Sound Cards

[Jakemaster]

I dont get it, whats the difference in the really expensive ones and the 15 dollar ones?

Im looking into getting some speakers and a new sound card for them.  These are the speakers I am gonna get:
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3884097?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

And all I want with a sound card is one that can support those speakes and allow me to set program stuff (as in teamspeak through a headset and the sim through the speakers)

Theres some sound cards for really cheap like this one http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3484263?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I dont get it!  I get all the other PC compnents, but what makes a good sound card?  Any suggestions for a sound card (money not an option, gonna get it when I get my Bday money in July)

[Brett_Henderson]

I'm not a sound card (or hardware) expert, but I've learned this much; If you aren't into serious audio stuff (editing or the kind of listening that to ME.. you'd use a real stereo for), on-board sound is more than good enough.

From the looks of those speakers..  they'd use the regular audio out and they'd do the cross-over stuff (send both left and right bass to the sub-woofer) themselves.

As far as headsets and speakers ?  I'm not sure. I'd imagine there is a card out there with multiple/assignable outputs. What I did was just use a "Y" splitter... leave'em both plugged in.. turn the volume all the way down on what I'm not using.. In other words.. If I'm gonna game with a head-set.. I just turn the speakers off and turn up the volume on the already plugged in head-set.

[Jakemaster]

Well what I want is to be able to control what programs come through what.  I know that others have don it, and ive tried on my computer but cant figure out anyway to do it

[Brett_Henderson]

I suppose you could do that with 2 sound cards.. Just assign either card (audio device) from each program...

But if you have the headset plugged into one card only.. the only way to use the head-set is through programs that have been assigned to that audio device. If you ever wanna switch things around (like use a head-set for FS one day and speakers the next), it'd be a hassel.. It's like that would create a problem for the problem it solved.

[JBaymore]

Jake,

For splitting off Teamspeak from the general sim sounds I would guess that a "cheapo" sound card would do the trick.  Teamspeak is not exactly "rich audio".  

I know that I have heard that splitting Teamspeak off onto a seond audio card is easy to do......although in my case Teamspeak is running on a separate computer with some other flight gauges.

best,

.....john