers have upgraded their sound cards so they are plug and play on Windows 7 - 64 bit. I'm really ticked off because my onboard sound is terrible but of course that doesn't now work either. Thanks Creative.
 
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Thanks for your reply.
Questions:
1. Will it work for Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit?
2. If I download it what do I do after the download? In other words what's the next step?
Thanks................Bob
 
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Thanks to both of you. I haven't decided yet if I want to try a Xonar card but I guess I could download this application anyway, assuming it wouldn't conflict with what Windows uses to extract files.
Bob
 
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:) you're welcome. I just found out that indeed I have to RMA my less than 1 yr old MB....sucks! I might have to hold out on putting the Xonar in, since I have to take it out eventually lol. Eh, see what happens; if Phoebus gets better and drops in price, I might get it and sell DX or hold in as backup.

P.S. sorry if I highjacked your thread before....was an accident. Read your mail Gamer!! ;-)
 
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No Problem
I'm really interested in your experiencees with Xonar sound cards since you said you have a Phoebus (very expensive)!
Have you installed Xonar cards before with a Windows 7 SP1 64 bit and IE9 OS? If so, I'd be interested to know if you experienced any problems and if the card worked properly. The Phoebus is a little pricey for me but I would like a card with at least a 24 bit 192KHz sample rate and a graphic equalizer.
 
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I haven't gotten the Phoebus yet. I heard new drivers were released a few months after it was getting slammed for being buggy and crashing games that use Punkbuster. I have 2 games that use Punkbuster so that made me hesitant. I read some recent reviews claiming that the sound quality for music and games is outstanding. I bought the Xonar dx on sale in yes, Microcenter. Got the 3770k for $229 earlier.

I've had Creative cards but have been using a Auzentech Forte for the last few years. The Forte was discontinued a 1 1/2 years ago and was a nightmare reinstalling when I moved to my present (yet now need to be RMA's) Asus z68 board. I've been having issues with the Forte since last January. The tech help is terrible and there W7 driver is not good. It was fine with Vista but I won't go back to Vista! Before the trouble, the sound was great. I do love outside of Creative, Auzentech had one thread going when I looked in the task manager while Creative had like 5 lol.
 
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Those seem to be nice cards but out of my price range. Do you know anything about the Xonar cards priced around or below $100? I'm not a gamer, just into music (lots of 50's and early 60's songs) so I'd like to have a card with a sample rate of 24 bit/192KHz, a graphic eq, and of course one that works with Windows 7 Ultimate Sp1 64 bit. The Creative card I bought totally fouled up my sound - can't even get Media Player to work.
 
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I'm not a gamer so the cards you mentioned are beyond my budget. Do have any knowledge about the Xonar cards priced around or below $100? I'm into music and lots of my stuff is 50's and early 60's so I'd like to find a card with a 24 bit/192KHz sample rate and a Graphic Eq to deal with deficiences in bass and upper range. My older Creative Sound Blaster worked great when I used XP - it was virtually plug and play - but now I need something that will work properly with Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate 64 bit.
 
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No, I'm more of a gamer and when I'm not gaming I'm on youtube listening to my favorite...80s music. I don't want to steer you in the wrong place.
 
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Well, thanks anyway for your comments and suggestions. I guess I'm on hold for now. I can listen to the music on my external hard drives thru my headphones but of course that's using the onboard sound which is absolutely flat in terms of sound quality because no adjustments are possible.
Bob
 
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My instincts tell you to stay away from a Creative card. I don't know much about HT but I believe you'll score a winner between Asus or Auzentech. Asus seems to have top of the line cards for headphones.
 
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Creative cards are a no-no. They work well with Windows XP but not Win7. I've corresponded with them and they say not to use the cd that comes with card; rather download a driver from the Creative website. They also tell me that none of the applications such as the graphic equalizer will work when the OS is Win7 64 bit. The card is therefore useless to me because the audio is totally flat. I prefer to use my Cambridge Soundworks THX speakers because they produce great audio. They include a remote control which allows one to adjust volume, sub output, treble, center, and rear speakers but I still like an EQ to fine tune the frequencies for the older music I have.
To me, it's ridiculous that sound card manufacturers aren't making cards that are plug and play for Win7 and with which one can use all the applications that come with them right out of the box.
Bob
 
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