Best computer internal sound cards according to redditors
We found 610 Reddit comments discussing the best computer internal sound cards. We ranked the 92 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 610 Reddit comments discussing the best computer internal sound cards. We ranked the 92 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I use mine mainly for having multiple audio channels on different sources at the same time without having to worry about using software (ala Virtual Audio Cable).
The best thing about all sound cards I've encountered though for regular use? It amplifies sound like a motherfucker. I can't even have my headphones at max volume anymore because it's too loud whereas I could always cap out with my on-board sound card on my mobo.
I purchased this one first but it had a constant white noise. Never noticed it while there was other sound, but while idle it would drive me insane. I upgraded to a Sound Blaster and not only is it louder than my last, but no white noise and has some cool features.
Basically, it's a luxury item these days unless you have a specific use for it. Do recommend a cheap one though if you listen to a lot of music at a volume that is way too loud.
>but all of the responses are "get a good pair of headphones and a clip on mic"
Because this is the best option.
I personally use the clip on Zalman but I've heard great things about the ModMic. If you got a great pair of headphones(many use the AD700, HD558/HD598, etc) and attached this it would essentially be the same as a gaming headset but with significantly better sound quality and better build quality.
If you're going to be stubborn and not accept this, I reccommend going for the Sennheiser PC360. It's typically around the same price as the HD598 but not quite as good...
EDIT: Added links to some products, note that I only looked them up on Amazon, you can probably find everything cheaper if you shop around...
---
EDIT 2: DarkWingPig mentioned virtual surround sound, which is what draws many people towards gaming headsets. You can add this functionality to any pair of headphones using a sound card such as the Asus Xonar DG, Asus Xonar DS, or the Asus Xonar DX.
I have an Asus Xonar DX and, in my opinion, it can work well in certain games such as Counterstike, where knowing the position of a sound is essential, but I don't use it for the majority of games...
A user over at Head Fi called Mad Lust Envy has created a thread reviewing many different pairs of headphones in relation to how well they work with Dolby Headphone(virtual surround sound).
The major factor will be the quality of your other components—but with the B&W and the Rotels, if your ears are good you should be able to tell.
Recommendations:
I currently listen to the nuForce uDAC-II, with both headphones and studio monitors, and I like it very much. As I said above, it beats my (first-revision) Fubar II mainly in the stereo imaging and musicality departments, especially when used as a desktop DAC with the line outs. The Fubar was accurate as anything, but was a little flat to listen to for my taste. The Mk 2 may have improved things and in any case it's a very good DAC for desktop use. The others I have not listened to, but I hear very good things about the HRT MusicStreamer, and the Creative X-Fi product is bound to sound great, barring any difficulties you might have with installation.
Any of those DACs I am confident will give you an improvement in sound. Listen in the details; the tightness of the bass, the smoothness of voice, the sparkle of the treble, the placement of sound in the stereo image; all of those will be clearly and (hopefully) obviously improved with a good DAC if you're comparing from a default line-out. The first time you hear the difference it'll sorta knock your socks off...
Then again, if you don't hear a difference with your Apogee Duet II... perhaps it won't be that big a deal, and you can save yourself the investment. Also, is there a reason you can't use the Apogee with the PC or do you just want a dedicated connection for it? Another factor will be the source material, so make sure you're putting through CDs or lossless audio files, or at the minimum very high quality mp3's. Low bit-rate mp3's will sound pretty much the same regardless of the DAC you put them through...
tl;dr: In my experience a good DAC makes a huge difference, there are lots in your price range, make sure you'll be able to hear the difference in the investment, good luck, let us know how it turns out :)
(P.S: if it's ok to say so I'd be happy to sell you (or anyone else ;) my Fubar II (original version) for US$100. PM me if you want it!)
Maybe Asus Xonar DX/XD?
I do not know if it is equivalent to Sound Blaster Z but it works flawlessly and out-of-the-box on Ubuntu 14.10, including the front panel connection (the front panel output need to be enabled just the first time through alsamixer).
I recommend one of these.
I have used this for about 6 years, very happy with it
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB Audio System with Phono Preamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_50GjxbGPCQFDN
Here is the newer version of it:
Creative Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1 USB Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp and Integrated Beam Forming Microphone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZT7RE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_a2GjxbYXRZF08
I've been using a pair of Sennheiser HD650's for a few years now, and the sound is simply incredible. I was upgrading from some pretty cheap headphones at the time, so I did a lot of research, and tried a few high-end pairs. The Sennheisers were the most expensive I tried, but the quality was so notably better that I just went with them.
I listen mostly to classical, but also a fair amount of rock / pop / etc as well. Radiohead has never sounded so good.
The only other thing I might mention is I also got myself a good soundcard for my PC, as that's my music source. The card I have is the Asus Xonar Essence. That's also fairly high-end, but just be aware that if you have a cheap (or on-board) soundcard, the headphones won't reach their potential. I speak from some experience, as when I upgraded to a proper sound-card for the first time, my pretty cheap headphones at the time suddenly sounded 10X better. It was a revelation!
Technically yes it will do the job, but it won't sound any better than the headphone jack on your laptop, and will probably sound worse. Those kinds of adapters are designed for the most basic connectivity and no more.
The cheapest you can go while getting passable sound quality is going to be this. http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1449984706&sr=8-9&keywords=usb+sound+card
It depends on whether or not you're an audiophile.
This one will do just fine for people like me who aren't that picky about sound.
But if you really want to go balls to the wall something like this would be better.
The problem you might run into is the people that review sound cards. Half of them just want something super simple and half of them are audiophiles that are super picky about their sound.
There is a lot of denial on this subreddit that a discrete sound card actually has any benefit to the user under normal usage. However, I would gladly argue that any time as I feel they are certainly beneficial.
Without knowing what your current setup is, or what kinds of benefits you want from your audio its tough to make a recommendation. First and foremost, do you have a set of speakers that are hooked up to your computer right now? Without a good set of speakers, a sound card will almost prove pointless. Most users here seem to use headphones and that's why they deny that sound cards are worthwhile, as the sound quality for those has a lot more to do with the actual headphones, than a sound card providing audio to them.
Also, what kind of usage does your computer get? Do you listen to a lot of music? Do you watch a lot of movies on your computer, either streaming or from movies stored on your hard drive? Do you just want a better listening experience for everything you do and want crisper sounds that have better range?
Now, speaking only on assumptions... If you do have a decent speaker setup, then a sound card will certainly be better than on board audio, even if its compared to the Gene or Hero. Although, skimping out on a cheapy sound card that costs $30 probably wont give you better performance than the onboard audio on the listed MB's. You will need to step up to the more "enthusiast" sound cards. Those go from ~$75-150. Id recommend the Creative brand as they make a good product that will last quite a long time. I still have and currently use one of their better cards from back in 2008, and yes, the difference between on board audio and this card is immense with good speakers.
A wonderful deal on a really good sound card -$88 - today only on Amazon. This card usually goes for $110-120 as seen here.
However, if you are wondering if this would help for headphones, then I agree with Metalio, a DAC and AMP would be the way to go, after getting a good pair of headphones, and not the 'in-ear' variety.
The Creative Sound Blaster Zx is only $7 more than what the no-frills Z version normally goes for, if that's of interest to someone. I know there was an audio person on /r/buildapc that did an AMA who recommended either this or something of the Asus Xonar line when I asked about sound cards.
i used an internal sound card with mine (xonar dx). however most mobos have the functionality needed to run that.
http://www.bcot1.com/IMG_3915b.jpg
if your mobo has the same jacks as in the pic youll just plug into the green, orange and black. if you dont have those, get an internal card. what slots do you have free on the board? pci? pcie?
if pci maybe grab this http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Channels-Interface-Sound-RC-701/dp/B004F3BAKM/
if pcie maybe this http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/
sound wasnt the best but served well in games (especially when people try to come up behind).
I have 4 shakers set up on the 4 corners of my racing rig.
This is my DIY bass shaker setup:
Amp: http://www.parts-express.com/4x100w-at-4-ohm-tk2050-class-t-digital-audio-amplifier-board--320-335
Power Supply: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERNIGHT-24V-DC-14-6A-350W-Regulated-Switching-Power-Supply-Transformer-/331060676334?hash=item4d14c106ee:g:hV0AAMXQjWtRKt4z
Bass Shakers: http://www.amazon.com/Reckhorn-Bs-200-Tactile-Transducer-Theater/dp/B00AMH17GC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1425568544&sr=8-5&keywords=bass+shaker
Second Sound card to drive amp: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-SB1550/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1402934998&sr=8-8&keywords=sound+card
Bass Shakers: 4 x $40
Power Supply: 1 x $24
Amp: 1 x $50
Sound card: 1 x $30
DIY Total: $264
Examples:
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/724042-My-DIY-SimVibe-racing-rig
http://www.overclock.net/t/1354257/project-log-my-diy-simvibe-racing-rig
Have you considered buying a good pair of headphones and buying a separate microphone like one from ModMic? I'm using a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 OHMS along with a ModMic and I love it! There were things I was not hearing before in games, movies, and music. I since moved on to a Blue Yeti microphone but the ModMic served me well. Once you have a great pair of headphones, I always recommend getting a good souncard to go a long. Normally, I don't recommend soundcards unless you have a good pair of headphones. I'm currently using the Creative Soundblaster Z and I have to say that I'm impressed with the quality of sound that they've been able to pull off from this soundcard. I'd say that the Soundblaster Z is more of a mid-range soundcard. If you want the best in terms or soundcards then a Soundblaster Zxr or a Asus Xonar Essence STX will be a better choice. I hope this helps!
