Creative labs sound blaster and higher end headphones?

Anti-grandbean

Reputable
Apr 28, 2014
73
0
4,640
I was wondering how much a higher end sound card makes a difference on high end headphones? I have a pair of harman/kardon cl's, grado sr80i's and sennheiser hd598's and they all sound very flat compared to when I listen to lossless files on my iPad Air or s5. My PC uses an Asus 990fx extreme mobo, I don't really know much about the integrated sound chip or what could be causing it to sound so flat compared. Even at 320kbps on spotify or beats music it still falls flat. I've even tested this on my ipad using the same transfer rate and it still doesn't sound as good on my PC. Will a creative labs sound blaster help to eliminate this problem? I listen to music more than I speak when I game, so it's imperative that it sounds just as nice if not better than the lossless files on my ipad.
 
Solution
A sound card with a quality headphone amplifier on it can make a good difference. I use the Sennheiser 555's plugged into the Asus Xonar Essence ST card for listening to music. You won't find a quality headphone amplifier on an integrated audio output.
A sound card with a quality headphone amplifier on it can make a good difference. I use the Sennheiser 555's plugged into the Asus Xonar Essence ST card for listening to music. You won't find a quality headphone amplifier on an integrated audio output.
 
Solution
Those are actually not high-end headphones. Sorry to disappoint you. The soundstage in all three headphones are not great (to the point of almost inexistent) and I will say that the Harman Kardon CL and HD598 are both not good at bass and it sounds very fake. And the CL has good clarity but puts too much emphasis on the background music which muffles vocals or creates a clash with other instrumentals. HD598 is too expensive for what you get sound-wise. It's definitely the most comfortable headphones out of the three and looks visually pleasing, but poor construction (that is not sturdy) and the sound is decent if you're listening to classical or OSTs. Other genres do not perform very well on the HD598 compared to some quality high-end headphones. The Grado SR80i is one that I have little experience with. I tried it out and didn't find anything special with it. I also don't own a Grado SR80i. I still have my HK CL and used to own a HD598 (which I bought during a sale) before it broke -- stupid plastic construction :(.

They are all good headphones for the price, but the mixer presets are not good on all three. Depending on the genre of music that you listen to, each pair of headphones have pros and cons. The problem is that they work well on a very limited selection. I think CL is perhaps the worst in terms of mixer because it tries to even everything out which kills the experience, but sound quality is pretty good.

That said, unless ALL of your headphones / earbuds sound flat on the music genre that you play, a sound card will NOT have any effect on how these headphones will perform. And if you were to buy a sound card, buy a low-tiered one. A high-end sound card will give you a better experience with those headphones.
 

Anti-grandbean

Reputable
Apr 28, 2014
73
0
4,640
I am beginning to wonder what you constitutes as a higher end pair of headphones Ksham. . . Cause I read a lot of articles before choosing my headphones. A lot of audiophiles loved them, as did I when I tried them in the store. Hence why I purchased them. Also, higher end, meaning that they are quality headphones not the best of the best. I know for certain there are very few who can drop $600 plus on a set of cans- such as Beyerdynamic Tesla T5p's or Denon AH-D7100's. These ARE quality cans, they ARE adored for being affordable and for producing quality sound.

My music genre tends to be Classical, Nu Folk, Indie pop/rock, and Classic Rock with a plethora of sub-genre's within those. They do sound a lot more flat, less vivid and defiantly not as bright on the highs compared. If I need just a quality portable amp, then I would prefer to buy that over an expensive sound card because a Fiio E12 would be a lot more useful as it is portable. If a sound card will do nothing other than make a nice 5.1/7.1 sound system sound better, if it really has no effect on headphones then say so. As your last statement confuses me, I am not sure rather to skip it or buy a high-end sound card.

Before I get comments stating that I should be more polite when asking for advice please note that I am just stating my opinions. To most a pair of $199-$299 dollar headphones is out of the question. You shouldn't knock them down with unsupported facts when the reality is that most people adore these headphones. More so the Grado's and Sennheisers than that of the Harman/Kardon's but still, all in all they are some of the best headphones in this price-range. My opinion obviously differs from that of Ksham, who knows maybe our preferences are just too varied.

 

Good catch. Sorry @Anti-grandbean for the confusion. I fixed the typo. I really meant to say "A high-end sound card will not give you a better experience with those headphones." I was trying to finish my sentence so I can go eat dinner.



