[alsa-devel] [Alsa-user] looking for advice on buying a card

[Dmitri Seletski]

Hi Gary.

Well, thank you for the idea, but i somehow not comfortable with it.

I have to buy this thing, even if it's inexpensive, i will have to pay
good amount of money for delivery. I am looking around 20 euro, not
counting price for device itself. Than again, i have to buy new card and
pay for delivery  there. To make things worse, none xfi sound cards are
no longer produced by creative labs and i really don't like idea of
second hand sound cards(even though  you have to be very skillful to
break one of those).

So it simply makes sense to pay a bit extra(i was loosing those money
with that pcie to pci extentsion and its delivery anyway) but to get
that card I was referring before, Asus Xonar DX
I know it's supported by alsa, because of this:
http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Asus
I am just double checking, since this specific card is really promising
one and i really feel like buying one.
But again, i am opened for other options.

Thanks a lot for your thoughts. I have kinda got used to USB cards by
now myself and all those troubles they cause :)

gary wrote:
> Having spent an ungodly obscene amount of time trying to get two
> different USB audio cards to work in 64 bit opensuse, I suggest not
> trying to be a pioneer. I solved my need for multiple sound cards
> (exceeding the number of PCI slots I have) by using a PCI bridge.
>
> For one soundcard, you can try thing:
> http://www.siig.com/ViewProduct.aspx?pn=JJ-000111-S1
> It doesn't list linux in support unfortunately. However, the latest
> linux kernal might recognize the card. Then pick a soundcard from the
> list of supported devices.
>
> For my particular situation, I bought a Magma PCI expander on ebay. I
> plugged it in and it worked with the soundcards I had on hand (Diamond
> 5.1 using C-Media chipset). With the shipping, it worked out to be
> about $39 a PCI slot. [My time, about 10 minutes, not counting
> searching ebay.] Thus the price for the SIIG seems reasonable if you
> only need to run one card. However, I can't vouch it will work. The
> Magma boxes do work, but are obscenely expensive new and bulky.
>
>
>
> Dmitri Seletski wrote:
>> Hello Guys
>> I am thinking to buy pci express sound card. Nothing fancy, just
>> something with dolby surround 7.1 and decent sound quality, rather
>> inexpensive, i am not audiophile.
>>
>> I have noticed that there are not that many sound cards out there which
>> have descent support in Linux(unlike many forums claim). I have had
>> MAJOR problems with pci xfi card from creative labs(fatality gamers
>> edition), my buddy still has a lot of problem with it, like major issues
>> with input. No mic - no skype or other voip, you know yourself...
>>
>> I have found source of asus xonar dx(namely ebay), it is not that
>> expensive compared to many other pci express cards out there, still is
>> expensive enough, from alsa matrix it appears to be quite descent.
>> Question is, is it worth buying? Is it painful to get it
>> running?(probably nothing unusual, matter of loading module), does it
>> work fully(does microphone work, does surround sound 7.1 work?)?
>>  Is there something better for similar money?(EUR 73 or £65 or $97)
>> Please do not propose incompletely supported cards(while i wouldn't mind
>> submitting issues to mail lists if i come across bugs, i wouldn't want
>> product that doesn't work)
>>
>> I appreciate any comments.
>>
>> Thank you in advance.
>> Dmitri
>>
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