I think for most pc enthusiasts, they don't care much about audio quality.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not some hardcore audio enthusiast where I'm dropping thousands on sennheisers. However, I love tech, so knowing I can drop a little bit of cash to drastically improve the quality of something is in my ballpark.
For example, I didn't have the cash for an SM7B, cloud lifter, and a Scarlett 2i2, so I went with an AT2020 and a Behringer UMC22. Not the best, but a lot better than a headset mic.
Here's the card
Honestly I'd recommend an AV Receiver.
That said, check that your current PC doesn't have onboard 5.1 surround. If it doesn't you could pick up:
Obviously you can spend whatever you want on the speakers. The above would be great on a budget. Spend anymore and IMHO you should just get a receiver:
An AVR with HDMI input and 6 channel pre-out for that kind of setup would cost more than what replacing that setup with something straightforward would be.
Cheapest unit I know with full surround pre-out is the Denon AVR-X3300W. $1000.
https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hometheater/receivers/avrx3300w
Meanwhile a Denon AVRS530BT is $230 and an entry level 5.1 speaker kit is $300.
https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVRS530BT-Channel-Ultra-Receiver/dp/B06XYD1RZ3
https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Classic-Theater-System-Black/dp/B001202C44
If you really want to use those Philips speakers you will need a USB sound card that does 5.1 output. Keep in mind these don't handle decoding, you need the playback application to do that.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA
Something like that could work, you just need breakout 3.5mm cables so you have RCA for each rear channel, the center, and the sub.
I have this card for Dolby Digital (EDIT: It's Dolby Headphone) and it's fantastic:
ASUS Xonar
There's also custom drivers for it as well which are nice.
honestly an external dac/amp would be better than a soundcard, but if you arent willing to spend 100-200 extra for the dac/amp it would be better to go with headphones such as the sennheiser hd558/598 or ath m50x (I think the beyerdynamic dt770 also had a 32 ohm variant), as they dont require as much power.
If you however dont have a problem with the added price I would recommend the obective2+dac or the schiit magni and modi. THe fiio e12 and e18 are also good if you want portable amplifiers.There are cheaper alternatives out there, but they arent as good. There are also more expensive dac/amps out there, but then its usually double the price for a few percent better quality, so I dont think its worth it
But If you really want a soundcard instead of external dac/amps I have heard good things about the asus xonar essence stx, and they should be good as long as the headphones arent 600ohm (they might work great for 600 ohm headphones too, but I havent really checked). If you choose to go the soundcard route it might be good if you check for other alternatives too, as I havent paid much attention to them. A good way would be googling something like ¨what soundcard for x headphones¨
I could recommend a 7.1 card, and if you must have a 7.1 sourround headset, this is a fairly swell soundcard it: Asus Xonar DS
Having done as you ask, let me ask something. Do you really need a gimmicky 7.1 Headset? Because that's what it is: a gimmick. The individual drivers in the headset will not only be smaller (and thus lose any quality in bass, and be incredibly tinny in higher trebles), but the incredibly limited space for driver placement (opposed to how with a home theater, you have the entire room to place the speakers for surround) in the headphones, meaning that you'll find it incredibly difficult to actually discern the direction of a given sound in the 3d environment of a game, making the feature ever so slightly pointless.
Infact, in my experience (I've owned both a Turtlebeach 5.1 headset, and a 7.1 Razer Megalodon), even software virtualization techniques (for example, Dolby's Pro Logic software) beat a given 7.1 equipped headset in ability to make clear the direction of a given sound.
As many no doubt will recommend you do in this thread, I must recommend you pick up a quality set of headphones, and this is a good place to start looking for one. Along with that, I'd recommend you get a quality DAC (Digital-to-Analog converter, they function kind of like soundcard, but offer alot of benefits over a sound card, at the price of being outside the computer) such as this.
Of course, it's all subjective, and there's no way for me to convince you of the lovemaking-sounds a high quality set of headphones (with a DAC) can provide, without your experiencing it yourself. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck to you.
First double check that your PC doesn't have a combo jack (3.5mm analog and 3.5mm optical in the same port). a lot of modern PCs (especially macs) have this and if that's the case this is your best bet for audio. This is what you'd want.
​
If you're using HDMI output (especially if you're using a receiver or multiple HDMI inputs), something like this is a good choice.
​
If not, your next best bet is a internal soundcard with optical output (like this one) if it's a desktop, or an external USB soundcard with an optical output if it's a laptop (like this one).
​
If neither of these work, and/or you're on a device that only has a 3.5mm analog output and nothing else, you can use one of these with one of these adapters. It's known as an analog to digital converter (ADC) and will take in analog (RCA/3.5mm) and convert it to a digital format like optical. This isn't super recommended, as it add extra conversion steps to the process and will reduce the sound quality of your soundbar somewhat unless you pay out extra money for a high quality professional ADC.
Hey Guys, These headphones recently broke, and I have about £150 to spend on a set of headphones and I really want to get my first pair of good quality and really very good pair.
Source - ASUS Xonar DG PCI 5.1 Audio Card
Requirments -Mostly at home, but may walk to university as well or use at university.
Preferred type of headphones - Over-ear.
At the moment I'm looking at the [Sennheiser HD 598] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-598-Circumaural- Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2#Ask) Versus the [HD558] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004FEEY9A/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=556244467&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0042A8CW2&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1N00X3G5CMQ0A4M311GB) My question is, Are these the right headphones for me? and will I be able to tell the difference?
Ps, I game alot, and listen to a lot of liquid drum and bass!
EDIT* I've heard the HD598's are very bad with house and elctro music, (Two genres I'm quite into) Could anyone suggest headphones of similar look and feel that are good with these genres of music? ****
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2JQ5MAY68U0U0&keywords=sound+card+with+optical+out&qid=1555419401&rnid=493964&s=electronics&sprefix=sound+card+with+optical%2Celectronics%2C139&sr=1-9
get this.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1240/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1374796208&sr=8-4&keywords=thx+soundblaster
Looks like it could be an external sound card for PC. I think X-fi is a technology from Creative? There should be a model number or something on the back. If not, plug it into your PC and hope it's not some terrible hacked device that will blow up your computer.
Seriously though, I'm like 90% sure it's something similar to this.
The black and yellow jacks are "Rear" and "Center/Sub" connections, respecitvely. Sound Blaster has two external USB sound cards that have these connections:
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x-fi-surround-5-1-pro
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1
Amazon links:
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Performance-Headphone-Integrated-Microphone/dp/B00EZT7RE4
As for differences, you just have to take a closer look at features/specs and see what you want/need/future proof vs. prices. Good luck!
You will most likely need an external sound card.
Something like this should work:
http://www.amazon.com/External-USB-5-1-Sound-Card/dp/B000E3B872
or this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/tech-data/B0044DEDCA
An entire generation of Soundblaster internal and external sound cards support Dolby Digital Live decoding. Here's a super cheap example: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Performance-Headphone-Integrated-Microphone/dp/B00EZT7RE4
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA
I own a Marantz PM5004 Amplifier and Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 Bookshelf Speakers and have about £100 - £150 to spend on some new speakers. I have seen that What HiFi have awarded Best Budget Standmount Speakers 2013 to the Q Acoustics 2020i and I'm wondering if these are a worthwhile upgrade from the speakers I currently own. My only concerns are that I had not heard of this company prior to seeing them on What HiFi (but that could well be my ignorance) and two of their Best Buy awards went to this company which started to make me a little suspicious. The speakers are also quite old (?) now, released in 2011. I would appreciate a bit of advice on this upgrade or if alternative speakers would be more appropriate.
Thanks in anticipation!
tl;dr are Q Acoustics 2020i a worthwhile upgrade from Wharfedale Diamond 9.0?
Additional info: I listen to mostly Rock and Electronic music, using an Asus Xonar U3 USB DAC and my music is encoded at 190 Kbps VBR (which is likely unnecessary info but gives an idea of how
muchlittle I care about sound quality)Ich nehme mal an dass du eher im günstigeren Bereich bleiben willst. In dem Fall geht meine Empfehlung an die Asus Xonar U3. Klar, etwas teurer als deine bisherigen Karten, dafür aber von einem größeren Hersteller und mit Sicherheit ausdauernder als deine aktuellen.
