My computer, bought a little less than 2 years ago, had integrated sound. Good for keeping the prices down, but not so good for sound quality and CPU utilization. It also seemed that the sound would get stuck once in a while.

I decided to upgrade the sound subsystem by installing a separate sound card. I don’t have a need for a 5.1 setup, since I value the space, have decent Altec stereo computer speakers and mostly listen to the music and watch movies using my DVD player, Panasonic SA-HE70K receiver and Athena Point Five speakers.

I purchased the Creative Sound Blaster 16 PCI. The card has a detailed multi-lingual setup instructions, comes with more software I need and has all the inputs/outs I require.

Connectivity

The card has a MIDI/joystick port, 4 color-coded mini-jacks (line out for amplified speakers, headphone out, microphone in and line in) as well as 3 internal connectors (modem, CD-ROM and AUX). I use the CD-ROM connector for connecting my DVD-ROM’s analog audio out and the AUX for CD-RW drive (one cable is supplied with the card). The speakers are connected to the line out.

Installation

It is worth mentioning that the card is a PCI design and seems to have very low CPU utilization. The installation and software installation were easy. I did not install anything other than the drivers and MIDI samples. I already have all the playback software I need. In case you wonder, the card comes with variety of software, including software to mix and record sounds from the card’s inputs.

Sound

The card’s sound quality is noticeably better than my integrated sound’s. Especially it is noticeable in the treble area. It is worth mentioning that the card tends to overemphasize treble a little. But the treble is sharp and the frequency response seems to be quite good.

Conclusion

The Creative Sound Blaster 16 PCI is a very good replacement for integrated sound. It is a good basic stereo card with good sound quality, connectivity and software.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 25