13 best sound cards
Usually sound cards are already integrated into the motherboard. But such devices are definitely not suitable for audiophiles, home studio owners, or just wanting to connect more than one speaker to a computer.
Especially for such people, we have compiled a rating of 13 models of the best sound cards, which will significantly improve the characteristics of computer audio.
Top Sound Card Ratings
| Nomination | a place | Name of product | price |
| Best Budget Sound Cards | 1 | Asus xonar dx | 5 137 ₽ |
| 2 | Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Rx | 4 080 ₽ | |
| 3 | Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 | 2 549 ₽ | |
| The best internal sound cards in terms of "price-quality" | 1 | Asus Xonar Essence STX II | 14 830 ₽ |
| 2 | Creative Sound Blaster Z | 5 650 ₽ | |
| 3 | ESI MAYA44 | 9 599 ₽ | |
| 4 | Asus Xonar D2 / PM | 6 895 ₽ | |
| Best cheap external sound cards | 1 | Asus xonar u7 | 7 591 ₽ |
| 2 | Steinberg UR12 | 6 675 ₽ | |
| 3 | Creative X-Fi HD | 5 920 ₽ | |
| The best external premium sound cards | 1 | RME Fireface UCX | 93 028 ₽ |
| 2 | Creative Sound Blaster X7 | 27 680 ₽ | |
| 3 | Roland Mobile UA | 22 390 ₽ |
Best Budget Sound Cards
Asus xonar dx
Rating: 4.8
Why the first place: Suitable for the 7.1 audio system and has a good DAC.
For whom: Owners of media systems, home studios.
Description: This sound card is a good solution for both playing and recording music. It is equipped with a 24-bit DAC and ADC, which support decoding at 192 kHz. In addition, due to the well-developed placement of elements on the board, the sound card has a signal-to-noise ratio of 112 dB.
The output connectors of the board are four, two channels each. Peripheral equipment can also be connected via an optical interface. There is also a microphone input, which is also a two-channel. Additionally, the sound card supports the ASIO v. 2.0.
Virtues
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DAC and ADC of the same level;
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Differs in a transparent sound;
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Equalizer is configured via bundled software;
disadvantages
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To work with Windows 10, you need an unofficial driver;
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The amplifier will not cope with high impedance headphones;
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For adequate work, additional external power will be required;
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Rx
Rating: 4.7
Why second place: Lower SNR value than the leader of the rating.
For whom: Gamers and owners of home studios, since the device is equipped with two analog inputs.
Description: This sound card is designed for both playback and recording. For high-quality audio output, it is equipped with a 24-bit DAC with a maximum clock frequency when converting dual-channel audio to 192 kHz. For recording, it is equipped with two analog (two-channel) inputs and a separate SFC. In addition, the device has a discrete headphone amplifier that can "shake" even 600 ohm speakers. The design of the board provides a signal-to-noise ratio of 106 dB.
Separately, it is worth mentioning that it supports sound virtualization technology in EAX v.4 gameplay.
Virtues
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The possibility of detailed sound settings;
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Discrete headphone amplifier;
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Sound virtualization in computer games;
disadvantages
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Minor delays in the ASIO interface;
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No color differentiation of connectors;
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Difficult driver setup;
Asus Xonar HDAV1.3
Rating: 4.6
Why third place: Only two analog connectors for connecting peripheral equipment.
For whom: Owners of Hi-End speakers or headphones, people with a TV connected to a computer.
Description: This is one of the cheapest Hi-End sound cards. The branded 24-bit DAC of the 1796th model is capable of operating at a clock frequency of 192 kHz, even with multi-stream playback. The design of the sound card provides a signal-to-noise ratio of 120 dB.
The sound card is equipped with a special chip to enhance the digital sound via HDMI, but this requires communication with a compatible HDMI receiver. The sound card driver emulates EAX v.5 for surround sound in games.
Virtues
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Low price with high quality;
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Well distributes surround sound channels;
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Stable software;
disadvantages
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No discrete headphone amplifier;
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In some configurations, the driver does not change the discretization in automatic mode;
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It does not improve the digital signal via HDMI well enough;
The best internal sound cards in terms of "price-quality"
Asus Xonar Essence STX II
Rating: 4.9
Why the first place: Supports Windows 10, full sound 7.1.
For whom: For users of audio systems with amplifiers or Hi-End class headphones.
