Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

I need help choosing a soundcard...?

Tags:
  • Sound Cards
  • Headphones
  • Components
Last response: in Components
Share
September 19, 2011 2:44:27 AM

Hey everyone!

I know NOTHING about sound cards and need your advice.

I just bought a pair of Audiotech AD700 headphones so I can listen to music (classical, instrumental and some soft rock/pop) on my PC. Now I just need to find a good sound card.

Any suggestions? My budget is anything from $75-$150 (although if the soundcard will last a long time I'll consider spending more)

I was leading towards an Asus Xonar ST... or maybe something more affordable.

What are your thoughts?

More about : choosing soundcard

September 19, 2011 3:11:17 AM

Start out with on-board sound. On-board is surprisingly good. After a few weeks decide whether you really want a sound card.

Creative makes good sound cards.
m
0
l
September 19, 2011 3:13:43 AM

Wow,you bought those to listen to music? They are really nice. That sound card would highly compliment that headset. Just make sure you have a PCI slot. And yes your onboard sound card would work well. It depends on how deep you want to get into your sound capabilities.
m
0
l
Related resources

Best solution

September 19, 2011 4:27:21 AM

The Audiotech AD700 are a very good headset, so without breaking the bank:

ASUS Xonar D1/DX
HT Omega Claro+
Auzentech Meridian 2G

Everything above that basically is designed for headsets that need an amp, or really high quality stereo speakers.
Share
September 19, 2011 9:12:27 AM

Thanks a lot for the reply.

I just picked up a cheap 'Asus Xonar DG' as the guy at the computer shop said thats all I'd need. Is that ok?
m
0
l
September 20, 2011 9:18:15 PM

nick2124 said:
Thanks a lot for the reply.

I just picked up a cheap 'Asus Xonar DG' as the guy at the computer shop said thats all I'd need. Is that ok?




Lol, if you are ok with it. You must have installed and tried it already. What do you think?
m
0
l
September 21, 2011 12:04:42 PM

The DG is meant more as a cheap option for driving headsets that need a low/mid-power amp then for using its analog outputs. Otherwise I recommend the ASUS DS as the lowest tier card worth considering.

For a headset like the one you have, the discussion starts at the ASUS Xonar D1/DX and HT Omega Striker, and even then, you'd probably want something another notch higher then that, hence my previous reccomendations.
m
0
l
September 28, 2011 12:11:32 AM

I think the Xonar DG is great value for it's money. It's noticeably better than onboard sound and the inbuilt AMP is brilliant too. It has a tonne of settings to use and imo is more user friendly than realtek which is what I was used to.

As I mainly listen to MP3s it really doesn't make sense to spend $100+ on a fancy soundcard the guys at the PC shop assured me. So yeah, I'm happy with this setup. Interestingly when I looked at buying the AD700s at Amazon it recommended I pickup a Xonar DG as a lot of people have a similar setup. :) 
m
0
l
October 5, 2011 12:05:06 AM

Best answer selected by nick2124.
m
0
l
!