entranceWhether sound. Can a sound wave kill? What is sound
We are figuring out whether to buy discrete or external sound cards. For Mac and Win platforms.
We often write about quality sound. In a portable wrapper, but the desktop interfaces are bypassed. Why?
Stationary home acoustics- item creepy holivars... Especially in cases where computers are used as a sound source.
Most PC users consider a discrete or external audio card pledge high-quality sound ... "Conscientious" is to blame marketing, persistently convincing us of the need to purchase an additional device.
What is used in the PC to output the audio stream
The built-in sound of modern motherboards and laptops far exceeds the auditory analysis capabilities of the average mentally healthy, tech-savvy listener. The platform does not matter.
Some motherboards have enough high-quality integrated sound... Moreover, they are based on the same funds as in budget fees. Improvement is achieved by separating the sound part from other elements, using a higher quality element base. 
Still, most boards use the same codec from Realtek. Desktop computers Apple is no exception. At least a decent part of them are equipped with Realtek A8xx.
This codec (a set of logic enclosed in a microcircuit) and its modifications are typical for almost all motherboards developed for Intel processors... Marketers call it Intel HD Audio.
Measurements of the quality of the Realtek audio path
The implementation of audio interfaces is highly dependent on the motherboard manufacturer. Quality examples show very good numbers. For example, the RMAA test for the audio path Gigabyte G33M-DS2R:
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB: +0.01, -0.09
Noise level, dB (A): -92.5
Dynamic range, dB (A): 91.8
Harmonic distortion,%: 0.0022
Intermodulation distortion + noise,%: 0.012
Interpenetration of channels, dB: -91.9
Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%: 0.0075
All the figures obtained deserve the ratings "Very good" and "Excellent". Not every external map can show such results.
Comparison test results
Unfortunately, the time and equipment do not allow you to spend your own comparative testing various built-in and external solutions.
Therefore, let's take what has already been done for us. In the vastness of the network, for example, you can find data on double internal resampling of the most popular discrete cards of the series Creative X-Fi... Since they relate to circuitry - let's leave the check on your shoulders.
And here are the materials published one large hardware project allow you to understand a lot. In the conducted testing of several systems from the built-in codec to 2 dollars before the audiophile decision in 2000, very interesting results were obtained.
It turned out that Realtek ALC889 shows not the most even frequency response, and gives a decent tone difference - 1.4 dB at 100 Hz. True, in reality this figure is not critical. 
And in some implementations (that is, motherboard models) it is completely absent - see the figure above. It can only be noticed when listening to one frequency. In musical composition, after correct setting equalizer, even an avid audiophile cannot tell the difference between a discrete card and an on-board solution.
Expert opinion
In all of our blind tests, we were unable to distinguish between 44.1 and 176.4 kHz or 16 and 24-bit recordings. Based on our experience, the 16 bit / 44.1 kHz ratio provides best quality sound that you can feel. The formats above just eat up space and money in vain.
Downsampling a track from 176.4 kHz to 44.1 kHz with a high quality resampler prevents loss of detail. If such a recording fell into your hands, change the frequency to 44.1 kHz and enjoy.
The main advantage of 24-bit over 16-bit is its higher dynamic range (144dB versus 98dB), but it doesn't really matter. Many modern tracks are fighting a loud battle in which dynamic range artificially reduced even in the production stage up to 8-10 bits.
My card sounds bad. What to do?
This is all very convincing. While working with hardware, I managed to test a lot of devices - desktop and portable. Despite this, as a home player, I use a computer with built-in chip Realtek.
What if the sound has artifacts and problems? Follow the instructions:
1) Turn off all effects in the control panel, put “line-out” on the green hole in “2 channels (stereo)” mode.
2) In the OS mixer, turn off all unnecessary inputs, the volume sliders - to the maximum. Make adjustments only with the control on the speaker / amplifier.
3) Install the correct player. For Windows - foobar2000.
