Linux Audio Comparison

When it came to the Linux audio performance, the Creative Labs Audigy 2 line-up with both the vanilla and ZS parts faired the best overall. In addition to its needing CPU resources, which resulted in marginally more frames per second in our tests, the Creative Sound Blaster lineup is unique with ALSA and Linux for its hardware mixing abilities as well as its other benefits for audiophiles. The VIA Envy 24PT-based Chaintech AV-710 had too performed quite nicely in the Unreal Tournament 2004 tests, however, listening to the audio there were a few peculiar distortions under Linux. With our subjective testing, we had listened to various genres of music (FLAC format) with each of the sound cards on the previously mentioned system. The sound cards were connected to Icemat Siberia headphones as well as Altec Lansing MX5021 THX-certified speakers. The only sound card to possess any noticeable distortions within Linux was the AV-710, while of course there was a noticeable difference in audio quality between the Aureal Semiconductors Vortex and Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS. However, today we had simply performed a small number of benchmarks with five of the hundreds of audio devices supported by Linux. With the lack of Creative X-Fi support under Linux at this time, the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS is certainly one of the better sound cards available with Advanced Linux Sound Architecture support. This article was meant to simply deliver a small insight into Linux audio performance and some of the popular competitors.

EDIT - We have just been notified by a Phoronix reader as to the AV-710 Linux quality issues we had faced. Adam Williamson had pointed out ALSA needs to re-route all stereo output through the rear surround hack and then connect the speakers to the appropriate output. The improved software configuration can be accomplished by creating a custom /etc/asound.state. Performing this modification should yield higher-quality listening results than the stock ALSA configuration.