Do you prefer mATX boards...or regular size mobo?

so... it creates sound from thin air

 

lol

 

Cool! There is a big push by purists to go back to full analog (and often vinyl too!) and there is some sense to that. As I noted before, sound is analog. It starts as analog at the instrument (or voice) and is heard as analog by our ears. No conversions (and potential introduction of audio distortion or noise) if staying analog through out the amplification and reproduction phases.

No, sorry, SirDrexel, but that is not correct at all.

In effect, HDMI is just a cable. It does not carry ANY sound card components. No DACs, no amplifiers, no equalizers or anything of the sort.

You still absolutely MUST have a sound card (or integrated) when using HDMI.

I think you are confused by the new "graphics" cards that support HDMI audio "throughput" or have sound integrated on the card. These came about as more and more computer monitors came with integrated speakers (though I fail to see why anyone would use them for anything other than Windows sounds - but that's another discussion).

Remember, HDMI came out of the home theater universe, not computing. HDMI was created so home theater users could replace the spaghetti works of video cable(s) AND 6 pairs (5.1) of audio cables between DVD/BR players, HT receivers, and TV/monitors with just one thin HDMI cable. HDMI was not, and does not replace ANY electronics.

The ONLY real reason HDMI has migrated to the computer world is because the major players in the TV industry (Sony and Samsung) are the same major players in the computer monitor industry and it is NOT cost effective to build TVs and monitors that support two different digital (DVI and HDMI) video cable connections when the video content in each is EXACTLY the same. Plus, DVI connectors are HUGE by comparison - and of course, carry video only.