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Separately, we note that the full-sized USB sockets in modern PCs and laptops have been replaced by more compact USB C (see below).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

Brand of the audio chip installed in the sound card.

The audio chip is one of the most important parts of a sound card, a kind of "heart" of the whole circuit, and it is on its characteristics that the sound quality and other capabilities of a particular model largely depend. Knowing the brand of the chip, you can easily find various information on it — official specifications, test results, reviews, etc. — and based on this, draw a conclusion to what extent this sound card is able to meet your requirements. Of course, for ordinary video cards (see "View") there is no need to delve into such details, but when choosing a gaming or audiophile model, they can be very useful.

Sound card compatible with ASIO standard.

ASIO (an abbreviation for Audio Stream Input/Output, i.e. “audio stream input-output”) is a technology designed for professional work with sound in the Windows environment; in particular, it reduces latency and improves the accuracy of the audio stream. If you do not plan to seriously engage in recording, mixing tracks, etc., most likely you will not need this function, but for musicians, sound engineers and other similar professionals, it can be very useful. The ASIO standard provides both software and hardware requirements; therefore, to fully use it, you must have a compatible audio card.

Ability to work sound card with Mac computers.

Mac (Macintosh) in this case can be attributed to both the eponymous line of desktop computers manufactured by Apple and MacBook laptops. Both of them have certain hardware differences from "regular" PCs and laptops, in addition, they were originally created for Apple's own MacOS operating system. All this led to specific requirements for peripheral devices, including and sound cards — not all models are able to work normally with a Mac. Therefore, if you purchase a sound card for such a computer or laptop, you should make sure that Mac support is directly claimed for the selected model.

Note that Apple products have very limited possibilities for replacing internal peripherals by the user, and sound cards are not included in the list of replaceable components at all. Therefore, Mac-enabled models are usually referred to as external (see "Type").

The need to connect additional power to the sound card.

Most of both internal and external (see "Type") sound cards are powered directly through the connection connector (see "Connection interface"). At the same time, for normal operation of advanced models (for example, audiophile and gaming, as well as some DACs; see "View"), this power may not be enough, which requires an additional power source. In internal audio cards, it is carried out from the computer power supply, in external ones — directly from the 230 V network.

The bit depth of the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) of the sound card. In this case, DAC refers to a part of the circuit that converts digital sound data (machine code) into analogue pulses that are fed directly to an external device — speakers, headphones, etc. The bit depth is one of the main parameters (along with the sampling frequency) that describes the quality of the DAC: the higher it is, the more reliable the sound will be reproduced, the less distortion will be introduced into it during conversion.

16-bit DACs usually have entry-level sound cards — this is enough for good sound quality. In other cases, 24-bit converters are most common, and even for advanced models, in particular gaming ones (see "View"), they are almost mandatory.

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.

The dynamic range of a DAC is the ratio between the loudest sound that the converter can produce and the quietest. The wider the dynamic range — the richer the sound will be, the lower the likelihood that quiet sounds that complement the overall picture will be muffled during conversion. At the same time, it is worth noting that almost all modern sound cards provide a dynamic range that is quite sufficient for comfortable everyday use, and in many models this parameter may not be indicated at all. It is worth paying attention to it when choosing an advanced specialized audio card — for example, a gaming one (see "View"). The minimum for professional models is 90 dB, but in fact, among similar solutions, this figure is usually 120 dB or more.

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.