Sound Card Upgrade

[XtraNtnse]

I was wondering if I should stick with my Turtle Beach Santa Cruz card for a while or upgrade to something newer, such as the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro? Would it be worth it, and will the difference in sound quality be noticeable? I will be getting the Creative Labs GigaWorks S700 5.1 to go along with it, and was wondering if it would be a good combo. So far the cheapest prices I've been able to find (using pricewatch.com) for both is here:

Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=SC-0360PE

Creative Labs GigaWorks S700:
http://www.buyxtremegear.com/s700.html

Any suggestions or ideas are welcome. :gj

[nasrules]

I should think there'd be a definite noticeable difference between those two! Go for it...but do you need one that good?

I'm no good on 'puter speakers I'm afraid...my soundcard's only a Soundstorm but it then runs through my hi-fi amp and some floorstanders...bwahahaha!

[hawkburn]

Yeh.. well I have an mobo integrated Intel soundcard. The only thing remotely ok is my 2.1 Logitech speakers.

[XtraNtnse]

As far as me needing it, of course not! But other than work, and my computer..I have no life LOL

[g-smooth2k]

If you are gonna spend that amount of cash. Then have you considered looking at Klipsch Pro Media Speakers or Logitech's Speaker System.

The Logitech Z-680[/URL] is a good sound system that you can find it at New Egg (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-121-105&catalog=60&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0) & Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-11322&qp=0&oid=75525).

Another great speaker system is the Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 at both NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-119-106&catalog=60&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0) and Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-11322&qp=0&oid=85623)

Also the Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro is an excellent sound card found at New Egg (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=29-102-164&depa=0).

[XtraNtnse]

So far I haven't come across any negative reviews for the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 whatsoever. From what I read, it sounds like a kick ass system. It should really be a step up from my Logitech Z640's.

[qpmtime]

Get the driver upgrade for the Santa Cruz here: ftp://ftp.voyetra.com/pub/tbs/santacru/sc_4193.exe and stick with it. I have the Klipsch Promedia speakers and they sound great with the updated Santa Cruz

[XtraNtnse]

Well, I now have the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro and I must say I'm blown away by the amount of features it has,and the software it comes with. I especially like the Audio Stream Recorder, now I can rip music streams (though not at high quality, but it still sounds decent) Another thing I like about it is the external hub, which I have sitting directly on top of my cpu case (makes it look even cooler) Even though I have no inputs for it whatsoever I'm still gonna have it out on display.:;)

[ROCKAMANIAC]

I should think there'd be a definite noticeable difference between those two! Go for it...but do you need one that good?

I'm no good on 'puter speakers I'm afraid...my soundcard's only a Soundstorm but it then runs through my hi-fi amp and some floorstanders...bwahahaha!

This Guy Knows it all! so go for it :gj