Description: This sound card is designed for beginners music lovers with equipment of middle or "top middle" class. Its design includes a 24-bit DAC and ADC, branded Muses amplifiers and Cirrus Logic chips for high-quality sound. Thanks to discretized wiring, the board provides a signal / noise ratio of 124 dB.
The design of the board includes four two-channel analog outputs with a 6.3-millimeter plug, one input and one coaxial port for digital equipment. It is recommended to use with external power supply on MOLEX.
Virtues
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Discrete amplifier for high impedance headphones;
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Convenient driver and setup software;
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Discretized wiring without aiming;
disadvantages
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A 6.5 mm jack is used to connect the equipment;
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Noticeably heated;
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Needs additional nutrition;
Creative Sound Blaster Z
Rating: 4.8
Why second place: Orientation is not on the hardware, but on proprietary technologies, and a smaller signal-to-noise ratio than the leader of the rating.
For whom: Users of medium and low-end equipment, home studio owners.
Description: In this sound card, the main emphasis is on proprietary sound technology. So, SBX Pro Studio is responsible for the bulk audio effects; CrystalVoice improves voice capture, including when communicating in audio chat rooms; Dolby and DTS create surround and "juicy" sound. To process the digital stream, a branded Sound Core3D 24-bit chip with a maximum stereo frequency of 192 kHz is used. The arrangement of elements on the board provides a signal-to-noise ratio of 116 dB.
The design of the card includes three analog outputs and one input, each - two-channel. Supports surround sound technology in EAX v.5 games.
Virtues
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There is a separate headphone amplifier, “swinging” high impedance models;
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Complete software adjusts all sound parameters;
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The package includes a directional noise-canceling microphone;
disadvantages
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Bright, eye-catching backlighting;
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The driver does not communicate with the rest of the software on the computer;
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Outdated Recoon3D chip;
ESI MAYA44
Rating: 4.8
Why third place: The card is designed to record sound, not playback.
For whom: Owners of home and semi-professional studios.
Description: This sound card is equipped with a high-performance 24-bit 96 kHz OCA that provides clean and detailed sound recording. To play using a separate 24-bit DAC at 192 kHz.Both chips due to discretized wiring on the board provide a signal-to-noise ratio of 108 dB and a similar dynamic range.
The chip for processing the input audio is equipped with phantom power support, which allows you to connect studio-class microphones to it. In addition, there is a balanced input channel.
Virtues
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Perfectly copes with writing instruments;
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Simple and intuitive control through complete software;
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Built-in instrumental preamp;
disadvantages
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Inadequate driver work with some operating systems;
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No separate MIDI port;
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No full XLR support;
Asus Xonar D2 / PM
Rating: 4.7
Why fourth place: No headphone amplifier - but cheaper than other models in the rating.
For whom: For owners of the Audio-CD collection and home users.
Description: This card is suitable for turning your home computer into a multimedia center. The device is equipped with a 24-bit DAC with a maximum multichannel clock frequency of 192 kHz. Supports technology Dolby and DTS, creating surround sound in movies and music.
Special discrete wiring creates a signal-to-noise ratio of 118 dB. Dolby effects for headphones and virtual speakers are supported. And ALT technology creates a legal copy of DRM-protected materials for digitizing CDs.
Virtues
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Clear, unimproved sound;
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Powerful embedded chips;
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Suitable for connecting 7.1 stereos;
disadvantages
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Limited software compatibility with modern OS;
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There is no automatic determination of the number of channels of the reproduced sound;
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Not very good for recording sound;
Best cheap external sound cards
Asus xonar u7
Rating: 4.8
Why first place: Support 7.1, Dolby and a discrete headphone amplifier.
For whom: For gamers and those who want to create a home media center.
Description: This card is suitable for creating a home media center based on a multimedia or gaming computer. It is equipped with a 24-bit Cirrus Logic DAC with a maximum clock frequency of 192 kHz and supports connecting 7.1 stereo systems. Also in its design includes a discrete headphone amplifier. The sound card supports Dolby technology (as amended by Home Theater v4) and is characterized by a signal / noise ratio of 114 dB.
Separately, the sound card is equipped with a sensitivity control for the connected microphone. There is also a special disc for adjusting the playback volume.
Virtues
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Convenient design with controls;
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Dolby technology support;
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Clear, transparent sound;
disadvantages
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Not very durable;
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For detailed configuration, it is recommended to use third-party drivers;
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It does not work well with alternative operating systems;
Steinberg UR12
Rating: 4.7
Why second place: Outputs - only unbalanced linear and for headphones. But this is a map and not for replay.