Note: Evtl. musst du erst einen Treiber installieren bevor die Soundkarte korrekt funktioniert. Guckst du hier. Und für den Fall dass du Linux nutzt, die Xonar-Serie funktioniert meistens out-of-the-Box :)
My sound card came with a 5.25" controller that has a button to switch between my headset and my 5.1 surround sound speaker system - works great and it is instantaneous.
Also includes volume controls for both the speakers/headphones and microphone.
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Blaster-Fatal1ty-Champion-SB1354/dp/B0060SXDRI
While this might not be readily available, if you could get something similar it might do the trick for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Recon3D-Fatal1ty-SB1356/dp/B00654PTT2
Please read this first and edit your original post.
Off the bat, I can tell you that if you want semi-decent surround sound from your headphones you will have to look into either a PCI-E soundcard or USB device unless you purchase one of the many headsets that come with built in dolby headphone support (they usually connect via USB).
Headphones with multiple drivers (like the Razer Tiamat) are generally pretty garbage and I would recommend avoiding them. Likewise, most headphones/headsets labelled as 'gaming' products are also pretty poor value for money.
For something cheap, the Audio Technica AD700 is the go to for seemingly most people that want accurate positioning. You'll also want to pick up a cheap soundcard like a Xonar DGX to give you the benefit of Dolby Headphone (basically virtual surround sound).
I'd probably say get the SHP 9500s plus the v-moda Mic, they're compatible and it's still just one cable.
I'd recommend a cheap Asus sound card too, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1486457963&sr=8-6&keywords=asus+dx
A decent but cheap sound card can make your headphones and microphone sound massively better. But that can be something to look into in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlm1LmbLwGU
If you do ever get an Asus sound card, their drivers suck, but you can get custom drivers that fix issues here: http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/
Not the guy you're asking, but you don't need to go apeshit and buy some $150-$200 headset. But two things help better audio quality... better set of headphones and a dedicated sound card or at least an on board that has a build in headphone amplifier.
Also, I would buy a separate desktop microphone + headphones. A lot of times it's tough finding a good headphone with a good sounding microphone. Furthermore, there are issues with headsets where you get a lot of popping, lip smacking, etc since it's close to your mouth or it can catch your breathing and be annoying for people you're playing with. When you separate the two, you get the best of both worlds with a good microphone and a good set of headphones that you can also use to listen to music in public without looking like an idiot wearing a headset.
I'm using this sound card with Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone. Although, the Sony headphones are really high in price right now for some reason, you can get them for $70-80 if you look around. The reason I went with the Sony headphones, they're studio quality professional monitors. I bought these at a suggestion of a Tested review with Patrick Norton about headphones. Basically, he said that so many people who care about accurate audio representation (that's the key, no over Bass, etc) use these headphones as reference. Before, I was using Koss PortaPro Headphones which are still probably the best headphones under $100 by a long shot. My only problem is that they were open and not closed ear, so you get ambient audio mixed in and harder to isolate sounds. If you have a noisy environment around you, look for a closed headphones. They also have a short cable, so you'll need a headphone cable extension if you want to use these on a PC. The Sony have something like an 8 foot cable.
I prefer Sound Blaster Z/ZxR's surround to Dolby. Dolby tends to sound like a tin can where the Z/ZxR sounds more natural in a gaming situation. Altho since I've gotten better gear and developed a more sensitive ear I might just look into some type of crossover system that basically combines the Left and Right channels by a small percent to remove the hard left/right panning when gaming. That is basically all Dolby Headphone and Sound Blaster Surround does is just combine the two channels and throw the effects in a way that sounds more spacious.
If you're going with such a nice pair of cans like the K702's I'd go this route:
Sound Blaster Z
Schiit Modi Optical
Shiit Magni
You're going to spend $200 on the ZxR why not just get the Z a amp/dac that will last you for decades. A Schiit stack looks amazing, sounds amazing, is made in the US and has a 5 year warranty + 15 day satisfaction. The Modi Optical isn't in stock but I asked their CS the other day and they are shipped some to Amazon so they should be in stock very soon.
Your setup will look like this with the Z and Schiit amp/dac:
Sound Blaster Z > Optical cable > Modi > RCA's > Magni > Headphones.
If you go that route you get all of the benefits of the Z sound card (surround, EQ, etc) but get to bypass their lower quality amp/dac and use your own which will last much longer and sound much better.
this only relates to general use and gaming for me because i dont know the kind of equipment people who create music or work with audio actually need.
my answer would be it depends on your situation and what you need from your sound card. i had a logitech z5500 system forever now i've switched to their newer z906 setup. both of these sound systems can accept dolby true surround and thats usually a crapshoot with onboard audio. if you have a more simple or non dolby based sound system you would probably be fine with on board audio. also if you use a headset for the most part, especially a USB headset, you will likely be fine with on board audio.
i bought a sound blaster z for my new build because i didnt want to fiddle with on board attempting to output dolby true surround and probably end up with upscaled stereo anyways, but more importantly i needed something with optical in and out so i can hook up my consoles to my PC line in and still hopefully get dolby surround from those. i will say the dolby integration with this sound card is better and easier to use than any on board audio i've had in the past, but these two things are specific requirements that you might not need.
i also wouldve been perfectly fine using on board audio and aux cables for everything but i'd be listening to simulated surround and my consoles would be stereo only, to me and with this system it made a difference to buy one.
I do not understand the differences between DAC, AMP, Pre-Amp, and Sound Card for powering/driving audio at good quality. Would this sound card do the job or do I absolutely need an amp? If I do need an amp can I run that and the sound card? The sound card is important to me for gaming because they have "scout mode" that allows me to hear footsteps way easier in some games.
Is this okay? The $20 said vista on it so I said no to that.
In regards to lightening the CPU load, this is not the case.
You can shift most of the workload to a sound card or an interface and gain a ton of slack for your CPU. You can make this upgrade *relatively* inexpensive, but you can easily get into more bells and whistles with external interfaces.
​
Here's a few links for some examples:
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/
https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-GENERATION-USB-Recording/dp/B005OZE9SA/
https://www.amazon.com/Steinberg-UR12-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B00QY4RLRQ/
https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-96-Interface/dp/B06ZZCR6P4/
Check out this page to get a little more info on how to reduce latency issues while using Ableton for a little more help: https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209072289-How-to-reduce-latency
Specs for those who don't read imgur descriptions..
Not sure if you have pci-e x1 slot but I am using Sound Blaster Z to output optical PCM to my Dolby Digital receiver. You would probably be better served putting money toward a better receiver with hdmi inputs. All of the new Dolby codecs are going to require hdmi; coax and toslink are a dying breed.
http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E
The Card & Speakers are both around $75 by themselves but are $110 when bought together from Creative's Site.
Speakers on Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Inspire-Multimedia-Speaker-System/dp/B009T9YU4K
Soundcard on Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E
Are you using your headset on stream pc and listening to the capture card? when an audio device receives and plays back the same audio it causes crackling, my HD60 pro does the same thing.
If you have about 100$ to spend, my solution to this mess was to get 2 video cards, you only need 1 if your gaming PC has SPDIF out.
I have a Xonar DG in my gaming pc for SPDIF output, you need to find drivers online that work for win8 or newer.
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6
An Sound Blaster z, for SPDIF input to the streaming PC.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_tr_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HV6NYMKHG3BS07HYEGCE
And an SPDIF cable of course to connect the two, the result is lossless audio since it uses optical. Its the more expensive solution, but it works.
No worries.
I would recommend checking out this video and seeing if you think it makes a difference to you first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnpLUlD20z8 ... I use an Astro Mixamp for my console gaming and wanted to try out a soundcard for my first pc build so I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1415131668&sr=8-13&keywords=asus+xonar ... Got it for $70 on sale, btw. With that said, I personally enjoy having the soundcard. I like having 3d sound emulation from my stereo headsets and personally I can hear a difference between the different technologies. I like the THX (same as SBX I believe) for it's overall accuracy and immersion. With that said, the soundcard is also useful for playing around with equalizer settings, using a voice changer in game (just for fun) and for managing multiple audio sources on one pc: for example, I have my headphones plugged into the card as well as my 2.1 speakers and can choose which one I want outputting sound at any given moment. Additionally the soundcard has an on board amp which helps if you have hard to drive headphones. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary to get a soundcard as you could download and try out the razer sound software for free, but if you have the available funds and perhaps a Frys around you (or another retailer that has a great return policy on open products) I'd say give it a try. So in summary it's up to you and your budget but I'm enjoying mine.
On a side note, if you don't already have headphones/headset, check this out: http://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Cloud-Gaming-Headset-KHX-H3CL/dp/B00JJNQG98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415132242&sr=8-1&keywords=cloud+hyper
has favorable reviews and this is the cheapest I've seen it yet. Also, if you'd really like to delve into sound and gaming, check out this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-10-15-2014-beyerdynamic-t51i-added
let me know if you have any other questions.
Cheers.
