Sounds Cards and Headphones

[HG Omnibus]

Greetings, fellow Tom's Hardware goers!

I'm in need of a bit of assistance... if someone would be kind enough to deign to help me, I would greatly appreciate it, of course!

Alright, here's my situation:

- I'm looking into getting an audio card or headphones, or perhaps both.
- I don't use surround, satellite, or other external stereo audio devices, just headphones (I am keeping it that way)
- I refuse to use earbuds. I'm suppose that it might make me seem like an audiophile in the making, but I consider them to be downright sacrilege.
- I seek clarity and overwhelming bass.

Here's what I have:

- VIA VT1708B onboard 8ch. high def surround on my ASUS P5KPL-CM; 24 bit, 192KHz.
- Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 at 2.4ghz stock
- eVGA 8800GTS 640mb, 320bit; G80 version; SSC edition
- 2x1gb sticks of 800mhz ram.
- Sony MDR-NC6 headphones; they have decent bass and clarity, but the bass distorts when setting higher levels of low frequency on the eq., and the clarity... well I want clarity that could scratch glass because it's so razor sharp (acceptably priced, of course).

Parameters:

- I don't care if it looks like I'm wearing cinder blocks on my ears. I want rich bass, and clarity that could "scratch glass".
- Will mainly be used for occasional online gaming (and mainly single player campaign FPS games; Half-Life 2, Crysis, etc.)
- I'm not going to go cheap, but I'm not going to waste money.
- The purchase of a sound card would be solely for more options in gaming, and the possible clarity and sound quality that could come from it. Even while playing Crysis my PC has no problem pumping out beefy explosions. Point being, I don't "need" a card for the possibility of more CPU resource, I have plenty of overhead. However, if I get a sound card, I prefer it to be independent of my system resources.

Thing is, me not really being too experienced in the audio department (never really having used a sound card thoroughly), I have no idea if I even need a sound card at all. I'm only going to use headphones, so I'm not sure if... well, of anything, really. I simply know what I want, but not the required medium in which to achieve it.

Any input or help is very appreciated. Thank you in advance!

~ Omnibus

 

[Physicz]

probably want a asus Xonar for a soundcard and something like a seinhiesser (how do you spell it?) for headphones.

 

[HG Omnibus]

I've heard of Sennheiser being a good brand for headphones.

As far as brand goes, as long as it is a quality one.

I am glad you have made input, but I'm looking for specific solutions. Like, actual links to the products people recommend. No offense to you, of course!

Don't think of me as lazy, folks. I'm looking for things myself as well. I just don't know what to look for or get, especially what is worth what price.

 

[Physicz]

haha its cool.

im actually not one to post links but seeing as sound cards are my specialty.

i'll make an exception

you'll want a Asus Xonar D2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132001

or a creative x-fi titanium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102019


as for the sennheiser.
DJ HT202
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106306


basically its this.

sennheiser = jebus

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

I use ear force x3 wirless headphones. They're for the xbox 360 but can easily be made to work with a pc. The bass is amazing on them IMO. you can pick it up locally and try for yourself. Also despite being IR they still give you an amazing amount of mobility.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16874502002&Tpk=ear%2bforce%2bx3

 

[cjl]

I would go for Sennheiser, but not the HD202, unless you're on a REALLY tight budget. Instead, the EH350 has stunning clarity, or the HD212 for slightly less clarity than the 350, but more bass (still amazing though). The HD555 is better still, with the clarity of the 350 and then some, but better bass than the 350 (with a correspondingly higher price tag of course, and still less bass than the 212 IIRC). If you've got the budget for them, the HD595 and the HD650 are amazing, as are several of the higher end Grado headphones (which sound even better than Senns IMHO, but I find them rather uncomfortable, and they are quite expensive).

Oh, as far as grado goes, the SR-60 headphones are a decent choice too. For a bit more, the SR-125 would also be amazing, and would be quite competitive with the Sennheiser HD595.
If you truly want clarity, Grado is the way to go, though the Senns probably have more bass. All of the above will completely destroy your Sony headphones in every way.

Oh, and if you must have the best, here they are (prepare to be knocked off your chair with the price tag).

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Honestly, I would start out with quality headphones, try your onboard sound first, see how you think it sounds. My motherboard actually has hd outputs for sound. So sound quality is pretty good.

 

[iicsus]

+1 on the Xonar D2

Also, i have the HD212 and yes, the bass is very powerfull. If that's what you're looking for, they're probably the best in their price range. I've heard good things about the HD555, but they're open-type, which translates into less bass (only read about, didn't actually try them).

 

[SgtMajorMedic]

I have the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones, and they are exceptional!

I produce music (amateur) and some gaming - I wouldn't use anything else.

Enjoy!

On board sound is a waste of time - get a dedicated good quality sound card.

 

[HG Omnibus]

Well, me having a very large harddrive, I have no issues with saving music at its highest quality. Anyway, to the point.

I just listened to a beautiful opera, composed by a magnificent new composer. I was absolutely horrified by the grotesque sound being produced. It's supposed to sound like angels singing, but it's like a soft crackling when they take on long, mid-high notes of voice. The madness of it! 1-8khz seems to be the problem.

You guys are saying that a decent sound card would fix this problem? I was recommended this card by one of my fellow gamers.

Oh, and of course, thank you all for your guidance.

 

[cjl]

No integrated audio that I've ever heard does that - have you tried a different pair of speakers or headphones to make sure that isn't your problem?