What's a good PCMCIA sound card for my T41p?

[Chatbox]

Looking for a better sound card for my lappy than the built-in one. Any suggestion? I'll mostly be listening to MP3s and/or movies with E4C and/or ATH PRO-700.

[brainpicker]

I used to have a Soundblaster Audigy 2 PC Card and it was very good, but like everything else I buy I used it for a while and got tired of playing with all the settings endlessly so I sold it to a friend who wanted it. They run about $100 or so. I'd buy another. Here it is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Custratin ... 6829102183

Yak

[smugiri]

Depends on how serious you are:

If you have play money
Creative Audigy 2 PCMCIA

If you have money
Echo Indigo io 2-Channel Record/Playback Card

If you have serious money
E-MU 1616M Master Laptop CardBus Digital Audio System


I am actually thinking of getting the last one for some sound related projects that I am interested in but at $700, its no joke. The other option that is to get two of the Echo Indigo ( since the project needs 4 channels ) The prices do not drop much for used cards either, they typically only discount about $100 on the E-MU at the most on secondhand trade sites like eBay or craigslist. It will be interesting to have a sound card worth more than my laptop in a couple of years. The sound quality on these is simply stupendous though, I have lousy hearing and I loved the difference these made.

[davidspalding]

I understand that Turtle Beach is still making very nice sound cards. Back in the day, they were pioneering professional sound editing on PCs.

A quick Amazon search only brought up a USB sound device, but I seem to recall seeing a TB PC Card device recently.

[noetus]

If you're interested merely to upgrade your laptop for LISTENING to music (rather than listening AND recording), check out headroom's range of USB headphone amps:

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/

they go from $150 to $4,500, and will knock your socks off

(imagine paying double what you paid for the laptop originally for what is basically an upgraded soundcard! but my, what a soundcard)

Incidentally, USB amps are more highly recommended than PCMCIA amps because they amplify the sound OUTSIDE the electronic innards of the laptop, which generate noise on the analog circuit (after the DAC has done its work). If you want amazing sound quality for listening, one of these widgets is probably the way to go. For anyone who's interested, I've recently ordered the total bithead ($269, with USB input, two headphone outputs, and crossfeed), and can review it in this forum in a week or two, once it's burned in.

[smugiri]

Those products at headphone.com are very COOL and very SICK!!!!! $4000 for a headphone amp?SICK!!!