Sound Cards - GBPVR

[folkboat]

The GBPVR system I am running has an on-board sound card "Realtek AC97" works OK, kinda noisey though, lottsa hum. The sound output is running through an Onkyo receiver.
Has anyone replaced their on-board sound card??
If so - with what card?? Any real improvements??
I have read that on-board sound cards suck up system resources - is that true??
When playing CD's I've noticed a flatness in the sound, highs and lows just aren't there................

Thanks
Rick

[capone]

I've had an onboard AC97 chip and a cheap Chaintech card w/ S/PDIF plug, both plugged into a lower-end Sony home theater receiver. I post-process a little using ffdshow: resampling to 48000Hz, splitting to 5.1, enhancing the volume, and outputting at 224 bits.

It adds resource overhead, but the sound is great.

[tkgafs]

The GBPVR system I am running has an on-board sound card "Realtek AC97" works OK, kinda noisey though, lottsa hum.
Rick

one thing that may help is to make sure your line-in is muted when you're not using it, that often gets rid of the hum.

I use an old aureal sound card for my output from gbpvr not because of a particular problem with the onboard audio, but simply so that I could play mp3s using gbpvr as a jukebox and send output to my hi-fi whilst my children could use the pc and get the audio from their games etc without affecting what I was hearing.

tkgafs

[widman]

Using a sound card with an optical spdif can remove hum by isolating the computer from your receiver.

widman

[psycik]

I've using the same realtek but run everything through a Digital Coax cable to a Yamaha receiver, I don't notice any hum or anything.

[folkboat]

OK, after spending time isolating the problem I discovered the humm was caused by a "ground-loop". Apparently somewhere in my house there exists an incorrectly wired/grounded AC outlet/switch/circuit.

Fortunately I happened to have a ground loop isolator, put it in-line with my Comcast cable and the humm dissapeared. The receiver/GBPVR PC & TV are plugged into the same outlet.