4) In it we set “Kernel Streaming Output” (you need to download an additional plug-in), 24 bits, software resampling (via PPHS or SSRC) at 48 kHz. For output, we use WASAPI Output. Turn off the volume control.
Everything else is the work of your audio system (speakers or headphones). After all sound card, first of all - DAC.
What's the bottom line?
The reality is that, in the general case, a discrete card does not give a significant gain in the quality of music playback (this is at least). Its advantages are only in convenience, functionality, and, perhaps, stability.
Why do all publications still recommend expensive solutions? Simple psychology - people believe that to change the quality of work computer system need to buy something advanced, expensive... In fact, you need to apply your head to everything. And the result can be amazing.
Sounds belong to the phonetics section. The study of sounds is included in any school curriculum in the Russian language. Acquaintance with sounds and their basic characteristics occurs in the lower grades. A more detailed study of sounds with complex examples and nuances takes place in middle and high school. On this page are given only basic knowledge by the sounds of the Russian language in a compressed form. If you need to study the structure of the speech apparatus, tonality of sounds, articulation, acoustic components and other aspects beyond the scope of the modern school curriculum, refer to specialized manuals and textbooks on phonetics.
What is sound?
Sound, like a word and a sentence, is the basic unit of language. However, the sound does not express any meaning, but reflects the sound of the word. Thanks to this, we distinguish words from each other. Words differ in the number of sounds (port - sport, crow - funnel), a set of sounds (lemon - estuary, cat - mouse), a sequence of sounds (nose - sleep, bush - knock) up to a complete mismatch of sounds (boat - boat, forest - park).
What sounds are there?
In Russian, sounds are divided into vowels and consonants. In Russian, there are 33 letters and 42 sounds: 6 vowels, 36 consonants, 2 letters (b, b) do not denote a sound. The discrepancy in the number of letters and sounds (not counting b and b) is caused by the fact that there are 6 sounds for 10 vowels, and 36 sounds for 21 consonants (if all combinations of consonant sounds are voiceless / voiced, soft / hard). In writing, the sound is indicated in square brackets.
There are no sounds: [e], [e], [y], [i], [b], [b], [g '], [sh'], [c '], [y], [h] , [SCH].
Scheme 1. Letters and sounds of the Russian language.
How are sounds pronounced?
We make sounds when we breathe out (only in the case of the interjection "ah-ah", which expresses fear, the sound is pronounced when inhaling.). The division of sounds into vowels and consonants is related to how a person pronounces them. Vowel sounds are pronounced by the voice due to exhaled air passing through tense vocal cords and freely leaving through the mouth. Consonant sounds consist of noise or a combination of voice and noise due to the fact that the exhaled air encounters an obstacle in its path in the form of a bow or teeth. Vowel sounds are pronounced loudly, consonants are muffled. A person is able to sing vowel sounds with a voice (exhaled air), raising or lowering the timbre. You won't be able to sing consonants, they are pronounced equally muffled. Hard and soft marks do not denote sounds. They cannot be pronounced as an independent sound. When pronouncing a word, they influence the consonant in front of them, make it soft or hard.
Word transcription
Word transcription is a recording of sounds in a word, that is, in fact, a recording of how the word is pronounced correctly. Sounds are enclosed in square brackets. Compare: a - letter, [a] - sound. The softness of consonants is indicated by an apostrophe: п - letter, [п] - hard sound, [п '] - soft sound. Voiced and voiceless consonants are not indicated in the letter in any way. The transcription of a word is written in square brackets. Examples: door → [dv'er '], thorn → [kal'uch'ka]. Sometimes the stress is indicated in the transcription - with an apostrophe in front of a vowel stressed sound.
There is no clear juxtaposition of letters and sounds. In Russian, there are many cases of substitution of vowel sounds depending on the place of stress of a word, substitution of consonants or loss of consonants in certain combinations. When composing a transcription, words take into account the rules of phonetics.
