creative labs refurbished sound cards- now need general sound card help

[CaseyRyback]

I was just wondering if I should be weary of buying a refurb sound card. Creative sells them on eBay for way less than retail and since I really need one and don't want to spend a ton I figured it could be the way to go.

My sound system is not going to push the card (Logitech x530) and I am mainly buying a new card to get it to work and to get my microphone to work perfectly.

Thanks in advance for reading this

[SOSTrooper]

You planning to buy the Live or Audigy? Just curious. I see that the Live value cards are going for $10 shipped. I'd go for it if I need something temporary to hold me up. But know that a new one won't cost you much more, you can easily buy an OEM Live card for like $15-$20. A new Audigy on the other hand, are around $60 nowadays. So if you can get one half the price from their ebay refurb listing, that won't be too bad at all.

[Vinny]

What's to worry about.. Creative makes the best damn sound cards. I have an old ass SoundBlaster Live Value- their cheapest card back from 2000. It is one of the two original equipment on my PC that has NEVER given me any problems (the other being my 64MB of RAM).

If it's factory refurbished, there's no problem. It'll be just like new even if it doesn't look like the higher price one you see at BestBuy.

Nice TSX SOSTrooper, they're great cars. My brother got a 05 recently. Is your's a 04?:)

[CaseyRyback]

You planning to buy the Live or Audigy? Just curious. I see that the Live value cards are going for $10 shipped. I'd go for it if I need something temporary to hold me up. But know that a new one won't cost you much more, you can easily buy an OEM Live card for like $15-$20. A new Audigy on the other hand, are around $60 nowadays. So if you can get one half the price from their ebay refurb listing, that won't be too bad at all.

I thought about buying the audigy but am really ignorant when it comes to sound cards (specifically the 2nd one, 5.1 version). Mainly because it seemed like the cheaper creative cards lacked all the inputs I needed when I checked newegg (mainly need a pink one for my headset and I think a tan, green and black one)

I am not really an audiophile so all I really want is it to work. I only mentioned the refurb thing because it just seemed like I could get a card there for cheap that was of good quality and would still work if I did upgrade in the future but I am willing to go either way ATM (though I may just go cheap for now and wait for better sound systems to drop into my range)

[CaseyRyback]

What's to worry about.. Creative makes the best damn sound cards. I have an old ass SoundBlaster Live Value- their cheapest card back from 2000. It is one of the two original equipment on my PC that has NEVER given me any problems (the other being my 64MB of RAM).

If it's factory refurbished, there's no problem. It'll be just like new even if it doesn't look like the higher price one you see at BestBuy.

Nice TSX SOSTrooper, they're great cars. My brother got a 05 recently. Is your's a 04?:)

their warranty is really short (30 days).

If it was not for that, it probably would have been a no brainer

[Vinny]

I still wouldn't worry... I think Creative sound cards are extremely solid cards. The sound card is probably the last card that'll have problems in any computer system.

[CaseyRyback]

ok I have another question. I was wondering how I would go about plugging everything in to the card and if I would need a card with two headphone jacks.

basically my surround sound system has an orange, green and black plug and my headset has a red and black plug. Would an audigy 2 support both the hookup of my headset and surround sound at the same time ( I want to be able to hear people in my ear and hear the game solely through the speakers)

[supadupacheap]

ok I have another question. I was wondering how I would go about plugging everything in to the card and if I would need a card with two headphone jacks.

basically my surround sound system has an orange, green and black plug and my headset has a red and black plug. Would an audigy 2 support both the hookup of my headset and surround sound at the same time ( I want to be able to hear people in my ear and hear the game solely through the speakers)

How are you going to split that signal? I think the voice is carried on the same channel as the middle or the entire fronts. If so, the WHOLE front channels would come through the headset (speech and gamesounds) then youd have surrounds in the back (which youd barely hear as its low and you have phones on)

Ive never heard of anybody mixing headset and speakers well.

[SOSTrooper]

Yah unfortunately, at least for the Live cards, all the sounds go to either the speakers or the headset, unless you have a 3.5mm splitter like this (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=274-879), then you'll have simultaneous sound. It's not like the XBox Live or PS2 where the headset has only voices. I'm not sure about the audigy, I don't have one :)


Vinny: Yah its an 04', pushing 2 years and 43K miles.


Edit from another thread:* Ok I looked into the control panel's sound properties, it does seems like you can split the voice channel and the game's audio channel to 2 different output. I tried w/ the PS2 USB headset and I can select it as Voice playback (under Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Voice tab), then in the Audio tab you select the Audigy/Live/whatever sound card is for your Sound Playback. I didn't try it yet, but my friend says he got it to work for a few programs (such as Team Speak, Roger Wilco, and Ventrilo) and games. I'm not sure about the typical 3.5mm headsets, since they're pretty much using the same audio output device, which is the card itself.

[CaseyRyback]

Yah unfortunately, at least for the Live cards, all the sounds go to either the speakers or the headset, unless you have a 3.5mm splitter like this (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=274-879), then you'll have simultaneous sound. It's not like the XBox Live or PS2 where the headset has only voices. I'm not sure about the audigy, I don't have one :)


Vinny: Yah its an 04', pushing 2 years and 43K miles.


Edit from another thread:* Ok I looked into the control panel's sound properties, it does seems like you can split the voice channel and the game's audio channel to 2 different output. I tried w/ the PS2 USB headset and I can select it as Voice playback (under Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Voice tab), then in the Audio tab you select the Audigy/Live/whatever sound card is for your Sound Playback. I didn't try it yet, but my friend says he got it to work for a few programs (such as Team Speak, Roger Wilco, and Ventrilo) and games. I'm not sure about the typical 3.5mm headsets, since they're pretty much using the same audio output device, which is the card itself.

thanks. The main reason I want a sound card aside from surround sound is the BF2 clan is about to get a Team speak server and I wanted to be able to hear them clearly.

Thanks again

[BaZoOKajOe]

Hrm...I'm going to have to give that a try. I have a Audigy 2zs with some Logitech Speakers...I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work if I plug my headphones into my speaker control panel (which I normally do) so I'll probably have to get a splitter like SOS said & run it straight into the card.

Let me know if any of you guys get it working...I'll try & mess with it too...

[Butcher]

thanks. The main reason I want a sound card aside from surround sound is the BF2 clan is about to get a Team speak server and I wanted to be able to hear them clearly.

Thanks again

Easy, since you cannot split sound via the computer (yet), use a mp3 player, connect the wire as usual with the output sound piece connected to the mp3, the sound comes from the stereo you connect the other AUX parts to :D

[psiufoxx2]

Easy, since you cannot split sound via the computer (yet), use a mp3 player, connect the wire as usual with the output sound piece connected to the mp3, the sound comes from the stereo you connect the other AUX parts to :D

huh?