Agreed, but a price/performance does not directly translate to high-end. People review headphones based on its price range. So while I agree they are great for the price (and I have stated so), they are not going to give you a lot of depth. And if you were to ask for suggestions for headphones under $200, then they will list out the ones they think are good within that price range. I didn't intend to sound so negative about the headphones. They're good for the price and MOST people are more than happy with them. But some audiophiles are more picky than others. Everyone has their perks. :)



Hmm... "Nu Folk" is new to me. What is that? Have an example? :)

Yes; again, I so sincerely apologize. That was misleading. I was trying to finish that sentence in a rush. Yes; a quality sound card will not do those headphones much. I still have my Harman Kardon CL and while I like it for certain types of music like mild Trance, I don't play anything else on it. I have on hand a VMODA M100 and a Shure SRH1540 for everything else. The Shure is a bit more comfortable, bass isn't as good as M100 but on music where the bass is weak or non-existent, it has better sound signature than the M100. At least to me, I really like the SRH1540's sound signature. It may not be for everyone. It's definitely also expensive. I think I paid like $410 for mine when there was a (small) discount on it.



I didn't knock the headphones down. I was trying to explain why a good sound card would not help. I may have failed in that attempt, but I was not saying they are bad headphones. There are better ones; yes. They are more expensive; yes. But depending on the user's expectation, they may or may not be satisfactory. Someone may have high expectations that no sub-$200 headphones can dish out. I was just speaking in terms of what the headphones lack.

As for suggestions, the Harman Kardon CL won't benefit at all from it. I don't know how well a sound card works on Grado but based on my trial on it, I don't think its sound signature will improve with a sound card. The Sennheiser may be worth a sound card if you are able to up the bass on it (but not too much).
 

Anti-grandbean

Reputable
Apr 28, 2014
73
0
4,640
Ah, I get you Ksham, I apologize if I cam out as aggressive. I also wasn't trying to come off as uneducated, I have a pair of Phillips M1's that are the cheapest headphones I have (Other than in-ear models I rarely use) and they present a grander sound stage than even my Grado's. So I know price to quality is not necessarily a universal truth. Also, sound is one of those subjective topics. What sounds superb to me may very well sound like shit to you. I am still young in the audiophile world but coming from SOL's to the Harman's the difference is night and day.

Now, the headphones I am currently saving for are the Mad Dogs by Mr. Speaker. You should check them out since you seem to be an audiophile at some level. These were some little boutique in the corner of a trade show a couple months back. The dude was kindly showing his multi-thousand dollar set up. He put them up against $2,00 Audeze LCD-3 and then asked me which I preferred. The Mad Dogs were less sharp, the highs on the Audeze were just TOO powerful. Anyway, he explained he paid something like $345 for them, they were VERY comparable.

Anyway, a heads up. I found the HK seem to like classic rock and indie punk the most. If I can make a recommendation, try listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Tuesdays Gone and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Ain't No Easy Way. I found the presentation was very good on the Harman's. You just might find a new love for them.

So I just went for it, bought a Creative Sounds Sound Blaster ZX and dropped some money on a FiiO E17 DAC amp, I hope to pair the E17 up to an FiiO E09K high output desk top amp in the coming weeks. This should be more than efficient for the time being.

Nu Folk- Alexi Murdoch, Josh Ritter, Ray LaMontagne, Jay Bennet, Matt Costa and Amos Lee. It's softer to what most listen to but it's a predominant genre I really love. My Grado's do justice to most these artist while I keep the Senny's for Electronica like Crystal Castles, Klaxons, Ratatat, Free Blood and The Naked and Famous. The HK's stick mainly to instrumentals, classic rock, and indie rock/punk such as Nazareth, Lynyrd Skynrd, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosion in the Sky, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and IAmDynamite.
 
First, thank you for the followup.


Hmm; I'll put that on my list. Visually, they are not the most attractive set.



I love Lynyrd Skynyrd. :) HK isn't bad against them but it misses a proper soundstage for them. Try listening between a pair of HK and a high quality pair side by side. The HK feels like you're in a concert (not bad, mind you), and the other pair (hopefully) makes you feel like a proper recording with proper post-production editing. If I had to choose, I'd say the latter is better for depth.



Nice. I would much recommend a DAC over a PC sound card for those devices. But let's see how it plays out for you.



Hmm I gave a few quick listens to a few of them and I definitely don't dislike that genre, but a bit too mellow for me (most of the time). So unfortunately, it won't be played much on my list.