cheap sound cards

[jepeters]

Any suggestions on a REAL cheap sound card ($15-$25)? The only requirement is that they need to be amplified -- we can't used powered speakers. The only reason we need sound on these computers is for an elementary keyboarding program in a school--so leading-edge technology is not needed. I've been checking the auctions, but they often don't say whether or not they are amplified. I've wasted enough money on cheap, non-amplified cards.

Is the Creative Labs Ensoniq PCI amplified? What about the CL PCI 128?

[archie]

Some sound cards have line out and speaker out ... some have only one but a jumper can be set to make it one or the other ... theoretically, the line out would provide a cleaner signal.

[WJWheels]

Most *local* computer shops stock cards in the $10 range.. usually ess or yamaha. You might want to check around locally.

[Omletteboy]

Yamaha pci sound are definitely cheap and they get the job done..

[glc]

The CL Ensoniqs are decent cheap cards. ESS is junk. Yamahas are OK.

[Dr_Szaeus]

I had a CL Ensoniq and it was alright, but i found that it could only play one set of sounds at a time, so if you were playing MP3s, you wouldnt be able to hear any other system sounds and stuff like that. Being the cheap-ass I am, i went out and got an A-Open AW320 and it works great, and has a good chipset in it, plus it was only like $40 canadian, which is like $2 american, right? lol

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