Some suggestions for keyboard/mice:
Lenovo N5902. Goes on sale regularly.
Logitech K400
Generic keyboard/touchpad remote. There are many slight variants on this.
I've found that due to the size/shape/content of my living room, a wireless receiver plugged into my HTPC doesn't work 100% reliably. I've connected a USB extension cable to the back of my HTPC and run it behind things and under my couch to give me the best reception. Generally you can go up to 15 feet; any longer than that and you need a powered extension.
If you have a Logitech Harmony remote, I highly recommend the OVU4003/00 (RC6) USB IR reciever. Once set up with Windows and the Harmony remote, it works with XBMC/Kodi out of the box. This receiver was branded as HP/Dell/Gateway/Philips and probably many more. A Flirc is another option but it is ugly (IMO) and more expensive.
Regarding hardware, if you aren't gaming you don't need a lot. When using older gear the most important thing is video hardware acceleration. For Intel machines, you need something with at least GMA 4500 (Q45 chipset) graphics or later, and for AMD you need something with at least a 760G chipset. This hardware dates back to 2008/2009. Dedicated graphics cards should be at least a Radeon HD 2600 or a GeForce 8500. These cards date back to 2006/2007. CPUs are a grey area, but any mainstream dual core CPU (Athlon X2, Core 2 Duo) from 2007+ should be able to handle most everything. My first HTPC had an AMD Athlon X2 5000+ and it's still working just fine with W7 and Kodi.
If you want to game (and don't want to use a device like the DOKO), you'll need to find a quiet case that supports full length video cards. There are a bunch available, and I'm not sure if this has changed in the last 2-3 years, but the vast majority of HTPC cases large enough to support full size gear and M-ATX motherboards are simply too long to fit in a standard A/V rack or TV stand. The only exceptions I am aware of are the Silverstone GD05 and GD04. I'd be willing to bet that Silverstone has some other cases that will work also.
Additionally, you'll want to find a PSU, case fans and CPU cooler that are quiet and efficient. The best resource for this is http://www.silentpcreview.com/.
Lastly, if your A/V receiver has only S/PDIF audio inputs (no HDMI) and you want to play games in 5.1 surround sound, you're going to need to find either a sound card or motherboard with an S/PDIF output that supports DTS-Connect and/or Dolby Digital Live. Motherboards stopped coming with this around 2008 (AFAIK) and the cheapest option to get it in an add-on card is the Sound Blaster Z.
This is the OEM Here is a great deal on the Creative Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 5.1 Channels 24-bit PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card - OEM , http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=29-102-053
I found.
This is the same one, but retail with the mic and shield. http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E
I've seen the OEM go as low as $50. The retail down to $70.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E
Its not on the Amazon description.
http://us.store.creative.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Z-PCIe-Sound/M/B009ISU33E.htm
I think a sound card might fit my needs more. I do not need it to be portable. Would save me a little money compared to portable dac/amp i think.
Does this one look good?
Anyone have an opinion/experience on this sound card? I've been meaning to pick one up.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Desktop/dp/B009XDWUCQ/ref=br_lf_m_565132_1_8_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&pf_rd_p=1976832062&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=565132&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1J0QGKDGYCTZAGVHVCX1
It can be good, but I've only seen the better chips in ATX motherboard, not MicroATX, and it can be very good if you get a top of the line motherboard. I've never seen audiophile grade integrated audio, people get a decent DAC or a good external sound card if the're richer, and high-end internal sound cards obviously exist as well.
Alternative: buy a motherboard that fits your specs minus the audio, and add a pcie sound card:
Here you go
You can do price checks for amazon stuff on that website. Just plug in the link.
EDIT: You can summon the pricezombie bot by linking an amazon, newegg (and a bunch of other sites) product in a comment or an OP.
PCIe audio card
https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=pcie+audio+card&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
https://smile.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=pcie+audio+card&qid=1562009491&s=gateway&sr=8-3
EDIT: except you want it plugged into the audio connector, give a sec
EDIT: I give up, just buy the sound card.
I have this one .
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ecxJDbP6ADBYF
It's slightly shaped like a square, and is glowing red, correct? If yes, then that is optical audio, which is audio output only.
You'll need to get a sound card.
https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-SB1570/dp/B00EO6X4XG/
I was going to say, a sound card like that should be $3-6 (USD) so you are right in the range. Those things are great for testing but probably not so great as a permanent solution.
If you game or care about audio fidelity for any reason I would go out and buy a decent sound card, yes!
You could "go nuts" and buy something like this Creative Audigy but it probably isn't strictly necessary. Then again, it's only $40 USD.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG
Otherwise, just see what kind of port you have free on your motherboard and buy something for around $20 USD that fits. That price range should get you something respectable.
Example (PCI) sound card =
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Channel-Surround-Adapter-PCISOUND5CH2/dp/B00JLREDZG
Good luck!
I got a pair of Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 80 ohms yesterday, and I currently have THIS sound card. My previous headphones (JVC Harx900) were loud as absolute fuck with the sound card, to the point of being able to use them as speakers. So the quietness of the beyerdynamics is a little startling. I want to probably get an amp, but how big of a difference would that make? The creative audigy sound card claims to have a 600 ohm headphone amp, is that just shenanigans or will an amp really make a huge difference?
TLDR - is a real amp better than a sound card that claims to have an amp
Likely the audio chip got shorted out someway or another then. If you're cheap you can get USB audio for like $7.
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501798280&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+audio
Ideally imo you'll want an external audio card as it'll sound a lot better than $7 audio. $38 for a sound blaster card which would sound a lot better than the USB audio.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1501798360&sr=1-3&keywords=sound+card
I would say you are pushing the limits of what the system can. Apologies as I know you are worried about the cost and said something about it in your post, but you may need a sound card and speakers that can do what you are looking for. Here are some relatively inexpensive examples:
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Surround-Theater-Speaker-System/dp/B003VAK1FA/
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Audio-AA5170-Theater-Bluetooth/dp/B00IBINI7K/
My apologies. I posted very late yesterday and only one very helpful person replied. He suggested that I get the AKG K553
Budget - $100 push me and I might budge, but it really just has to fit what I'm looking for.
Source - My computer has a mediocre soundcard that I purchased to run my Sennheiser PC350 Special Editions (which I find awful)
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO6X4XG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Requirements for Isolation - I need isolation as I use a condenser mic and I have two very crazy dogs.
Location - These are going to be strictly for gaming at my computer. Preferred Type of Headphone - I need full sized that will go over my ears. I have rarely found headphones that are comfortable. I can wear the Logitech sets. G930s were incredibly comfortable.
Preferred tonal balance - I would like a balanced set but I would be A-OK with a deeper bass. When using the Sennheiser PC350 SEs I found it to be far too shrill unless I brought the highs down and the lows up.
Past headphones - (From Most Comfortable to Least) Logitech G930s, Logitech G230s, Sennheiser PC350 SE, Sony MDR-7506 (these last ones kill my ears after about 20 minutes)
Preferred Music - I am not worried about how these sound with music. I'm more concerned about how they sound with environments and being able to have an immersive experience.
What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I don't need a mic anymore and would like to just get a nice pair of cans that I would like a set that creates a good seal around my ears, can stay on for extended periods of time, has decently full sound with being neither heavily bass or heavily treble (but would lean towards the lower frequencies if I had to pick.)
Some of the sets I was looking at are the Audio-Technica M40x, Plugged Crown Over-Ear, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, Superlux HD668B, AKG K550, AKG K553, Superlux HD-681 EVO
i have the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy PCIe RX 7.1 Sound Card. It will power them. Fairly good price imo.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG
Thanks man, the only other option would be to get a soundcard, something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-Performance/dp/B00EO6X7PG for example which is similar price. Although tbh I have no idea how to tell which one would produce higher quality recorded audio / sound.
http://smile.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG?sa-no-redirect=1
The Audigy RX 7.1 is what I'm using for my ModMic currently, and it's absolutely solid for the price. Amazon Warehouse Deals has them for ~$45, and you can always return it if the 'cosmetic scratches' affect the usability of the product at all.
I currently have it on +20db boost and level set at 40/100 and I've gotten quite a few comments on how I sound better than I did before from the people I hang out with on Skype, etc. Best $50 for mic input I've spent, and I've tried a bunch of stuff to try to get the best audio experience.
Also, it has dual microphone inputs, which is useful if you stream games played with friends or if you want to keep your ModMic and your G4ME One plugged in at the same time but switch between the two.
I don't really know much about this subject, or the original price, but it's a little over $200 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Sound-Essence-STX-II/dp/B00ONSBF4K
I had to make sure I wasn't imagining that so I looked for it. Lo and behold!
It has PCIe 3.0 and it's considered to be a better board overall.
Forgot the SSD, better get this:
http://www.amazon.de/Crucial-CT128M4SSD2-128GB-interne-SSD-Festplatte/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1323954768&sr=1-1
http://www.alternate.de/html/product/Crucial/RealSSD_M4_2,5_SSD_128_GB/954190/?