Color scheme
In phonetic parsing, words are sometimes drawn with color schemes: letters are painted in different colors depending on what sound they mean. Colors reflect the phonetic characteristics of sounds and help you to visually see how a word is pronounced and what sounds it consists of.
All vowels (stressed and unstressed) are marked with a red background. The iotated vowels are marked with green and red: green means a soft consonant sound [th ’], red means the next vowel. Consonants with solid sounds are colored blue. Consonants with soft sounds are colored green. Soft and hard marks are painted gray or not painted at all.
Legend:
- vowel, - iotated, - hard consonant, - soft consonant, - soft or hard consonant.
Note. The blue-green color is not used in phonetic parsing schemes, since a consonant sound cannot be soft and hard at the same time. The blue-green color in the table above is used only to demonstrate that the sound can be either soft or hard.
Sound waves are areas of high and low pressure that are perceived by our auditory organs. These waves can pass through solid, liquid and gaseous media. This means that they easily pass through the human body. In theory, if the pressure of the sound wave is too high, it can kill a person.
Any sound wave has its own specific frequency. The human ear can hear sound waves with a frequency of 20 to 20,000 Hz. The sound intensity level can be expressed in dB (decibels). For example, the sound intensity level of a jackhammer is 120 dB - a person standing next to him will not get the most pleasant sensations from a terrible rumble in his ears. But if we sit in front of a speaker playing at 19 Hz and set the sound intensity to 120 dB, then we will not hear anything. But sound waves and vibrations will all affect us. And after a while, you will begin to experience various visions and see phantoms. The thing is that 19 Hz is the resonant frequency for our eyeball.
It is interesting: that exactly 19 Hz is the resonant frequency for our eyeball, scientists learned under rather interesting circumstances. American astronauts, while ascending into orbit, complained of intermittent visions. Detailed studies of the phenomenon have shown that the frequency of the rocket's first stage engines coincides with the frequency of the human eyeball. With the required sound intensity, strange visions appear.
Sound with a frequency below 20 Hz is called infrasound. Infrasound can be extremely dangerous for living beings, since organs in humans and animals work with infrasonic frequencies. The superposition of certain infrasonic frequencies on top of each other with the required sound intensity will cause disruptions in the functioning of the heart, vision, nervous system or brain. For example, when rats are exposed to 8 Hz infrasound, 120 dB causes brain damage. [wiki]... When the intensity is increased to 180 dB and the frequency is maintained at 8 Hz, the person will not feel the best way- breathing will slow down and become intermittent. Prolonged exposure to such sound waves will cause death.
It is interesting: record for the loudest sound car system belongs to two engineers from Brazil - Richard Clarke and David Navone, who managed to install a subwoofer in the car with a theoretical sound volume of 180 dB. Needless to say, this system should not be used at full capacity?
During the tests, the subwoofer, driven by electric motors and a crankshaft, reached a sound intensity of 168 dB and broke. After this incident, it was decided not to repair the system.
Question: is it worth buying a sound card if the built-in sound systemYour question should be divided into two categories: software and hardware and sound quality itself.
there is optical drive... If transmission is via optics, there is a difference with
built-in zvukovuha, or from a separate, cool sound card?
