BIS' Recommendation for SoundCard

[vipermaul 246]

SUMA,

I see a trend here.

I also read this comment in a read me for a sound addon.

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Tips:

SBLive card users may want to disable AUDIO HW Acceleration completely to fix crackling, popping and general

distorted sounds in Flashpoint, this also cures the footstep soundbug. These issues got nothing to with this soundpack,

but are hardware/Driver/software problems. As an SBLive value card user i can´t play OFP with HW accel. sounds,

therefore i keep it at all times disabled till creative labs releases some drivers for my card that fixes this issues.

If you think a sound doesn´t play or sound right or you have any problems with audio; turn off Audio HW acceleration

in the OFP Audio options.

contact:

Thomas "Satchel" R.

Boresight@gmx.de <span id='postcolor'>

So with that said. Which sound card do you recommend using that has the absolute BEST OFP sound available for those that have a budget of $150 to spend.  

You might also recommend one for OFP that does costs less than $80 if you can as well.

Thanks so much!!

[RedRogue 0]

Viper I use a SB PCI 512, the lowest SB card made with that MUX chip and supports surround sound. Run HA all the time, EAX is another story (Thus no surround sound )don't think that has worked right for anyone.

512s are like $40 too if I remember. Live cards are too expensive and the drivers just too buggy and CL never gets around to updating drivers worth squat.

[suma 8]

As I generally do not buy hardware ( lucky me ), I am not familiar with prices of different models.

I have good experience with SB Audigy with laster drivers installed (Win2000), I have no problems with HW acceleration and even EAX works well with it.

As for SB Live, some users reported latest drivers fix footstep problems for them, some report they do not. If you are using Win2000, you may easily experience problems with this card. In Win9x/ME family you should be able to use at least HW acceleration/3D positiion, if not EAX.

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

My terratec soundcard (dmx xfire 1024) works fine.

Although when i enable hardware acc and eax it screws up (in winxp). But then this guy told me that its because windows XP enable it by default.

So im happy.

This soundcard supports:

EAX

Sorround sound

Optical line out

Optical line in

2 CD line in

1024 tracks (as per name)

And its really good. (Well at least i think so), but then again, i had this crappy onboard card before, so i cant really compare to sb live etc.

[Txema 0]

Let me ask one dumb question:

If you are using headphones, is there any difference between having HW acceleration and EAX activated and working properly, and not having them activated? Or to appreciate the difference you need a system with four speakers?

In other words: is it worth buying a SB Audigy to play OFP, if you are going to play with headphones?

Thank you very much for the help !!!

[(CYBA)JakkedUptron 1]

EAX on, even with headphones, sounds different. I'm not saying is sounds better, because I feel EAX sucks as far as positional audio. Aureal A3D was not even in the same class as Live. A3D was so far better that I can't understand why anyone purchased anything else. I could pin-point player position in Half-Life just with audio alone.

With EAX all I get are some funny sounds like I'm in an emtpy room(echo), or underwater(muffled), and each time the sound changes it's a drastic change.

So bottom line, yes, headphones work with EAX. But is EAX any good? Absolutely not. It sounds so fake with the abrupt changes, etc., that it actaully reminds you that this is a game, instead of making it like you are part of what you are seeing.

PS: I want a new card also. As long as it's not a Creative card. I just wish I knew what to get.

[DodgeME 0]

You don't have to buy new hardware :/

I do. You lucky ........

[amos m 0]

I use sblive value and get no crackle. The footsteps seem to have been fixed also, although I still do actually here heavy breathing, so I'm not sure if the footsteps are fixed or If I've just gotten used to it.

I also agree with cyba to some extent. Although I do like eax, the changes in environmental effects can be a little abrupt at times. Though I have noticed in games like descent3 there are actually extra sounds with eax that you do not here without eax enabled. And the abrupt change in environmental effects is not an important issue in ofp as there is only really one environment at the moment. It doesn't change (although sounds becoming deader as you enter a forest, or lingering a little when you move into one of those empty cement buildings would be cool).

[GT Phantom 0]

I have an Audigy, run on Win2k, and am very pleased with it. I have all accelleration on but turn OFF the "Special Effects" in the SoundBlaster Creative Taskbar. I don't know if that means that EAX is actually disabled, perhaps just no special bells and whistles.

In any event, I DO hear footsteps and, closer in, breathing. Some people call this a bug or a cheat - it's a mixed blessing. In large games you can get overwhelmed by the number of sounds and can't tell distance, but overall I think it is good to hear SOME clue to the enemy's position since visual cues are not always as good as real life. I can locate direction (with headphones on) to within about +- 3 degrees.