That Creative is old, better this one
http://www.amazon.de/interne-Soundkarte-Digital-Technik-Profile/dp/B00198DM2K/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1323955026&sr=1-1
Here's a nice case
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p619050_Lancool-PC-K62-Midi-Tower-ohne-Netzteil-schwarz.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4XCT9yibwQ
Building a new PC.
ROG SupremeFX S1220 on the motherboard.
Current system has Creative Labs SB0880 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium card.
Sennheiser Momentum headphones.
Where should I focus my ~200 USD budget?
I'm apparently retarded and bought the X-Fi Xtreme which doesn't natively have it nor does the connect pack work for it. Now realizing this I went and bought the X-Fi Titanium
This guy is actually right to some degree, man. You know how we all preffer, when talking about gaming, a dedicated graphics card? Well, the same thing happens with sound cards. GPU sound outputs aren't usually great and have a lot of interference, but that doesn't mean that all GPUs will have crappy outputs.
If you are comfortable with the sound that you have, well, keep it that way, because it's your setup and well, the point of having a setup is that you like it and are comfortable with it, though, I think you should give a dedicated sound card a try.
I use this one which works quite well (I don't see the need to run audio through HDMI, but perhaps that's just one of the perks of not being able to totally embrace the digital era that I will eventually deal with) and installation is a rather tricky business, but the card does deliver (at least in my case it did).
I think you'd be better off buying a FiiO E11 instead of trying to get someone to trade with you. I mean, it's not exactly fair to do a straight trade of a $120 sound card for a $170 to $250 sound card.
I noticed it uses a usb volume control. Maybe one of your usb ports has a poor voltage regulator and is emitting interference through the power bus? It's worth checking by plugging into other sources.Anyway that sound card was on razer's recommended list but I've never heard that headset myself so I can't comment on weather it would benefit from that sound card. If that's too expensive I'd go for this. I've had good experience with Asus sound cards and I tend to stay far away from creative due to my experience with them.
Your computer needs to have optical output or coaxial (mainly these are found on A/V receivers). You can buy a soundcard like the Asus Xonar DG, which has optical output.
It would go Xonar DG in PC>H1>A20>Headphone.
Why, whats wrong with 30 bucks on a Soundcard .. (edit: 19.99 with a MIR) ... Not hard.
There's probably not a way to make this work with the setup you have.
If you are determined to get this to work while spending as little money as possible, you could get a new sound card for your PC that has an optical audio output. (a.k.a. S/PDIF). E.g. at random here is a $29 one.
The other solution would be to get a new AVR setup that has at least one HDMI input. That is by far the preferable solution if you care about good sound but you would have to replace the speakers as well so this could get expensive. Probably only worth it if you are willing to spend at least $500.
I'm running from my onboard sound card through a pair of speakers with a powered amp in them. I'm waiting till I get more money and I plan on getting this amp.
get a soundblaster sound card. something the x-fi card and send on via optical, and the other via 3.5mm to RCA. The output to the TV via optical. I know you can mix toslink and usb signal and have the output speaker play both at the same time. Never tried with 3.5mm.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_15_sspa?keywords=external+sound+card&qid=1562090684&s=electronics&sr=1-15-spons&psc=1
​
PS
since you want to combine 2 ps4, one comes in via usb, and the other comes in via optical. Then output to the soundbar via optical Problem solved. Any of the soundblaster external cards can do that.
I use a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB Audio System to drive AKG 701s out of a laptop and it sounds perfect to me. It also has outputs for powered speakers and it does not require the Creative Labs software that comes with it to run.
EDIT: I use Winamp's equalizer(free).
Not really.
Is your mic built into your headset? You should invest in an amp maybe something like this.
What is your least expensive "better than a cellphone" recommendation, I'm going to throw out this, although I remember it being much cheaper on Black Friday a few years ago
Edit: spelling
I do exactly what you plan to to with this
Are USB sound cards cheap? I'm looking on Amazon and seeing some small cool looking ones for $30, wondering if that's a good price
Like this one
A USB one would be nice cuz I have plenty of USB space on my new tower and motherboard
Or a USB Sound Card. Creative makes a good one
https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Soundblaster-Audio-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1522688359&sr=8-14&keywords=Creative+Sound+Card
I recommend that you buy a USB X-Fi Go! Creative Audio sound card and a small mixer with phantom power. All the USB mics I've used have been terrible. Some pre and an external sound card will do you good. Especially if you later decide to expand your recordings. It'll cost you $200 max.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Soundblaster-Audio-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0
http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Audio-ST51-Diaphragm-Microphone/dp/B003OA1BUQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331437866&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Premium-8-Input-Compact-Silver/dp/B004O2P6EU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331437846&sr=1-1
should probably check our /r/headphones
It depends what your onboard is and how terrible it is. I use this creative usb as the input for my modmic 4. I use a yulong u100 as my output dac/amp to my Senn HD598s for gaming, but use a Bifrost Uber and Lyr 2 to drive my hifiman HE500s.
I just tested my mod mic with onboard, my portable xonar U3, and the creative usb. Onboard without mic boost was inaudible, with mic boost it's ok, but not great. The U3 has no mic boost and fell half way between onboard without boost and with, but sounded much better. The creative USB with boost off was about the same as the U3, but with boost I have to turn the gain down to about 70% or it is overbearingly loud. I position the mic about 1" from the side of my mouth as it's supposed to be placed.
output impedance is pretty high on the STX, the usual 10Ω found in soundcards. The DAC in it is decent, but the output stage is pretty blah. You're better off with a real headphone amp.
If you're getting ready to piss $200 on an STX, skip it and buy a Magni 2/Modi 2 stack or O2+ODAC for the headphones, then a something like an X-fi go for mic input.
Grab something like this, I think something has happened to the sound part of your motherboard. If this works at least you can use it instead.
The easiest solution to this might just be a $30 USB DAC, like the Soundblaster X-Fi Go or Behringer UCA202. They'll easily let you record two channels of audio, and monitor it with standard headphones.
Depends on how picky you are about sound quality. If you don't really care and just want it working then you could go with any cheap option, or if you want a better known brand, there's the slightly pricier Sound Blaster X-Fi or Asus Xonar U5.
You only get Dolby Digital if you are using a sound card that supports Dolby Digital Live. Had the exact same problem.
I had one of these lying around from the time I only had a laptop: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Soundblaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt
With this external soundcard I am now able to use Dolby Digital in every game that supports 5.1. I use the optical output for that.
EDIT:
You can use this internal soundcard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132053
It uses DTS connect, so your home theater has to support DTS. Mine doesn't so I have to stick to Dolby Digital Live.
Here an even cheaper one, but open box and PCI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132013R
If you get a usb "sound card" you have dozens and dozens of options. Here is a creative labs sound card with optical out (I have not researched it, I just providing an example). Search for usb sound card surround, or usb sound card optical, etc.
You're looking for a USB DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter), also called an external soundcard, or some combination of those.
Ones that are a desktop "box" rather than a large dongle tend to be more expensive, however here's one from Asus that a quick Amazon search turned up. Creative is also a name worth looking out for, there's this one and this smaller one There are also higher end ones more suitable if you're doing music or video production, which have high-quality inputs for microphones and instruments.
Don't worry if you find ones that take a 6.25mm (1/4") headphone cable as you can get converters easily. You can certainly get more expensive.
Edit: The Razer box probably does some simulated surround sound processing, I believe the Asus and Creative products should have simulated surround sound (and probably do a better job of it) in addition to enough speaker outputs to have true surround sound. Simulated surround isn't for everyone, and can be turned off.
Worth mentioning is the Sennheiser GSX 1000, which got a great review from HardwareCanucks, especially the simulated surround sound. Very expensive though.
TL;DR
It's a type of USB Soundcard, the Razer one has the wires fixed in. Only some of them are boxes with volume controls on them, so shop around.
If you're unable to find one, another solution could be to get a USB Sound Card like this. Creative makes a lot of USB Sound solutions. I've personally used the one linked in the past, and it was great for my needs at the time.
There's a wide range of options, from the "$10-15, decent, it works": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Adapter-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B01HPMHOY0/
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Converter-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B01M7QQQC7/
There's fancier stuff:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044DEDCA/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018JUPY3A/
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Performance-Headphone-Integrated-Microphone/dp/B00EZT7RE4/
Or for the wealthy audiophile: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-X7-High-Resolution-Headphone-Connectivity/dp/B00Q3XLGLU/
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1505352459&sr=8-7&keywords=usb+5.1+sound+card
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Adapter-External-Digital-ICUSBAUDIO7D/dp/B002LM0U2S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1505352459&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+5.1+sound+card
Ok. I understand what you are trying to do and it will be a bit of a pain in the wallet no matter how you slice it.
I can think of 3 ways to go:
As you can see, there really is no magic bullet for what you are trying to do with an analog signal - if your speakers and headphones were capable of digital input this would be much simpler.