1. Hardware and software part:
If we are not talking about the built-in software codecs of the AC97 and HDaudio standards, then a sound card in a PC is needed mainly for the implementation of numerous sound algorithms like EAX (by Creative for example), adding realism, volume, taking into account the characteristics of the visual environment in real time and correcting the corresponding im sound parameters. For example, you walk in some horror story along the corridor and the sound corresponds to the characteristics of reflection from concrete walls, literally walks and is tangible. Then go out into the big hall and here the reverb changes, the EQ characteristics are shifted, etc. etc. This is not as noticeable as the visuals, but in games with a quality soundtrack it adds a significant amount of drama. Specialized gaming audio cards process all these effects at the hardware level with chips such as EMU10K, EMU20K, etc., freeing the CPU from additional calculations of effects. If the game engine does not detect such a device in your PC, then it sets up a simplified scheme sound effects, which may or may not differ in actual parameters from EAX, or very much inferior to it. It is up to you to decide whether it is necessary, although you can output sound in games through the ZK, and music through an external USB DAC by switching in the dispatcher audio devices or directly in the software player (some have this option);
2. Sound quality. Modern top (and expensive) GAME sound cards (there is also a category of professional sound cards such as those produced by LYNX, M-AUDIO, etc.), in principle, sound at the cheap level on musical material external USB DACs. To some extent, they are saved by ASIO drivers, if there are any for your sound card model, which let the audio stream bypass the Windows software meat grinder (Asio4all is a software crutch that does not solve this problem). As for the sound output from the outdated optical interfaces SPDIF (Sonny Phillips interface), TOSLINK (Toshiba link), etc., their only advantage is the limitation and completeness of any options. How to describe it more correctly: "You can buy an advanced food processor with a bunch of lotions and adjustments for using which you need at least an understanding of the process, or you can load everything into one cup and press one button, where the knives will shred your vegetables into a certain guaranteed mass, but you can immediately forget about any neat "cubes", "straws". In fact, these interfaces are a condo connection option that guarantees that the digital stream reaches the DAC, and the amount of losses "along the way" will be minimized. This type of connection has been used for decades, all possible problems solved a long time ago and in general it is easier and cheaper to implement. With a DAC of an outdated design or in a DAC where the manufacturer has saved on a high-quality USB receiver, this type of connection sometimes shows the best result. But there is a very big BUT: the speed of these optical interfaces is very limited and there is no need to talk about any DSD or serious highrez (usually the speed is limited to 24 bit 48 kHz). USB connection has many possibilities for implementation, this is a topic for a large separate article, on a Windows PC it requires at least an understanding of the process and some user actions on software customization interface PC-USB DAC to provide the so-called. bit-for-bit transmission quality (some DACs even have a special indication of confirmation of the achievement of this transmission mode). It is not unimportant which USB receiver is installed in the DAC and the number of digital fragments "falling out" along the way depends on it. The trick is that it is the audio stream via USB that is transmitted in the outdated PCM format, in which there are absolutely no such advanced chips as data transfer by transaction, transmission of checksums of data packets, etc., and therefore in this case it makes sense as in high-quality USB receivers, as well as in high-quality cables, ways of implementing data transfer (for example, top motherboards have specialized USB outputs for connecting to external DACs, in which the +5 Volt power supply line is OFF, and the signal swing of logical zero and one is increased (in fact, zero and one in USB differ only in voltage)). As for the DAC microcircuits specifically, they should be the last thing you should pay attention to! It doesn't matter if your device has a cheap Wolfson WM8741 or a top-end microcircuit from Asahi Kasei, the implementation and environment, which characterize the final sound by 90%, are important first of all. When they write about cool DACs and that "cheap" A produces a pitiful signal-to-noise ratio of 107 dB, and an advanced DAC B produces as much as 120 dB, it becomes ridiculous, since in most digital masters everything that lies below 40 dB is simply castrated ! Those. there is no musical information at all in this area. Of course, this does not apply to high-quality hi-cuts made from analog media on high-quality hardware with straight hands, but you still need to look for such ones. Specifically, the Cambridge CXA80 is a decent device, sounding in the usual intelligent "British manner" (although this delusion and the so-called "British sound" are also many and very different), implying, in general understanding, timbre accuracy, as close as possible to the sound of the original, good spatial characteristics provided by high-quality circuitry, acceptable dynamic and rhythmic performance. Cambridge and Arcam are such generalists for "all time", which may not cause a storm of emotions with every phonogram, but they will deliver pleasure from listening. The USB DAC in this amplifier is built on the WM8740 chip, which 10-15 years ago was one of the most popular and received many good reviews(IMHO deserved) due to neutrality, lack of digital sharpness, besides, it is implemented in this amplifier at least humanly, and not as a poor relative who is only invited to a funeral. Those. in a setup based on this amp, it is quite suitable for connection and adequate to the level of the equipment. If you want more emotion and drive, less versatility - look at the Atoll 100SE. It has no DAC, no phono stage, no tone controls, but for the price it is one of the best sounding amplifiers on the market. You can look for YBA, which are also excellent devices. Again, there are worthy competitors in the face of the Rega Elex, Naim 5si (I would recommend Micromega, but the price for them now is just kind of sick for the whole head). In short, the choice is quite extensive. Of the "Japs", you can pay attention to a good Denon 1520.
