Time for a Sound Card?

[someguynamedmatt]

I'm back again. Yep, this the same person that almost bought a $600 setup with a Xonar Essence and a pair of AKG K701s.

I'm past wanting a sound system that costs roughly half of my entire rig, and have came to a revelation:
The more I listen to my Bose Around-Ear Triports, the more I keep hearing little hiccups here and there, and tiny little things that are pointing to the upper limits of my onboard audio's quality. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just that I'd benefit more from a sound card than I would from buying a whole other pair of headphones. I mean, I really like these Bose cans - sure, their build quality kinda sucks and they hurt your head after a while, but the audio they put out is the best I've heard for a long time.

So I ask you this. I've been looking at mid-range audio cards that would be a decent upgrade over onboard audio. The more I read, the more I feel like I should get a PCI-e card, just for the added future-proofness of the latest interface. Since these still aren't $600 cans, I figure I can get away with a decent $80-ish card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

I know some people will disagree with this, but I'm avoiding Creative cards like the black plague.


For those of you who don't want to read through all of that, here's what I'm getting at:
Would I notice a difference if I were to buy that?

Much appreciated.
-Matt

 

[rolli59]

With good quality Speakers/headphones there should be a noticeable difference.

 

[scorpinot]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132018&cm_re=ASUS_XONAR_XENSE-_-29-132-018-_-Product

Comes with a headset (Sennhieser 350s) too so you can compare which sounds better vs the ones you have.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I'm considering that as an option, Scorpinot. It's a little out of budget at the moment, but I'll do some surfing and see if it's worth getting the package deal with those Sennheisers. I can't really say that I need the entire headset with it, but it would be a nice added bonus.

 

[scorpinot]

Newegg sells just the soundcard from an openbox for $200.

In the $160 range you have the AZE-Forte
http://www.amazon.com/Auzentech-AZT-FORTE-Forte-7-1-Sound/dp/B002665NXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1298424257&sr=8-1

In the $90 range you have the Xonar DX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006&cm_re=Asus_Xonar_DX-_-29-132-006-_-Product

You can get the open box version for $58.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

Man... I know I keep saying it's worth it, but that's a lot for a sound card. I guess maybe I should ask this first: Once I get upgraded from Onboard to a dedicate card, how much of a difference will there be between an $80 card and a $200 one?

I'm thinking about going in the middle and checking out the Auzentech Forte. It seems like a fair balance in between the high end studio-quality cards and the Xonar DX.

 

[davcon]

Yes the Forte is a well rounded card and does everything well.
You can often find it for $120 on sale.
That's what i paid for mine last year.
You won't be disappointed.
http://www.ncixus.com/products/35596/AZTXFF7105551/AuzenTech/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/auzentech-xfi-forte-71-soundcard-review-test/

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I've been doing some more thinking (not always a good thing, as you'll see), and I'm going to go ahead and retract my statement about wanting a PCI-e card. I mean, EVERYTHING but the GPU uses PCI - sound cards, tuners, wireless cards, modems, and god knows what else.

I've narrowed it down to this:
HT Omega Striker 7.1
Auzentech Forte X-Fi 7.1
Asus Xonar DX 7.1
I'm going to be honest here, and even though it would be nice, I really just don't need anything more expensive than that. Creative's out, so there's basically what's left.

 

[rolli59]

Does not show the same card as Amazon http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-fi_forte.php Wonder if it is worth the price premium over the other two.

 

[davcon]

Does not show the same card as Amazon http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-fi_forte.php Wonder if it is worth the price premium over the other two.

The Amazon image is a Auzentech Bravura which is the direct competition to the DX1 and Striker.
The Forte is a level up and competes with the Claro and DX2.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I wouldn't be so fast to call sound cards useless, there, diggle. I can't say that I've ever seen a pair of consumer headphones that use an S/PDIF-Out or Coax connection. Please, go ahead and show me if you have...

Ah, so that's the Bravura. I'm thinking that it would be better suited to that lineup than the Forte. I know it hurts you people hearing me downgrade my options, but unless someone can confirm that it's worth the extra $50-70, then I see nothing wrong with the next step down.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

Ahh, sorry... now I get what you're saying. My bad.

 

[davcon]

I wouldn't be so fast to call sound cards useless, there, diggle. I can't say that I've ever seen a pair of consumer headphones that use an S/PDIF-Out or Coax connection. Please, go ahead and show me if you have...

Ah, so that's the Bravura. I'm thinking that it would be better suited to that lineup than the Forte. I know it hurts you people hearing me downgrade my options, but unless someone can confirm that it's worth the extra $50-70, then I see nothing wrong with the next step down.

