Sound Card Replacement

jeff1959

Member
I just wanted to share a computer problem and solution that I happened to discover. Suddenly, my desktop stopped making sound. I troubleshot and came to the conclusion that the sound card had failed. I discovered that there's a USB Sound Adapter. It's about 1"x1" and 1/2" deep. There's a usb plug on one end and 3.5 mm microphone and speaker jacks on the other. I plugged it into a spare usb slot, plugged the speakers into the jack and low and behold - sound!

It only cost $7.99 plus shipping from Amazon.
 
I had the same problem in the past on a laptop. The USB-sound box I got, cost a lot more than $8 bucks back then!

Recently, due to other non-Trainzing projects requiring better sound options, I put in my older SoundBlaster X-FI due to the CPU load causing buffering and stutters. With that said, I find my Trainz performance is better too because there is less system load overall because the audio processing is done off the motherboard. It's as if things have gone full circle in some ways.
 
I tend to prefer non-built in sound options anymore. Majority of all my computers (minus laptops) all have either a pci(-e) soundcard or a usb soundcard. The last HP computer i had a few years back had weird sound issues from time to time where sound became distorted, and i did record when it happened... twice!
 
I tend to prefer non-built in sound options anymore. Majority of all my computers (minus laptops) all have either a pci(-e) soundcard or a usb soundcard. The last HP computer i had a few years back had weird sound issues from time to time where sound became distorted, and i did record when it happened... twice!

I had that happen on desktop and this is one of the reasons why I switched to the discrete sound card. In addition to using my desktop for Trainz and general work, I also use the system as a Midi-controller to drive my Roland LX17 digital piano. The software requires an audio in to the piano in addition to a MIDI cable to get everything to work properly. https://www.modartt.com/home . Off and on, I got an awful buzz when the software initialized that made me think I was going to destroy the speaker inside the piano! Switching to the old Sound Blaster card solved that problem. Who knows what's causing the other to have a fit, but I no longer use the built-in sound.
 
It doesn't help when Microsoft update the drivers to the wrong one as they frequently do with Realtek, I have driver updates blocked and thus no issues with sound. All PCs are still on their original sound drivers at least until Microsoft breaks them with a future OS "improvement" which law of averages say is quite likely..

I always used Sound Blaster cards until the XFI problems, drivers were flaky in Windows and wouldn't work in Linux which is where I needed it, hooked up to a 8 track recording / mixing desk. No longer got it so builtin will do fine.

Just spent a few days trying to sort out by email a friends problems with an Audigy where Microshaft had shafted the drivers with a newer version when she upgraded to 2004, that wasn't for that card and when she switched to onboard Realtek that was screwed as well. both now sorted.
 
John, that sounds like it's getting a short burst of digital sound. When the TV stations shifted to digital broadcast, my wireless earphones suddenly had an annoying buzz in them. I fiddled around for a while until I added, of all things, a DSL filter at the audio input to the base unit of the phones. Cleared it right up. Even changing the TV from digital (DBS) sound to analog didn't help, but the filter did.

Bill
 
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