best audio card

[ragz_1989]

Hi everyone , i recently built a high end pc .. til now i am using onboard audio .. now i am planning to buy an audio card and i'm confused which is the best audio card for my pc ... i have sennheiser hd 598 audiophile headphone for audio and logitech z-906 for movies and games .. i have a big collection of lossless audio in flac format and also have lot of 1080p bluray movies in my hdd.. i also want to know whether the rca cables support dts and dolby digital or do i need the optical cable for using 5.1 audio in bluray movies ... and is there any difference between rca cables and optical cable in quality especially for movies ..
My budget is Rs.8000 .. may go beyond if its really worth ...
Advance thanks to everyone ..

 

[trihedral]

i recommend this for the Sennheiser 598

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1240/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324237217&sr=8-1

It outputs Stereo (2.1) with an SNR (Sound to Noise Ratio) of 114DB which is extremely good and you will get crisp clear audiophile sounds. It has the 1/4 plug for your Sennheiser so you won't need a converter (i have those, they get annoying sometimes). You can connect your ipod to it or a Television using 2.1.

As for the 5.1 Sound, it's best to buy a PCI-E 1x card. It all really depends whether you like Sound Card's with more BASS (Action Movies/Combat Games) or the ones with high fidelity audiophile sounds for (Standard Movies (Less action/ Extreme Quality Sound (Won't miss little detail). For the ones with Bass, you can't go wrong with a Creative Recon3D Fatal1ty Pro

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102042

It's pretty expensive, but it does have a quad core audio processor chip.
very good for your boomy Z906 (Though these speakers lack mids)

or like i said before, for The Best Audio Music/Movies Quality, You can find some better like the Xonar External Sound one for $500+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010

or lastly, something in budget that is between the good audio/boomy bass
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102024

Just make sure you ebay/amazon/google search everything before you buy to get the cheapest price.

 

[ragz_1989]

Thank you trihedral .. i think xonar essence stx is the best for me .. but i have a doubt about slot .. i have rampage 2 gene motherboard and i am using ati radeon hd5870 in one pci x16 slot .. i would like to know whether the xonar essence stx is compatible with my motherboard and which slot i have to use for this audio card .. i am very new to this .. also can i get 5.1 effect in this audio card if i connect my speakers through rca cables ... because i have lot of hd bluray movies in my hdd ...

 

[trihedral]

im sure you can get 5.1 effects with their application.

To be honest though, 5.1 is overused. They are only good if you have a home theater 5.1 system or 7.1 with extreme quality speakers, good subwoofer, and outstanding receiver. Then you'd wouldn't really have much need for a sound card because the receiver/mixers is the main component.

As far as computer speaker goes, just stick to 2.1 for clear crisp sound under headphones/headset/two speakers & subwoofer. 124db SNR is EXTREMELY good. I wanted something for my Laptop/home theater and it's only 120db for $500.
http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Audio_Cards/Xonar_Essence_One/

be happy you have a computer than can use pci-e 1x, one thing i hate about laptops haha. Anyways, again, 24 bit + 192KHz + 124DB = Godly quality.

If you buy this you'll have no need for the first link i gave you because this card also has a headphone amp, so you'll get 100% sound quality from the Sennheiser. The cord is long so plugging it into the back is no problem. (I have the 598 also)

For plugging it into your motherboard, there should be two ways you'd want to look at. Either put your 5870 in first PCI Express x16 slot, and the sound card into the 2nd PCI-Express x16/x8 (Yes it will work there too), since the X1 is blocked.

Or put your 5870 into the 2nd PCI-Express x16/x8 which leaves the x1 open for your sound card.

Graphic card x8 vs x16 is only 1-2% difference in fps anyways so it shouldn't really matter.

 

[luccha]

I just bought the STX to pair it with my Razer Mako and all I have to say is: what a difference!!

I've tried Xonar HDAV and M-Audio 2496 but the STX just blew my bedroom away in a way I just couldn't believe! Really recommend it, it really feels hi-end

 

[trihedral]

^
The Razer Mako is pretty awesome, too bad they're discontinued.

But yeah, they are extremely high end cards, can't go wrong with them.

It will make you cry when upgrading from Onboard Sounds.

 

[ragz_1989]

Best answer selected by ragz_1989.

 

[ragz_1989]

thanks man ...

 

[luccha]

^
The Razer Mako is pretty awesome, too bad they're discontinued.

But yeah, they are extremely high end cards, can't go wrong with them.

It will make you cry when upgrading from Onboard Sounds.

it really is a shame, those new ferox speakers get nowhere close to mako...

and you are damn right about onboard sound, I almost cried after seeing the difference!!

 

[chaere]

they are extremely high end cards, can't go wrong with them.