Comparison Creative Sound Blaster Play! 4 vs Creative Sound Blaster Play! 3

The main interface used to connect a sound card to a computer or other device.

Like the sound cards themselves, the interfaces used in them are divided into internal ( PCI, PCI-E USB, USB C, FireWire, Thunderbolt, 3.5 mm mini-jack, Bluetooth). Here is a more detailed description of each of these options:

— PCI-E. The main modern interface for connecting internal peripherals (including sound cards) to computer motherboards. Used in most internal type models (see above). The main advantage of solutions with PCI-E is that connectors for their connection can be found on almost any modern motherboard. True, these connectors may be needed for other components - a video card, a TV tuner, or even an SSD drive; however, even on the simplest motherboards, there are usually several PCI-E slots, so this point cannot be called a serious drawback.

— PCI. Interface for connecting expansion boards to the PC motherboard. It is the forerunner of PCI-E, has significantly lower bandwidth and more limited features, so is generally obsolete. Nevertheless, in our time, motherboards with such connectors and sound cards for the PCI interface (including quite advanced ones) continue to be produced. This is due to the fact that a relatively low bandwidth...is sufficient to work with sound; and installing an audio card in the PCI slot leaves PCI-E slots free, which may be required for components that are more demanding on connection speed. In any case, before buying such a sound card, it does not hurt to make sure that the "motherboard" has a connector for connecting it.

— USB. Connection via standard USB port. Until recently, this was the most popular interface for external peripherals, found in almost all PCs and laptops. It was under USB that most external sound cards were made. The disadvantage of this connection method is that USB connectors may be required for other devices, which creates problems with a small number of ports and an abundance of peripherals. On the other hand, such situations do not occur so often, and to solve them, it is enough to have a USB splitter (hub) on hand.

Separately, we note that the full-sized USB sockets in modern PCs and laptops have been replaced by more compact USB C (see below).

- USB C. Peripheral connector with a symmetrical contact group, which is often replaced by full-size USB ports on board modern PCs and laptops. Many new models of external sound cards are made for this interface. The exception to the rule are only individual instances for Thunderbolt (see below) - for them, it is Thunderbolt, and not USB C, that is indicated as a peripheral connection connector.

— Thunderbolt. A universal peripheral connector used primarily in Apple computers and laptops. It should be borne in mind that different generations of Thunderbolt differ in the type of physical connector: versions v1 and v2 use a miniDisplayPort socket, version v3 uses a USB C socket. So, when choosing a sound card with such a connection, you must definitely clarify this point. On the other hand, versions of Thunderbolt with different connectors are quite mutually compatible through the appropriate adapters.

— FireWire. It is also IEEE 1394. An interface for external devices, which some time ago enjoyed a certain popularity, but today it is practically obsolete.

- 3.5 mm (mini-jack). Mini-jack is one of the most common audio connectors. However, it is usually provided as one of the audio inputs (see below) and is rarely used as the main interface for connecting a sound card to an external device. Such a connection is found mainly in specialized gaming models, including those designed for use with consoles. At the same time, in such models, the mini-jack connector can be made combined, with the ability to connect both a linear (analog) signal via a conventional electrical wire, and an optical (digital) signal via a TOSLINK cable. Recall that the optical interface is notable for its complete insensitivity to external interference, it allows you to transmit multi-channel sound, however, cables for such a connection require care in handling.

— Bluetooth. Wireless connection according to the Bluetooth standard. It is found mainly in models designed for use with smartphones and tablets - there are few wired connectors in such gadgets, but Bluetooth modules are almost guaranteed. True, initially, with such a transmission, the sound is greatly compressed, which noticeably affects its quality; however, modern Bluetooth audio cards usually include support for aptX to remedy this shortcoming. Of course, the signal source must also support this technology - you should make sure of this before buying.

The highest sampling rate provided by the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) of the audio card. For more details on the role of the DAC, see paragraph "Bit depth" above. Here we note that the quality of its work directly depends on the sampling frequency: the higher it is, the less distortion occurs when converting sound.

Usually in sound cards there are standard values for the maximum sampling rate:

44.1 kHz — corresponds to the sound quality of Audio CD;
48 kHz — DVD;
96 kHz — DVD-Audio 5.1;
192 kHz — DVD-Audio 2.0 (two-channel audio has a higher sampling rate than multi-channel audio for a number of reasons), the highest value in modern consumer-grade sound cards.

Another specific point is that the quality of sound played on a computer cannot be higher than the capabilities of a sound card. In other words, if an audio file is recorded at a higher sampling rate than the audio card can provide, its sound quality will be reduced: for example, on a 44.1 kHz card, even DVD-Audio sound will sound like an Audio CD. Therefore, if you want to fully enjoy high-quality sound, you should choose a model with a high sampling rate.

This parameter determines the ratio of the "clean" sound produced by the DAC at the output to all extraneous noise. As such, it is a pretty strong indicator of sound purity. According to the signal-to-noise ratio, DACs in modern sound cards can be divided as follows:

up to 90 dB — initial level;
90-100 dB — average level, advanced "home" models;
more than 100 dB — professional level.

The highest sampling rate that the analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) of a sound card can provide when digitizing sound. Without going into details, we can say that the role of this parameter is almost completely similar to the bit depth described in the paragraph above. And its standard values, found in modern audio cards, correspond to the following sound quality indicators:

44.1 kHz — Audio CD;
48 kHz — DVD
96 kHz — DVD-Audio 5.1
192 kHz — DVD-Audio 2.0 (two-channel audio has a higher sampling rate than multi-channel audio for a number of reasons), the highest value in modern consumer-grade sound cards.

The number of inputs in the design of the sound card using 3.5 mm mini-Jack connectors. This connector, usually used to transmit an analogue signal, is one of the most popular in modern audio technology. Speaking of inputs, it's worth noting that most computer microphones are designed to plug into the 3.5mm jack; this also applies to separate microphone plugs on headsets. At the same time, the specific purpose of the mini-jack sockets in different sound cards may be different; Moreover, in some models, the same socket can be reconfigured and even change its purpose (from input to output and vice versa). These points, usually, are specified in the characteristics.

Using a simple adapter, you can also connect a 6.35 mm plug (Jack) to the 3.5 mm jack.