BTW just bought one of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEDCA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 works like a charm! It seems to be the Dolby Digital Live encoder that E:D uses that my realtek card didnt support. Now I am getting flawless surround sound for 50$. Hope this helps!
I have one of these and they work wonders on laptops
You could get the 598's, a cheap USB DAC like the Fiio e10, and use Razer Surround for 7.1.
Alternatively you could get the Asus Xonar U3 and use the Dolby on there. It will be about the same.
I'm going to have to disagree with the people saying not to get a sound card. If you're going to embrace the dragon, then get something like this shit. I mean, look at that! It's red, it's black, it's huge, and it comes with a front panel component! There's no logical reason for you to want to pay $160 or whatever on it, but how sexy is that front panel going to look?
Buy Superlux HD681 EVO -headphones and ModMic 4.0 -microphone.
And with Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 (w/ these custom drivers http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/), your mic's and headphone's quality will improve - especially microphone's
And yeah, never buy 7.1/5.1/virtual surround headphones.
I'm told Amazon UK will ship to Australia. Check out what it'll cost to ship to you.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007RMMYFI/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1341672534&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/
https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK
I have this one, very happy with it.
I used to have those speakers connected to an HTPC. Your motherboard doesn't have the audio connections to use surround sound with them. The motherboard would need the black, orange and grey ports for rear, center and middle speakers.
This ASUS Xonar DGX has what you need for those speakers.
I think I used to have that board, and I think I remember, just possibly, that the software can repurpose the outputs.. Open up the realtek control panel software, plug some earbuds into one of the other jacks, and see if you can change it from stereo to 5.1...
if not, a PCiE sound card that will be better than onboard audio shouldn't take much of your budget at all.. something like this would work: http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK?ie=UTF8&keywords=sound%20card%20PCie&qid=1465427164&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
Nice writeup OP! For those looking to save a bit more.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAG1ZG0
https://smile.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ
with a zalman gives amazing sound/audio for under $100 for everything. i cant go back to "gaming" headsets.
Even a lower end sound card like the Asus Xonar DGX should be more than good enough.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TMZ1BK/
It has 5.1 analog outputs and S/PDIF outputs, so you can try out both and see which one give you better results.
I'm not even sure if it's possible to properly support DTS over S/PDIF, so that might just be a crapshoot.
The Asus Xonar DGX has a front panel audio header on it.
Edit: I missed the part about the PCI slots. The Asus Xonar DG is basically the same thing with a PCI connector. That's the one you want.
Either way go with a sound card. One of the best purchases I've ever made.
Your first step should be to get off onboard sound. The two easiest routes here would either getting a dedicated sound card or a USB DAC/amp combo.
If you decide on upgrading your sound card, something like the Asus DG/DGX will do fine to start with; they'll clean up the sound nicely and will be good enough to drive an efficient set of headphones. Later when you upgrade your headphones, you can then upgrade to the ST/STX and get yourself a proper amp like the Matrix M-stage or 02. That would imo be the better option in the long run.
The USB DAC/amp combo like the Fiio E10 will be a better option if you plan on getting slightly harder to drive headphones from the get go, e.g. Senns, Beyer...
That leaves you with around $250-$300 for the headphones. For your uses(movies and rock), an open pair of headphones like the AD900 would be a great all rounder; great comfort and very efficient. Also have a look at the Beyer DT880, also a good choice within your budget. These would have a wide soundstage perfect for movies and be versatile enough for most music. An open set will generally sound more natural than a closed one.
If you really need closed, the Brainwavz HM5 would be a good choice and way under your budget, enough left over to get yourself a set of Grado SR80. Grados are known as the hardest rocking headphones around, with a fast energetic and upfront sound that goes great with rock/alternative/metal/anything fast paced.
As some others mentioned, the Beyer DT770 are a nice set but a bit too bassy for my liking. I much prefer the DT250-80, which have a great smooth midrange.
Oh man, I so want this product now but extras like the software and the extra sound card keep creeping up.
My main soundcard is this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Does that mean I need another one?
Thanks,
In terms of power, the Amazon listing specs a Maxim MAX97220 chip amp that is rated for 2Vrms into 600ohms.
Implementation matters a lot here (along with supply voltage), but since this is all I can find to go on, that's slightly under powered (~108dB SPL) by the 110dB 'rule'. If you don't listen to a lot of really loud high dynamic range music, you probably won't notice.
Personally, the thing I find most annoying when it comes to soundcards is the typical lack of a physical volume control.
That's kinda what I'm hung up on though.
Comparing these three models in the Asus line I'm not really sure what the differences are and how that translates to quality.
Let alone how they then compare to the higher end Essence cards or the Creative ones.
Sound card for Audeze LCD-2?
I have my eyes set in the Audeze LCD-2's in the best future and could use a bit of advice regarding sound cards. I was using an Asus Xonar DX with Fiio e12 which was great for my Beyerdynamics DT 990 250ohm for gaming, music, and movies (in that order).
My Xonar DX is being RMA'd because of some issues, sold the Fiio e12, and I have been using a creative x-fi HD USB DAC/amp since.
I've been thinking of buying Schiit Magni but would that just be amping an amp out of the Xonar DX?
Thanks
Few of the top sellers today, i have the Xonar hooked to my home stereo.
Both companies make several models to choose from. just check Amazon or Newegg reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-Channel-XONAR_DX-XD-90-YAA060-1UAN00Z/dp/B00198DM2K
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E
While there is nothng wrong with onboard the jump in quality and sound level after installing the card was impressive.
The Asus Xonar DX should fit your price range. This is a probably the best sound card if you're under a budget and want great sound. The high sample rate will complement well with FLAC/high bit-rate MP3's and movies.
Another option is the Creative Sound Blaster Z The sample rate isn't AS high as the Xonar, but it's still a good card. The only reason I might suggest this is if you're a die-hard gamer. Creative is EAX certified and some people swear that the positional-audio is better. However, I still suggest the Xonar as Asus has been able to replicate the same quality of 3D sound with their drivers over the years.
So this + this would be a good choice?
I have no idea :(
Hey fuzeebear,
First off thank you so much for replying! I've looked at different audio interfaces, and I prefer the mixing boards. Originally I was going to get a Scarlett 2i2, which seems to be pretty standard for people who make Youtube videos. However, my goal is to get my EQ and compression set so that I don't have to do it in post. That is why I was looking at the Mackie ProFX8 because it has inserts and AUX so that I could experiment around with different setups.
I think there was a miscommunication, probably stemming from me trying to type this on my phone. Anyways, my question is: Is it better to use the USB output or to go through an internal sound card. The sound card I have on my mother board I linked. I would be looking at about $100 for an internal sound card such as the ASUS Xonar DX or Sound Blaster Z. Is it worth it to get a dedicated sound card or just use the one on my mother board? Obviously I will spending more on the rest of my setup.
The Akai EIE Pro looks more promising. I'm not sure the Komplete Audio 6 fits with the setup that I am trying to accomplish because I would have to do my EQ and compression in post.
What I am looking at right now is my mic going into the Mackie ProFx8 with a compressor in the Insert. Then either a USB to my computer or directly into an internal sound card. will this work?
Hello,
I recently bought speaker system from the picture, called Audionic Pace 6.
http://www.audionic.co/product/pace-6-5-1-channel-speaker
http://imgur.com/smpBuoW (backside of the system)
I wanted to use it with my Creative SB0880 5.1 sound card
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YuiRfQoUL.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0880-Express-Blaster-Titanium/dp/B001E25KDK
But I really don't know how to make the two work together. The yellow pins go into the detached speakers and the red/white ones are for my sound card. I tried using the 3.5mm RCA Audio Cable, but it only works 2 pins-to-1(if you even understand what that means).
So if I use this cable, 1 slot on the sound card uses up two slots on the speaker system(eg. FL and FR) - Which I don't believe is ideal..
http://www.vesalia.de/pic/35mm2xrca5m.jpg
Should I buy a new soundcard with similar inputs as being seen on the speakers? or something else.
Help would be appreciated.
I have a creative SB0880
Well the sticker says its a SB0880 but my card looks more like the SB0886 since it has the hawt Fatal1ty cover on it.
I also have a xonar essence stx if you are interested in that.
Just a Creative X-Fi. They are cheap now, but it was ~ $100 when I got it.
I think just the direction is all that is needed, distance would be dictated by volume. One sound probably isn't too difficult, but calculating lots of sounds fast enough to have you hear it at the moment the graphics card displays a frame is more difficult.
Hello, i have a soundblaster x-fi titanium i was planning on putting up on here in the next day or two. im lookin for $40 shipped for the thing, and im strongly considering trading it for your board. tell me if any of this sounds ok to you, thanks
this is the exact card
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0880-Express-Blaster-Titanium/dp/B001E25KDK
Any game with surround sound (e.g. Left 4 Dead) and a 3D sound card will work.
