Does the audio card affect the quality of sound and music?

Question

Iron

Hello!
If yes, how strong?

Answer 1

It affects a number of objective parameters:
Also, different DACs - not the only ones, but the main components of the soundcard that affect the quality of the output - differ slightly from each other in the nature of the sound; for example, the clarity of the attack. Between high-quality DACs used in professional and semi-professional equipment (CS4398, AK4620, AD1853, etc.), the difference is purely homeopathic and noticeable only on a very high-class path, but any budget built-in realtek from them, as a rule, is possible on normal headphones to distinguish. But, again, not in any conditions, not on any material, and only with an understanding of what the difference is.
The question comes down to whether you understand well enough what it all means, and whether your technique and the quality of your recordings are enough to hear it all. In fact, if very rudedecomposing the influence of various parts of a conditionally good and conditionally bad audio path on the final perception, we get something like the following:
30% - the listener's awareness of the difference (understanding what needs to be heard);
25% - the ability to physically hear the difference (the presence of the required physiological capabilities and aspects of musical ear);
20% - the presence of a difference in material processing (equalizers, other post-processing, differences in volume) and the acoustic design of the room (if we are talking about listening through a speaker system) or background noise (if we are talking about headphones);
15% - the presence of a difference in the sound material (artifacts and distortions that are present in one recording and absent in another);
9.9% - the difference in the quality of speakers / headphones (and amplifier, if we are talking about headphones or passive speakers);
0.099% - the difference in the quality of the DAC / operational amplifiers of the sound card;
0.001% - the difference in the quality of other components of the system.
I recommend that you approach the issue of sound quality sequentially, and in that order; Plus, it's usually the cheapest. To rush to buy an expensive soundcard and speakers and listen to MP3s with poor mastering and bass twisted on the equalizer, sitting in a rectangular room with a bunch of flat surfaces and a window overlooking the roadway - what to throw money away.

Answer 2

Affects. Personally, I can’t distinguish the built-in laptop from the normal external one in the Koss UR40 tubs, but I hear the difference in the studio ones.
Phones often have an even worse audio card. They often cannot drive high-impedance headphones at all.

Answer 3

Influences a lot.
Another question is whether it will be possible to feel the difference with the current headphones / speakers, software and recording quality.

Answer 4

Of course it doesn't matter, what do you mean! Now think about how it can not affect. After that - about your question, the answer to which you could get yourself.

Answer 5

https://yadi.sk/i/wTPspmxLmR3ZV
typical realtek