Here's a strange one - I've suffered this for some time now.Has anybody noticed that when you cycle through views in FS9 (Cockpit -> External -> Virtual -> Cockpit) the sound quality changes ad hoc! For example, I sometimes lose the bass end of sound in the cockpit after I have gone to external and returned back to the cockpit view!Another noticeable affect is on FDC, sometimes the pilot sounds right next to you, other times you can barely hear them, even without switching views.I'm using the onboard 5.1 with a basic surround sound speaker set. All other applications, sounds, music, video, do not suffer the same affects.Any ideas anyone?Del.____________________________________________AMD64 3400+ on Abit AV8 Pro mobo"How wide the limits stand, between a splendid and a happy land"http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/800driver.jpg[/img]

Del,Onboard sound really doesn't live up to what FS9 expects of it, especially if you're using an add-on aircraft. It's worth the hundred bucks or so to purchase a sound card with reasonable performance, such as the SoundBlaster Audigy series.

Thanks for the advice - I thought I would have to invest alright. Is the Audigy the best option then?Del.Edinburgh

I've heard that M-Audio 5.1 and 7.1 cards have better drivers but they are hard to get and I've read somewhere that they do not perform as well with high end CPU's in gaming (they steal some horsepower from the cpu).I have a soundblaster audigy 2 card and have been happy with it for FS9, but for MS Trainsim it stinks! For some reason my sound always goes garbled and crazy after some heavy duty train running.But for FS, I think the soundblasters are dependable.

Guys - thanks for the feedback. Just ordered an Audigy 2 Value for

I certainly saw a boost in FPS when I went from the SB PCI512 to an Audigy 4. You may not see much, but it's reasonable to expect a few frames of improvement.