Sound Card for Window XP
Q: What is the best HTPC sound card for Windows XP?
A: The perfect HTPC sound card for Windows XP comes from Auzentech.
What should you look for in a great sound card for Windows XP? A visit to the Auzentech Sound Card Reviews and Awards section will reveal that many Home Theater PC (HTPC) enthusiasts have concluded that the best sound card for Windows XP comes from Auzentech. There are two HTPC sound cards for Windows XP that have been generating all the praise: the Auzentech X-Mystique and X-Plosion.
Basics
If you already have a home Audio Visual (AV) receiver, an Auzentech sound card for Windows XP will deliver a full digital bitstream to it. If you have an analog multi-channel speaker system, the Auzentech sound cards will send multi-channel surround sound directly to it.
HTPC enthusiasts have been developing the necessary software for HTPC systems for years. The idea is the same as the one popularized by Microsoft™ as a Media Center PC. The computer serves the same function as your DVD player, television tuner, Tivo™ (digital recorder), and audio source.
But to play a DVD encoded with DTS 7.1 channel surround sound, and to have a pure digital stream of audio to send to your surround sound receiver for lossless playback, your sound card has to support the technology. The solution came in the form of the X-Mystique and X-Plosion PCI sound cards for Windows XP.
Features
For comparison, the bit resolution on standard CD audio is 16 bits at 44.1 kHz. For the average listener, that's "good enough." DVD audio is better. Although it commonly defaults 24bits at 96kHz, the top resolution is a pristine 24bits at 192kHz. With the samples taken 192,000 times per second, this makes for extremely accurate audio recording and playback in comparison to CD audio.
The X-Mystique and X-Plosion soundcards handle DVD-quality audio up to 96kHz sampling, while the forthcoming X-Purity soundcard for Windows XP will handle up to 192 kHz.
Benefits
These are sound cards for Windows XP that provide such high resolution that 99 out of 100 people probably cannot tell the sound does not come from an analog source—except to say that it is clearer and lacks imperfections such as tape hiss.
The multiple channels provided by DDL (5.1 channels) and DTS (7.1 channels maximum) surround sound are important for realism. The sounds follow the actions in the movie or game, a must for any serious home theater PC enthusiasts when shopping for a sound card for Windows XP.
Moreover, these Windows XP sound cards will upsample from regular stereo sources, so that movies and games with normal stereo output have the same sense of realism as sources already encoded in multiple channels.
Next Steps
If you are looking to assemble a Home Theater PC yourself, or if you have a PC that needs a sound improvement, Auzentech sound cards for Windows XP come highly recommended. Reviewers repeatedly rank Auzentech sound cards for Windows XP as groundbreaking and industry changing. To get more information, visit the links below.
Related Links
Category: Soundcards. Date published: May 22, 06
