PCA Forums

I'm NOT a gamer. If I upgraded for Soundblaster Live 5.1 and Logitech Z 340s to Voyetra Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and Logitech Z 540s would I hear a noticable difference?

I think you'd notice a difference just upgrading your speakers. As for the soundcard, I have no idea. I've used creative all my life but my next card most likely will be something different. Just heard too many good things about other ones (like the cruz, acoustic edge, GTXP)

It really depends on the application. If you are looking for better sound quality a sound card upgrade won't help much. However, if you are looking for better sound processing such as EAX, surround sound effects, and multi-channel audio, then a new sound card will make a huge difference. The best way to get better sound quality from the Live 5.1 would be to connect it to better speakers.

The speakers are definitely winners. The 340s I have will be pushed down the line. Wife can have 'em, little grandson (not yet at the age where he'd care) will get hers, which sound just fine. I'm just now building him a machine of his own. What I'm leading up to is that I have to get him a sound card anyway as the mobo I'm using has no onboard sound. Wife and I both have Soundblaster Live 5.1 so I figured while I was buying one anyway I'd slip in another $25-30 and treat mysel to the Turtle Beach. Am I rationalizing?

The answer is yes. The better speakers you have, the more you can hear the difference.

The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz has good sound clarity and solid WinXP/Win2000 drivers {Philips take note). Unfortunately there are issues with the latest games due to its using an old Sensaura build.
Just know Turtle Beach Santa Cruz is nearing EOL with Turtle Beach leaving the soundcard market.
http://www.3dss-forums.com/cgi-bin/wwwt ... =14&fpart=

You many want to also consider the Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1 which is a good bang for buck card, with good games compatibility and a step below Santa Cruz. It uses a newer Sensaura build.