There was a time when the question of the need for a sound card was not at all raised. If you need a computer sound a little better than the grunting of a speaker in the case, buy a sound card. If you don't need it, don't buy it. True, the cards were quite expensive, especially while they were being made for the prehistoric port of ISA.
With the transition to PCI, it became possible to shift some of the calculations to CPU and also use RAM for storing music samples (in ancient times, such a need was not only among professional musicians, but also among normal people, because the most popular music format on computers 20 years ago was MIDI). So soon sound cards entry level became much cheaper, and then built-in sound appeared in top motherboards. Bad, of course, but free. And this dealt a severe blow to the manufacturers of sound cards.
Today, built-in sound is found in absolutely all motherboards. And in expensive ones, it is even positioned as high-quality. That's right Hi-Fi. But in reality, unfortunately, this is far from the case. Last year I collected new computer where I put one of the most expensive and objectively the best motherboards. And, of course, they promised high-quality sound on discrete chips, and even with gold-plated connectors. They wrote so deliciously that they decided not to install a sound card, to get by with the built-in one. And he did. About a week. Then he disassembled the case, put the card down and didn't do any more nonsense.
Why is the embedded audio not very good?
First, there is the issue of price. A decent sound card costs 5-6 thousand rubles. And it's not about the greed of the manufacturers, it's just that the components are not cheap, and the requirements for build quality are high. A serious motherboard costs 15-20 thousand rubles. Is the manufacturer ready to add at least three thousand more to them? Will the user get scared not having time to evaluate the sound quality? Better not to risk it. And they do not risk it.
Secondly, for a really high-quality sound, without extraneous noise, interference and distortion, the components must be located at a known distance from each other. If you look at the sound card, you will see how unusually large it is on it. And on the motherboard it is barely enough, everything has to be put very tightly. And, alas, there is simply nowhere to do really well.
Twenty years ago, consumer sound cards cost more than any other computer and had memory slots (!) For storing music samples. In the photo, the dream of all computer scientists of the mid-nineties - Sound Blaster AWE 32.32 is not a bit depth, but the maximum number of simultaneously playable streams in MIDI
Therefore, integrated audio is always a compromise. I saw boards with a kind of built-in sound, which, in fact, hovered from above in the form of a separate platform connected to the “mother” only by a connector. And yes, that sounded good. But can such a sound be called integrated? Not sure.
For a reader who has not tried discrete sound solutions, the question may arise - what, in fact, means "good sound in a computer"?
1) He's corny louder... An amplifier is built into a sound card even at a budget level, which can “pump” even large speakers or high-impedance headphones. Many are surprised that the speakers stop wheezing and choking at maximum. This is also a "side" of a normal amplifier.
2) The frequencies complement each other, and do not mix, turning into a mess... A normal digital-to-analog converter (DAC) soundly “draws” the bass, middle and highs, allowing you to very accurately tune them using software to your own taste. When listening to music, you suddenly hear each instrument separately. And films will delight you with the effect of presence. In general, the impression is as if the speakers used to be covered with a thick blanket, and then they removed it.