Hey folks. I'm looking for some input for a headphone upgrade. This is used for both music and gaming.
I'm presently using Audio Technica ATH-a700s. They're very comfortable for extended sessions, and the soundstage is fantastic (which is especially useful when gaming)
The soundcard is the Asus Xonar Essence STX, so higher impedance headphones wouldn't be a problem.
I have kind of a big head, too. I had a pair of Sennheiser HD280s and those felt like a clamp on my noggin and were uncomfortable after like 10 minutes.
A decent balance of isolation and wide soundstage is what I'm looking for, primarily.
For PC Audio, I use a Asus Xonar STX. It has incredible sound and clarity, and is the hands down best audiophile soundcard available. It is also very good for gaming as well.
Its closer to $200, but you can find it for less if you look.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OV789U/?tag=pcpapi-20
(He specifically asked for Sound Card, so that is what my advice is)
I love the 650's myself. Did a lot of research on head-fi forums for the heaphones that have the type of sound I want. I read this whole thread and other post and from what I gathered the 650's are often described as very laid back and smooth for a very relaxing sound). The sound quality is better then anything iv'e ever had; I previous used the Audio-Technia A700 which I though were great but the 650's are on a whole different level.
The price (around $350) certainly isn't for everyone. On top of buying the headphones themselves, you have to have an amplifier and digital to analog converter to do them any justice. That's atleast another $200 right there for something that's entry level but will sound good. I use an Asus Xonar STX soundcard which does a fine job at amplifying them. One of the best things about the sennheiser HD 650's is that they really scale with better gear; sometime in the future I plan to upgrade to a better amplifier. If you just plug them straight into your ipod or out of your computers stock sound ports, they may sound simply "okay" but you'll be amazed once you hear them from a proper amp.
Also keep in mind that headphones will only sound as good as your source; 128kbs mp3's simply suck, 192kbs will sound kinda weak, but when you get up to 256-320kbps mp3's you're pretty much good to go. FLAC is great, but I personally have a hard time noticing a different between 320kbps mp3's and lossless FLAC files.
There's no doubt the setup is expensive, but absolutely worth it to me since I spend 3-6 hours a day with them on my head and simply love rediscovering how good songs I've listened to many times before sound all new thanks to how good the headphones are. If you want a decent set of can sthat don't break the bank, I'd go with the Audio-Technica M50
Type|Item
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (@ 4.4 GHz)
CPU Cooler | Phanteks PH-TC14PE_OR 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler | $85
Motherboard | Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $270
RAM | (2x for 8GB total) Transcend AxeRam 2x2GB 2400 MHz (10-12-11-28) | 2x $86
Sound Card | ASUS Xonar Essence STX | $190
GPU | EVGA GTX 780 B-Stock (@ GPU: 1000 MHz, Memory: 7000 MHz) | $420
PSU | SeaSonic Platinum 860W | $200
Storage | (2x in RAID 0) Corsair Force GT 120 GB SSD | $120
Storage | (2x in RAID 1) Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD | 2x $88
Case | Fractal R4, White with window | $100
Fans | (4x) Phanteks PH-F140TS_OR | 4x $10
Lights | NZXT Hue | $30
GPU Backplate | EVGA GTX 780 Backplate | $20
I don't have any recent pics, but it's an orange/white theme. EDIT: Mostly for running research simulations, but also does gaming and photo editing.
Get one of these badbois:
http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-XONAR-ESSENCE-STX-90-YAA0C0-0UAN00Z/dp/B001OV789U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415027835&sr=8-3&keywords=xonar
And get ready for your ears to ejaculate.
Something like this is more geared towards gaming but I believe that something like this has a better headphone AMP.
Proof
Type|Item|
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-5930K |
CPU Cooler | Corsair H100i v2 |
Motherboard | EVGA Micro 2 MicroATX |-
Memory | Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 |
Storage | Samsung 850 250GB |
Storage | Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB |
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX Titan X 12GB Superclocked & ACX 2.0 |
Sound Card | Xonar STX
Case | Corsair Air 240 MicroATX |
Power Supply | Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum
added 6 corsair red LED fans, ram light bar kit and red corsair cables.
I use AKG Q701 headphones with an Asus Essence STX soundcard and a $20 desktop mic from bestbuy.
True headphones > Headset. I can hear everything!!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004444O46/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OV789U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've been doing some research on headphones with my primary use being gaming and movies. I think I may have narrowed it down to the HD 598, but I've also been looking at the Q 701 and sort of stumped on what might be best for me as I'm fairly new to this.
Another thing I've also been looking into is amps, mainly because I do plan on probably upgrading the headphones years down the line when I have more income. One of the amps in particular that I've seen talked about a lot was the FiiO E09K and I'm wondering if I even need something like that right now or am I better holding off on that because of the sound card I have.
Budget: Under $200
Source: ASUS Xonar DS
Isolation Requirements: Doesn't matter, it's fairly quiet in my room
Tonality: I have speakers for anything music/bass heavy, so as long as it's good for games (most importantly FPS: such as CSGO)
Past Headphones: G930, Siberia V2
Music: Rock, pop, rap mainly; a little bit of everything, actually (but I mainly use speakers for that, so I assume this shouldn't matter). But I do plan on using it for a lot of gaming and occasionally movies.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VAD716/?tag=extension-kb-20
Maybe you shocked or damaged the portion of the motherboard that controls the onboard audio. You could try using an add-in sound card instead. They are really cheap. I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-Channels-Interface-Sound/dp/B002VAD716. Works well. Sounds awesome.
Hey people! Came across this subreddit in that "overpriced products" circlejerk thread in Askreddit. I just so happen to be looking to upgrade my headphones in the near future, so I hope you don't mind me coming in here with my vague-ass requirements. I'm by no means an expert, so I'll just put in anything that seems even remotely related.
it should be available in regular pci, not only pci-e
for example the Asus Xonar DG should fit just fine
My main concern is getting a headset that takes advantage of my motherboard's audio capabilities. I currently have a USB headset with its own sound card and I really feel like I'm wasting my motherboards potential.
I notice that this connects through USB, but I am assuming it is a completely different process than my current headset. Also, what are the benefits of a DAC/Amp combo as opposed to just a headphone amp?
Thanks a ton, again I am an infant audiophile.
EDIT: To clarify, my question is: what is the cheapest way to amplify my mobo output but keep expensive mobo audio quality? Could I install something like [this]https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1483566806&sr=1-1&keywords=headphone+amp+pci but have it only amplify and not handle all audio?
Damn, a E10k is a good place to start? So if I'm looking for higher volume I should be expecting to pay about ~$75? Seems a little ridiculous considering I got these headphones for cheaper than that. Is there no cheaper option that's decent?
I saw in a forum post someone suggested this soundcard. Would something like that work considering it apparently has a amp built into it?
Buy a PCI soundcard,much cheaper than an interface that you will only need if your recording music
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Xonar-PCI-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=pc+soundcard+internal&qid=1566754529&s=gateway&sprefix=pc+soundcard&sr=8-7
Unless you want two monitors, you might as well bump up to a 1440p display. I have the VG248QE and love it btw, but the 1080 is just completely overkill for it.
You might also want to look at Windows 10 instead of 8. Preference aside, it supports DX12 and is generally more compatible with most programs you'll be running.
Audio wise, if you don't mind spending some extra cash, I'd recommend going for a "true" solution instead of a gaming headset. I used to use a Logitech G930 and I really liked it, but it ended up being completely nothing compared to a proper audio solution. My suggestion: AKG Q701 with a sound card: either an ASUS Xonar DG or a Xonar DGX. They're practically the same, they just use a different PCI slot.
The difference it makes: the gaming headset you chose has surround sound virtualization built in to the Logitech software, using Dolby surround. In reality, the "7.1 surround" headset you've chosen is just stereo with virtualization. The sound cards I've linked use the same Dolby surround software (under the title of "Dolby Headphone"), except it's done on the card instead of the program. The key difference is that you can plug in any stereo headset (from the cheapest shit to the best) to the sound card and it'll give you 10x better surround sound accuracy than any "gaming" headset will give you on its own. Audio is one of the most overlooked aspects when building a gaming rig and I implore you to consider spending the extra cash. It really makes a world of difference. Here's a recommendation guide by an audiophile for the best headsets for your money, if you don't want to spend too much on audio.
Thanks for listening.
you could pick up a sound card with an optical out. I got this one used for $12 and it sounds good https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473645615&sr=8-1&keywords=dg+asus
Apologies for repeating myself, but would a dedicated sound card (like this one perhaps) just output 5.1 over optical by default? Obviously some programs, games, etc. will not take advantage of that, but at least it would automatically output in 5.1 whenever possible. Or, would I need an HDMI receiver or something like that? Thank you for your help!
Most likely you don't need a amp unless the amp from your motherboard is somehow super awful. 80Ohm shouldn't be too hard to drive but if you do need a soundcard, I would recommend the Xonar DG.
https://www.amazon.de/interne-Soundkarte-Digital-Headphone-Profile/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519406906&sr=8-1&keywords=xonar+DG
There is also the DGX if you need the PCI Express slot.
