Legit Reviews

hi I am a Corp VP at AMD. I recently asked a question on twitter about audio. (You can find me on twitter as AMD_Roy)

I would like to hear your opinion as follows;

1. how much do you care about audio quality on a scale of 1-10.
2. how much are you willing to pay for audio on a scale of 1-10.

I cannot speak about planned products and this is not an official survey. I am just curious. As a gamer myself I would like more audio sources thru a headset but thats about it.

What do you guys think?
thanks

I know I'm the minority here but I loath gaming with headphones. I would say that audio doesn't matter but then again I've used my X-Fi in 2 or 3 builds now. The level of customization (not so much the sound quality) is why I stick with it. If Realtek/VIA/etc were to include this one little option (see pic) then I'd skip the soundcard and go with onboard.



To answer your questions:

1. how much do you care about audio quality on a scale of 1-10.

5, seems neutral. I'm no audiophile so the sound isn't that important. Customization is more important to me.

2. how much are you willing to pay for audio on a scale of 1-10.

Depends on what I need it for. The onboard audio is usually good enough. The onboard HDMI audio on VGA cards is more than good enough. If you are asking about soundcards I'm not going to spend on one like I did with my X-Fi or previously Audigy. The onboard codecs are quickly making dedicated soundcards obsolete. If you are asking about speakers/headsets then it depends on the quality.

Hope that helps.

hi, very helpful indeed. Thank you for taking the time. cheers

1. how much do you care about audio quality on a scale of 1-10.
I'm not an audiophile, and do want quality audio, but i'm not worried about it being 100% accurate. I want to be able to tell where the sound is coming from in a 5.1 or better setup. It needs to be clear so minor sounds can be heard. Also, as Major_A said, I want customization, volume levels of individual speakers, bass, treble. I'd go probably a 5 or 6 on importance.

2. how much are you willing to pay for audio on a scale of 1-10.
I've been using on-board audio for a while now, I find that it's sufficient for what I want providing I have decent speakers. Since I don't use an add-in card, I don't really pay much attention to it. Should the time come that the sound on a motherboard doesn't sound right, I'd probably replace the motherboard as the other components might not be up to par anyways. So I'd go low on whether I'd pay for audio, 3 - 4 maybe.

I'm finding that if you get a quality motherboard, the onboard sound does a great job. For me, it's more about the speakers and/or headphones. Thus the reason I have a set of Logitech 5.1 THX speakers I got on sale MANY years ago...

It doesnt bother me if the audio is perfect or not.

Most people do not realize that the speakers/headphones they use are still one of the most important, if not THE most important, aspect of a sound setup. You can have a $5000 audio card but paired with a 2.0/2.1 sound system you bought 10 years ago at a garage sale just wont cut it. Heck, I still use a set of Altec Lansing ADA-305 speakers I got YEARS ago.

I would love to see something of a combination package with an audio card/chip and a set of speakers/headphones that are actually paired to work and sound the best with said card/chip. Dont throw out a high end sound card/chip and then let the user decide on speakers/headphones as 9 out of 10 times they will go cheap and screw the whole experience up and in turn, give bad ratings for something that is entirely their fault.

so for your numbers (numbers are so 1980's. It is hard to put a number to something when that number depends on other aspects, like speakers)

1. 5
2. 2

There are the pretty numbers for you

I use desktops for recording music,so obviously audio ranks high in my needs. I have a Biostar Z77 hifi for my next build, and the included software is noteworthy: There is a microphone used with a wizard program that you place in your listening area with your current speaker setup. Th wizardry them makes micro-adjustments to the timing and phase of the speakers to correct your space into an optimal sweet spot. Are fat isolated capacitors and this kind of automation to your setup worth the extra $40. I think so. What would I be willing to pay even more for? A main board with a front I/O with 1/4 inch jacks would be awesome on a stock board. Want to go elite? Front I/O with both the 1/4 inch jacks and mic pre-amps with phantom power. If this front I/O wasn't part of a main board, it would make awesome use of a PCIe slot. I'm not sure about price points but I feel there is a strong niche here.

numbers 10 7
Hope this helps?

care about audio 9/10

wanna pay for it 7/8

I definitely care, but I'm probably in the minority not sure. Nowdays we see much better onboard with the common amplified realtek 1150 chip on many boards, which basically negates the need for most aftermarket sound solutions (as far as gamers go). That said, I think audio -- really good audio not only allows you to play the game with good sound but puts you directly IN the game. Of course, your equipment would need to be decent to have good output as well. Seeing a statement that gaming with headphones is "loathed" - well that makes no sense really because many of us game at night, and we also live in places where you cannot use speakers to game during the late hours, and most dedicated gamers do use headphones. Good clean hard hitting accurate punchy sound is something gamers desire in my opinion.

I wish I didn't have to buy a $160 audiocard for my rig because it would be included (for a lesser premium) on the MOBO. Those that use their setups as multimedia centres, watching movies and listening to music would also appreciate it I think.
Audio for me on the scale 1-10: 10