For whom: For musicians and home studio owners.
Description: Unlike the previous model in the rating, this sound card is designed exclusively for recording music. Of course, you can connect a stereo system through the line-out and headphones through a 3.5 mm jack, but using it for playback will be a waste of money.
Sound card is designed to record. To do this, it is equipped with a balanced microphone input with support for phantom power up to +48 V and a preamplifier. There is also an unbalanced HI-Z input for connecting an electric guitar.
Chip - 24-bit with a maximum clock frequency of 192 kHz.
Virtues
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Ideal for writing instruments;
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Good sound;
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Russified Cubase AI included;
disadvantages
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The phantom power switch is inconvenient;
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It makes noise at high heine;
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Few indicators;
Creative X-Fi HD
Rating: 4.6
Why third place: The lowest in the ranking of the clock frequency of the DAC / ADC.
For whom: For those who want to create a home media center and owners of vinyl players.
Description: This sound card is designed specifically for quick and easy deployment of a home media center. She, like other models from Creative Sound, supports spatial playback technology SBX Pro Studio, which provides realistic and high-quality sound. In addition, this sound card is equipped with an amplifier for headphones, thanks to which high-impedance models can be connected to it; and a phono stage to communicate with the turntable.
The built-in 24-bit D / A converter features a maximum clock frequency of 96 kHz, and the sound card design itself provides a signal-to-noise ratio of 114 dB.
Virtues
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Comfortable design;
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Supports optical connection (input and output);
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Easy connection;
disadvantages
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Unsuccessful software with poorly designed equalizer;
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No support for hi-res audio;
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Overpraye;
The best external premium sound cards
RME Fireface UCX
Rating: 4.9
Why first place: Sound card studio or even concert level.
For whom: For owners of semi-professional, professional studios, concert venues.
Description: Up to 36 channels can be connected to this audio interface simultaneously - 18 input and output channels. All of them support ASIO Direct Monitoring mode. Input channels can be recorded separately.
Installed 24-bit D / A converters operate at a clock frequency of 192 kHz (Hi-Res audio) and have a dynamic range of 114 dBA. The delay is fractions of milliseconds, which allows you to work in real time.
The sound card is equipped with two discrete preamps for microphone and instruments that provide phantom power. They use Micstasy technology for quality recording.
Virtues
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Upscale DAC and ADC;
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Expandable functionality due to complete software Total Mix;
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Stable work;
disadvantages
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Few physical controls;
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Difficulty in setting up for inexperienced producers;
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Inconvenient complete customization software;
Creative Sound Blaster X7
Rating: 4.8
Why second place: Compact and functional audio receiver, but with a lower DAC frequency than the rating leader.
For whom: For those who want to create a full-fledged media center at home.
Description: This is not exactly a sound card. It is rather a full-fledged audio receiver that can receive a signal not only from a computer, but also from mobile devices. A 24-bit DAC with a 192 kHz stereo conversion frequency (it drops for multi-channel audio) and a signal-to-noise ratio of 127 dB are responsible for converting the stream.
The audio receiver is equipped with two built-in 35-watt amplifiers and support for Dolby Digital technology. The device has two independent microphone connectors with preamps, so you can connect high-impedance models to it.
USB is used to communicate with the computer and power. The incoming signal can be received via both analog and optical digital interfaces.
Virtues
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Built-in amplifiers for speakers and headphones;
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Components level Hi-Fi;
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Work in the audio receiver mode;
disadvantages
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Unstable operation of Windows drivers;
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High frequencies are not clean enough;
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There is no full 7.1 and no DTS;
Roland Mobile UA
Rating: 4.8
Why third place: A minimum of connectors, but supercompact.
For whom: For home use.
Description: This is one of the smallest audio interfaces in the ranking. Unfortunately, due to its compact size, it has a small number of connectors. The input interface is USB only. But this sound card is equipped with a proprietary Hi-Res chip - 32-bit, with a maximum clock frequency of 352.8 kHz! Dynamic range is 115 dB.
It is also equipped with two output connectors. The first is for headphones, with a separate amplifier. The second is linear, to which you can connect another pair of headphones.
In addition, the audio interface supports ASIO, DSD technologies (including playback without conversion) and Core Audio.
Virtues
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Works at DAW;
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Ultra compact sizes;
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Natural, natural sound;
disadvantages
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Relatively high price;
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Weak amplifier for high-impedance studio-grade headphones;
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Few connectors;
Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.