3) The difference is felt especially clearly in games.... You will be surprised that the noise of the wind and dripping water does not drown out the quiet footsteps of opponents around the corner. That in headphones, not necessarily expensive, there is an understanding - who is moving from where and at what distance. This directly affects performance. To sneak up / drive up on the sly to you simply will not work.
What sound cards are there?
When this type of component began to interest only connoisseurs good sound, of which, unfortunately, there are very few, there are very few manufacturers left. There are only two - Asus and Creative. The latter is generally a mastodon of the market, who created it and set all the standards. Asus entered it relatively late, but it still does not leave it.
New models come out extremely rarely, and old ones are sold for a long time, for 5-6 years. The fact is that in terms of sound, nothing can be improved there without a radical increase in price. And few people are ready to pay for audiophile perversions in the computer. I would say no one is ready. The quality bar is already raised too high.
The first difference is the interface. There are cards that are only for stationary computers, and they are installed on the motherboard via the PCI-Express interface. Others are USB connected and can be used with both large computers and laptops. In the latter, by the way, the sound is disgusting in 90% of cases, and the upgrade will certainly not hurt him.
The second difference is the price. If we are talking about internal maps then for 2-2.5 thousand models are sold that are almost identical to the built-in sound. They are usually bought in cases when the connector on the motherboard died (a phenomenon, alas, common). An unpleasant feature cheap cards - low resistance to interference. If you put them close to the video card, background sounds will be very annoying.
The golden mean for embedded cards is 5-6 thousand rubles... It already has everything to please a normal person: anti-interference protection, high-quality components and flexible software.
Per 8-10 thousand the latest models are sold that can reproduce 32-bit audio in the 384 kHz range. This is right here top-top. If you know where to get files and games in this quality, be sure to buy :)
Even more expensive sound cards differ little in hardware from the already mentioned options, but they acquire an additional body kit - external modules for connecting devices, companion boards with outputs for professional sound recording, etc. It already depends on the real needs of the user. Personally, the body kit never came in handy, although it seemed to be needed in the store.
The price range of USB cards is about the same: from 2 thousand alternative to built-in sound, 5-7 thousand strong middle peasants, 8-10 high end and above that, everything is the same, but with a rich body kit.
Personally, I stop hearing the difference in the middle. Simply because cooler solutions require high-quality speakers with headphones, and, to be honest, I don't see much point in playing World of Tanks with headphones for a thousand dollars. Probably, each problem has its own solutions.
Several good options
Several sound cards and adapters that I tried and liked.
PCI-Express interface
Creative Sound Blaster Z... It has been on sale for 6 years already, in my different computers costs about the same, and is still very happy. The CS4398 DAC used in this product is old, but audiophiles have compared it to $ 500 CD players. The average price is 5500 rubles.
Asus Strix Soar... While Creative's product is shamelessly geared towards games, Asus has taken care of music lovers as well. The ESS SABER9006A DAC is comparable in sound to the CS4398, but Asus offers more fine tuning parameters for those who like to listen to "Pink Floyd" on a computer in HD quality. The price is comparable, about 5500 rubles.
USB interface
Asus Xonar U3- a small box, when inserted into a laptop port, translates the sound quality in it into new level... Despite its compact dimensions, there was even a place for a digital output. And the software is amazingly flexible. An interesting option to try is why a sound card is needed at all. The price is 2000 rubles.
Creative Sound BlasterX G5. A device the size of a pack of cigarettes (smoking is evil) is almost indistinguishable from the internal Sound Blaster Z in terms of characteristics, but you don't need to climb anywhere, just plug the plug into the USB port. And right away you will receive a seven-channel sound of impeccable quality, all sorts of gadgets for music and games, as well as built-in USB port in case they are not enough for you. The availability of space made it possible to add an additional headphone amplifier, and, once hearing it in action, it is difficult to get out of the habit. The main functions of the software are duplicated by hardware buttons. The price of the issue is 10 thousand rubles.
Play and listen to music with pleasure! There are not so many of them, these pleasures.