Best sound card Australia
Which is the best sound card in 2024?
VIEW OFFERBest of 2024: Find the right sound card in Australia
If you consider yourself an audiophile, a good sound card is one of most important parts of your PC. While more expensive systems usually come with good sound cards, the cheaper options are often quite poor, which is disappointing if you enjoy playing video games with headphones or a sound system. So, if you are lacking in the sound quality department, be sure to look for a great sound card to remedy the problem. To help you find the best sound cards for your PC, check out the buying guide below.
The 10 best sound cards in Australia (December 2024)
The bestseller list compares sound cards from multiple brands
- Singular: Package Quantity: 1
- Power: 600 ohm headphone amp provides studio-grade monitoring
- Quality: 106dB SNR ensures a high level of audio quality
- Surround: Immersive surround sound for a focused and engaging gaming environment.
- Profiles: Specialized SBX Gaming EQ Profiles for enhanced gaming experience in popular titles.
- Clarity: Up to 116 dB SNR at 24-bit/192 kHz for pristine audio quality.
- Software: Xonar Audio Center offers an intuitive user experience.
- Capability: 192kHz/24-bit, 5.1-channel playback and 300ohm headphone amp for enhanced sound.
- Quality: Hi-fidelity sound with 116dB SNR for immersive audio.
- Compatibility: Supports Windows 11, full/half-height brackets.
- Processing: Advanced SBX Pro Studio audio technologies included.
- Surround: Converts PC to 5.1 cinematic entertainment system.
- Surround: Supports 5.1 speakers with Dolby Digital Live/DTS Connect for theatrical-grade audio.
- Headphone: Custom Xamp Bi-Amp powers each earcup separately with 1Ω output.
- Fidelity: Supreme 127 Db Dnr, Hi-Res 32-Bit/384 Khz Playback with ESS Sabre-Class 9018.
- Control: Xonar Audio Center enables full audio control via an intuitive interface.
- Clarity: Realtek ALC1220X codec delivers a 116dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
- Quality: 5.1 channel, 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Res audio with 300ohm amp for immersive sound.
- Amp: Custom-designed Xamp discrete headphone amplifier for powerful audio output.
- Quality: SABRE32 ultra-class PCI-e DAC for up to 32-bit / 384 kHz playback.
- Support: Supports Dolby Digital Live and DTS Encoding for cinematic sound delivery.
- Quality: 16-bit signal editing, supports 32/64-bit audio processing, recording, and playback.
- Audio: Transforms PC into a 5.1 3D stereo cinematic entertainment system.
- Compatibility: Fits PCIe slot, ideal for PC desktops with 2U low profile brackets.
- Multi-Speaker: Supports output to 4/6 speakers.
- Customization: Customize audio with EAX audio technology.
- Fidelity: Rivals movie theaters with 46-channel digital sound.
- Connectivity: Check for independent input sources and multi-channel sound outputs.
- Fidelity: Look for a card with high SNR and 24-bit 192 kHz processing.
- Compatibility: Ensure the sound card fits your PC case dimensions and slots.
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- Read the definitive sound card buying guide
- View the sound card picks and see how they rank in the top list
sound card buying guide
Do you want to buy a good sound card? This is all you need to know.
A short explanation: What are sound cards?
A sound card, also called audio card, is an internal expansion card that provides the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under the control of computer programs. If you want to listen to music using your computer’s speakers or headphones, you need a sound card to produce the audio signals. Additionally, microphones or external audio devices like synths or controllers need to be connected to the sound card for recording. So basically, all integrated or external computers require a good sound card.
What are the benefits of good sound cards?
Most computers and laptops already have a sound card built in, so you only need to buy a new one if you require higher quality sound. For example, if you are a audiophile that demands the highest quality sound from their computer, then a sound card is s great investment. Not only does a sound card provide high quality audio, but it can is necessary to use to record audio from your computer. Video game streamers often require sound cards to record audio from the game and their microphone.
How to choose the best sound card in 2024?
As it’s a complex piece of hardware, finding the best sound card isn’t always easy. There are so many technical specifications to consider that it’s quite difficult to narrow it down. However, knowing what to look for can make the process much easier. To find a great soundcard be sure to consider some of the following:
- Connectivity: Sound cards connect to a motherboard in a computer tower. The expansion slot used will determine the connectivity of the sound card, which will be either PCI or PCI-E. Be sure to check your motherboard to confirm the right connectivity, with PCI-E being the standard option on most new motherboards.
- Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC): The ADC quality of a sound card is vital if you plan on recording audio. Look at the maximum bit-depth and sample rate for the ADC, with a higher rate resulting in better-quality sound, i.e. 24-bit, 96kHz is superior to 16-bit, 48 kHz. Also, consider whether you need balanced inputs for any recording equipment you have. This requires a higher-quality sound card.
- Digital-to-Analog Conversion (DAC): The better DAC a sound card has, the crisper, and clearer output audio it provides. Much like with ADC, check the sample rate and bit depth of the sound card’s output audio.
Which types of sound cards are available to buy in Australia?
There are quite a few options to choose from when looking for a new sound card. While some are outdated, others offer different features so may be worth investing in.
- AC’97 Sound Card: The AC’97 sound card is quite outdated but can still be found on the used market. It’s a standard PCI sound card which offers the most basic audio inputs and outputs. This is still a worthwhile sound card if you are just looking for the standard features.
- HD Audio Sound Card: High-definition audio sound cards were first introduced in 2004 and quickly became standard across nearly all devices, including laptops, tablets, and most desktop computers. Unless your computer is over a decade old, it is unlikely that it will be compatible, but it’s worth checking regardless.
- Surround Sound Card: While not necessary, as most modern sound cards support surround sound, there are some cheap options that offer an easy way to install 5.1 or 7.1 audio outputs. This allows for far better surround sound for audio and video media, so is worthwhile sound card for any audiophiles.