Bad sound quality

[ou_phidelt]

I'm getting really bad sound quality with linux. I'm running Mandrake 9.1 and my sound is integrated on my motherboard. I can tell a big difference between linux and windows.(btw windows is gone, no dual boot here ) oh yeah im using XMMS.

thanks;
Justin

[Dolda2000]

What chipset is it? (Check by running lspci)

[ou_phidelt]

ensoniq 5880

[wassy121]

it is probably due to Artsd running. I hate those crappy audio combiner programs that try to allow you to listen to MP3s and crappy minimizing/maximizing sounds at the same time, only at 1/20 of the quality. I think it was Alan Cox who said "the only thing esd is good for is playing something resembling the sound file sometime near when it is expected to be played"

[Dolda2000]

Yeah, really! I just don't get it! If you create a sound multiplexing daemon, wouldn't low delay and high quality be the real priorities?
Anyway, ou_phidelt, what happens if you try running mpg123 on a file from a shell? Does it return an error?

[ou_phidelt]

could anyone recommend a cheap sound card that will work. all i want is for it to sound as good as it did in windoze. im not looking for audiophile sound quality.

[genlee]

Your sound card is fine. I would stop using arts or esd and switch to oss. In xmms, open prefs and change output plugin to oss and have your other apps use oss as well. You could also instal also but I personally never liked it.

EDIT
also=alsa

[ou_phidelt]

thanks ill try that as soon as my monitor situation gets resloved.

[frenchyc]

i have been having the excat same problem and when i switch it to oss i get one of two problems
a) it works but the quality is as bad as ever, or b) i get a message saying that there is a problem and that i need to check if 1) i have the correct output plugin, 2) that no other program is using the soundcard, or 3) something else (sory i cant check right now, the error wont show itself). All i want is a winamp-like program to play my sound with decent quality