Had a Asus Xonar U7 USB sound card and Microlabs SOLO6c speakers delivered yesterday and try as I might I cannot see the justification in having the U7 as without it the sound from the speakers is pretty much the same, or it is to my ears so much so I intend to return the U7 for a refund. Is this just because of my 60 year old ears or is a sound card really not necessary these days?
I think that on-board sound is a lot better than it was a (fair) few years ago. I certainly wouldn't say that a sound card was a necessary extra unless it is serving a specific role other than just delivering sound to speakers (like with mine it has a built in headphone amp or perhaps you were using it for some complicated recording setup etc)
Onboard sound seems to have come quite a long way since the good (bad?) old days. I guess if you can't tell the difference between the sound with and without the sound card, it's a bit of a no-brainer to return the sound card
If and when I have to downsize my current setup (SP2500 amp is HUGE lol) I think I will almost certainly go for some Microlab speakers as they universally get very good reviews
Don't think you will be disappointed George. Though they are big again compared to my Logitech Z313's.
Have you tried playing with the software kronos ? I sometimes think the default settings seem a bit lacking in everything but mid range. I use it as source for a stereo amp and floorstanding speakers.
I did and to be honest was not impressed the software as there seem to be few settings in total. But perhaps I was expecting more, It was my first ever sound card after all. It has been suggested that I would likely have seen a benefit when using a headset. But I don't use them very often. Of course the slight tinnitus in my left ear might have had a bearing. At the end of the day I have better uses for the 65 quid.
