In need of a sound card...opinions?

BOT#00001

BOT#00001

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Never bought a sound card for this box because I assumed the level of sound quality on mobos had gotten close enough to dedicated cards for it to make a difference. But i'm noticing with these new headphones...thats not the case. So I've been pokin around and now i'm looking at two different ones. Wondering what your opinions are..

Newegg.com - HT | OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

Newegg.com - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD 24-bit 96KHz Sound Card

I've always stuck with soundblaster...but my last soundblaster, the x-fi fatality pro (not the newer titanium version) had TONS of popping and it kinda of turned me off them...but they are the industry standard..
 
holy crap 150+ for a sound card? well depends on what you're using it for, unless you have ear of an professional, good sound quality is not essential for gaming, if you're using it to watch movies on the computer, with a good set of surround sound speakers, then probably yes.

but in my opinion, just stick with your onboard sound card that comes with the mobo
 
I have 5.1 surround sound and the volume on it has been wonky. The bass is pretty damned weak as well and the 3d audio just sucks balls in games.
 
Asus scares me a bit. As one of the reviewers stated..Asus puts out some awesome hardware..but terrible drivers and even worse support for their products. Anything over a year old is pretty much forgotten. The EMI shield is a neat touch though.. Sad to hear your Soundblaster x-fi has popping too;( It's makin me lean towards that HT Omega
 
Are you looking for sound quality or for features? Also, what headphones are you looking at?

Regardless, my stereo DAC was $300 and I couldn't be happier with it. :) It was a PITA to get ASIO4All working, but well worth the effort.
 
Quality and good bass. Lots of games as well as movies. 3 dimensional audio accuracy is very important as well. Music not so much. I have a set of Sennheiser PC350's and some logitech logitech z5500 5.1 surround sound speakers. I'd like to find a good balance between features and sound quality, but when it comes down to it..quality is more important.
 
I think you'd be better off with a headphone amp than a new sound card. The amp will of course increase the amount of power and should have the largest impact on bass quality and depth. A used Pro-Ject Head Box II (or II SE) would be a good option. Otherwise, I am partial to Little Dot products. I have this DAC and am eying this headphone amp.

For you, I think you'd be happy with this headphone amp as it'll put out a hell of a lot more power than your sound card possibly can.
 
I used to own the Creative XFI brand but that popping noise with the shitty drivers soured me forever on their products.

I know you said you weren't that high on the Asus ones, but I do have the Essence STX and it is by far and away the cleanest, clearest, and most accurate positioning sound I have ever heard. I don't think balls believed me the other night when I turned and shot him in the bushes on BC2 vietnam; I heard somebody running behind me and jumping and I turned and fired and got him without him firing a shot at me-that's how accurate the sound is if you pay attention.

I also have the same headphones you do and the combination is amazing. Edit: these also combine an AMP for VERY loud sound if you wish.

Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card
 
sixer9682 said:
I used to own the Creative XFI brand but that popping noise with the shitty drivers soured me forever on their products.

I know you said you weren't that high on the Asus ones, but I do have the Essence STX and it is by far and away the cleanest, clearest, and most accurate positioning sound I have ever heard. I don't think balls believed me the other night when I turned and shot him in the bushes on BC2 vietnam; I heard somebody running behind me and jumping and I turned and fired and got him without him firing a shot at me-that's how accurate the sound is if you pay attention.

I also have the same headphones you do and the combination is amazing. Edit: these also combine an AMP for VERY loud sound if you wish.

Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card
Click to expand...
He heard me jump over a fence & I'm a sneaky bastard too.
 
I've been using the same Audigy 2 for at least 5 years it seems, thing just flat out works. Your speakers/headphones are going to make a bigger difference than any functional (read NOT popping) soundcard. I've had my Logitech Z680 systemLogitech Z-680 Review - PC Speakers - CNET Reviews for 7 years and it's absolutely phenominal. The controller sucks but the audio is ridiculous. I think the crappiest soundcard that just flat out worked would sound great on these speakers.
 
I've got a good speaker system and good headphones.
Logitech Z-5500's and sennheiser pc-350s
 
All you need now is an Audigy 2....
The 5500 is the same as the 680's I have, but with a better controller. Great speaker system.
 
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