Nothing wrong with a Bravura but i wouldn't pay more then $90 for one though.
Last summer they were on sale from July-Aug for $75-90.
I've noticed soundcards have increased in price this year quite a bit.
The DX1 and Striker would be similiar in performance but don't offer a dedicated headphone amp.
The Bravura still outclasses them in gaming as well.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/auzen-bravura-review/1

 

[someguynamedmatt]

Despite everything I'm hearing about the Auzentech cards, I'm feeling like the Striker is my favorite right now. I honestly don't really need a dedicated headphone amp... the onboard audio can already blow my eardrums out well enough.

Everyone seems to think that the drivers for it are rock solid, and easy to install and work with.

It looks to be built really well, and honestly, society is probably going to fall apart before the PCI interface becomes truly obsolete. As I've said before, there's just too much out there that uses it.

 

[davcon]

Despite everything I'm hearing about the Auzentech cards, I'm feeling like the Striker is my favorite right now. I honestly don't really need a dedicated headphone amp... the onboard audio can already blow my eardrums out well enough.

Everyone seems to think that the drivers for it are rock solid, and easy to install and work with.

It looks to be built really well, and honestly, society is probably going to fall apart before the PCI interface becomes truly obsolete. As I've said before, there's just too much out there that uses it.

NCIX sells the Striker for like $60 when it's on sale.

 

[MEgamer]

Despite everything I'm hearing about the Auzentech cards, I'm feeling like the Striker is my favorite right now. I honestly don't really need a dedicated headphone amp... the onboard audio can already blow my eardrums out well enough.

Everyone seems to think that the drivers for it are rock solid, and easy to install and work with.

It looks to be built really well, and honestly, society is probably going to fall apart before the PCI interface becomes truly obsolete. As I've said before, there's just too much out there that uses it.

people usuallly use amps , so that htye can put the system volume on 100% and use the amp to control the overall volume, the 100% system volume is used so that the output is possible to be bitperfect.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

people usuallly use amps , so that htye can put the system volume on 100% and use the amp to control the overall volume, the 100% system volume is used so that the output is possible to be bitperfect.

True. I wasn't really thinking about that...

I'm still looking around right now. The list is still pretty much the same, though - either the Asus Xonar DX 7.1, the Auzentech Bravura, or the Striker. All are pretty much made to compete in the same range, except for the Bravura being $50 more.

 

[MEgamer]

lol just buy the an asus xaonr D2 , and then dish out on some good quality headphones if ur budget allows.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I'm going to go with the Xonar DX 7.1. I wish I could get the D2, but I'm going to be ordering this with a lot of other stuff, and it just won't fit into the budget right now. I'm sure the DX will be more than enough for what I'm using it for.

 

[king smp]

if your use primarily just use headphones then save the money
and get a Xonar DG that has a headphone amp with Dolby Headphone Surround
it gets great reviews
for example :
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/soundcards/2010/10/26/asus-xonar-dg-review/1
and there is many more positive reviews
almost every review says that if you want something better than onboard
and primarily use headphones than the Xonar DG is the best choice
I got mine for $35 shipped from Newegg
as long as you dont need 7.1 then they really are the best choice in
your situation
And less you just want bragging rights.......

 

[MEgamer]

if your use primarily just use headphones then save the money
and get a Xonar DG that has a headphone amp with Dolby Headphone Surround
it gets great reviews
for example :
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/soundcards/2010/10/26/asus-xonar-dg-review/1
and there is many more positive reviews
almost every review says that if you want something better than onboard
and primarily use headphones than the Xonar DG is the best choice
I got mine for $35 shipped from Newegg
as long as you dont need 7.1 then they really are the best choice in
your situation
And less you just want bragging rights.......

most headphones under 200 dont need an amp.

 

[king smp]

^ probably true
the OP did complain about his headphones being uncomfortable so maybe
save the money on an expensive card and use it towards a high end
headphone which takes advantage of the Dolby Headphone feature
also the DG does have an adjustable impedance setting which is nice since I use
decent buds and can set it to 32ohm

 

[MEgamer]

^ probably true
the OP did complain about his headphones being uncomfortable so maybe
save the money on an expensive card and use it towards a high end
headphone which takes advantage of the Dolby Headphone feature
also the DG does have an adjustable impedance setting which is nice since I use
decent buds and can set it to 32ohm

problem with dolby headphone is that it is a lossy format (dolby pro logic ), using high end acns will jsut reveal more flaws in the audio.

 

[king smp]

Thank you I didnt know that.
I have never tried it.
Is there special headphones for it?
If so what are decent cheap ones?
And is it only with music/movies or games?
Sorry for all the questions
I should just Google it.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

NewEgg is having an Asus sound card sale/savings event, and the DX is only $69.99 after a mail-in rebate. As far as I'm concerned, MIR's don't really make any difference in my final decision, but I feel like the DX is a good balance between power and price, if I ever want to upgrade my cans. I feel like I don't want to go cheaper in case I find a really good pair that I must have, but more expensive isn't really worth it to me.

It sounds pretty good to me... the only other competition for the DX that I've seen is one of Creative's X-Fi cards, and I can't say that I've heard good things about their drivers...