DT 770 + Xonar DG sounds like a pretty decent setup, especially since you don't have many choices in Netherland.
I recently bought a cheap Monoprice headphone. I also got a new sound card that has built in amp. My question is, do I have to plugin my headphones directly to the card to utilize the amp? I'm new to all this so I am not exactly sure of the benefits. Would it be fine for me to plug my headphones into my speakers instead?
DGX is PCI Express. The DG is PCI but otherwise pretty much identical, and will work with /u/iamacannibal's board.
If you plan on upgrading dac, yea it might be worth considering getting standalone amp.
If you just plan on keeping pc as a source and want best amp/dac combo for money, I’d consider soundcard.
Like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Xonar-PCI-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6
Check your motherboard if you have pci slot, get dgx that support pci-ex if there no pci slots.
The issue with connecting it directly to the PC is the amount of noise. A $20 sound card would help in that regard. An amp isn't really needed, but that noise generated by the PC is a bit much. Especially if there's a dedicated GPU running.
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=sound+card&qid=1559320114&s=gateway&sr=8-7
This should be more than enough to get what you need out of the HD6xx
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Xonar-PCI-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412464523&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+xonar+dg+5.1 Well, I got it on german Amazon, but this one has an english description :D
So I would have to have audio coming out of both? Well I guess I could turn off the speakers, but when using the speakers I'd have to unplug the headset which I'm trying to avoid.
Is there a simple solution to having both plugged in at the same time without having to unplug/plug and them both be separate?
I currently have this headset and this sound card, and I'm looking to buy these speakers.
I have one of these, no issues with it.
This is all that I have picked out atm, will these work together in this case?
And will it run smoothly? Keep in mind I already have the i5 Processor
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V4V4SFC/ref=s9_acsd_simh_hd_bw_b4Ok4_c_x_4_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=YAV3J147A638ED1FDJCY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=0ae2f422-b2bf-5e3d-9ce8-e6051f3a726c&pf_rd_i=1048424
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J8CCUL2/ref=s9_acsd_simh_hd_bw_b1C5u_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=N0KMSCQMA11K09FMH4N0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=ad112e6b-2646-5740-bcb2-f227e6e7d96e&pf_rd_i=284822
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37597/corsair-value-select-cmv8gx4m1a2133c15-8gb-1x8gb-ddr4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZXDOL6/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b1C5v_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=WC80WMW66RG0XQ3VVHJV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=202b99be-dd6c-5402-b007-d88175803d72&pf_rd_i=284823
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H33SFJU/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b4sE4_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=6ANT2574KVWQF2V9KW5T&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=7e75590d-4a69-5772-b319-56dff81b4149&pf_rd_i=1161760
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37360?gclid=CjwKEAjwq5LHBRCN0YLf9-GyywYSJAAhOw6ml6F1yrV8GI2P3fukMniqcDrnwsAd0levtuVDjgFQ_hoC2xDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b1PRY3f_c_x_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=Y8BCJFTCRVCDD7YPB6SD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=d8716360-4766-5419-81fe-e3c48400ce8c&pf_rd_i=1292107011
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Deepcool-Tesseract-SW-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Desktop-PC-RED-Computer-Case-No-PSU-/322007039086?hash=item4af91d7c6e:g:eOMAAOSwKtVWvpBG
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003ZXDOL6?vs=1 will this sound card increase the volume of my somewhat quiet built in monitor speakers
Well that's most likely what I'll do then.
One more thing though. I just came across this on Amazon and it says it can power headphones over 250ohms, and has a mic port. You'd still recommend the Fulla? The price of the Fulla would probably be close to that price after CAD conversion and shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=26BU3M408ON90&coliid=I3G1N5C1DBF0F8&_encoding=UTF8&tag=viralinfo-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=db6b8f7b73ad90d25b153c72f4baa636&camp=1789&creative=9325
has software controls built in .
https://www.miccatron.com/micca-origen-usb-audio-dac-and-preamp-2/
has a EQ in its driver suite software ..
Theres plenty that do .
and if not
USE 3rd party software system level EQ .
OR use the applications EQ control .
or in chrome install a fucking EQ plugin
EQ is not a issue if you want Driver provided eq buy a device with eq
So I'm currently using Sennheiser HD598's with attached Antlion Mod Mic 4.0. I'm not sure if it's always been this static-prone or just over time has gotten worse, but the mic produces a lot of static at max volume (no gain). I can't turn the volume down, because my voice is extremely quiet over this microphone especially in specific games. I've tried them on my onboard audio board (Realtek) and an external I bought (Creative Audigy FX 5.1).
I've done some research and microphone static can be due to the internal sound card having interference from other parts in the PC. Would it be worth it to try a USB solution such as this? I'm just worried that it might not increase the overall volume of the microphone, and am having trouble finding a microphone amplifier otherwise.
I also found this external card which is a bit more expensive but would that make a bit more difference in terms of mic volume + clarity?
Or would I honestly just be better off with a USB mic like a Blue Yeti/Snowball or similar in terms of quality, volume, clarity etc.?
 
I've done a bit of research but it all seems so vague. Most people recommend ModMic + "Audiophile" headset, but if the quality is so bad that people can barely hear me without a ton of static, why is it recommended at all? Surely I must be missing something here.
I found this guy, gonna give it a shot. Thanks!
Thanks! ill check it out
i know this is not on the same level of products typically here but is this any decent at all?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_fRlYwbYAMVT40
I've got a Creative USB DAC.
You can get a USB to SPIDF converter to be able to run the Enog Pro 2. I know Zeos is using a Micca Origen 2.
https://www.miccatron.com/micca-origen-g2-usb-audio-dac-and-preamp/
I stared looking into this recently and read people are using this - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB Audio System with Phono Preamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.20xCbD731TJ5
I have now experience with either though.
Sorry,i am not very familar with the amps, are the one i linked and this https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1486500491&sr=1-13&keywords=sound+blaster similar or totally different?
I just purchased a pair of JBL Mkii 5" monitors and I need a DAC to get them going. My concern is that I play games on my PC and I need an input for my microphone that I use with my headphones.
​
Can I use the onboard headphone and mic input still after plugging in a DAC or do I need to find a DAC that does everything?
​
While researching this I found https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_fRlYwbYAMVT40 this preamp which appears to have the headphone and mic input on the front panel. The speakers I ordered have XLR and TRS 1/4 inputs on the back. Will I be able to use the RCA out on the back of this device to get a signal to the monitors?
Hi, guys! I'm looking for help to clean up my setup. I'm not that big of an audiophile, but would love to have good quality sound and easy management.
At the moment I'm running Custom one Pro headphones with mic and some random 5.1 logitech speakers that have headphone jack. I run mic straight to the PC but the headphones to the logitech so I can easily physically disconnect them to switch sound between headphones and speakers.
However, I would like to toss out those logitechs and just get a good looking solid 2.0 speakers and would love to keep the easy ability between switching speakers and headphones.
I was thinking of getting Creative Sound Blaster X (https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4) so i can connect COP directly and then add 2 speakers over RCA.
My questions:
Thanks!
Update:
After 2 hours of searching, googling and generally losing my mind, I think I found what I need to do this. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Diamond Multimedia USB Xtreme 7.1 Digital Audio Adapter for the ssound system.
Bluetooth Audio Receiver to not have to wire a cord to the back soundbar.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB with Phono Preamp for the headset optical in and out. Im not 100% sure on this one. It says THX but not DTS and i barely even understand what that means.
How did I do?
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4
I got one of these. It's an external dac/amp
Will the USB one I linked not suffice?
Do I need something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1450319509&sr=1-3&keywords=USB+Audio+System
Was hoping for something cheaper.
EDIT: Sorry, I'm not too savvy in this area. The only time I bought anything and got help from here is when I got my Sennheiser 558's awhile ago. Needed an amp because everything was so quiet, and I got a Fiio E10.
edit: thinking about it, fuck no! I've been telling you BS that would result in a ground loop...
get an external soundcard that candle handle audio out and input, or simply a USB desktop condenser mic in combination with the Fulla 2
Hmm, I must have looked at the wrong one. This is what I saw at Amazon.
You must have the small one, here.
I'm far less sure this one is worth using. I suppose you can try it, then try straight from the computer. Yes, you can increase the volume in Windows to about 95% or so, though some advocate maxing it out, then control the volume on the Magni 2.
> Getting outside the PC case 9x out of 10 will yield better results.
Does that mean you would recommend something like this or this instead of an internal card?
Hey guys, I'm looking to expand from mixing with headphones and getting some studio monitors for my setup.
I use FL Studio\Ableton to produce, and these are the monitors\DAC I plan on grabbing. Pretty entry level stuff, but they are well reviewed. Am I missing anything or should these pieces do the trick?
PreSonus Eris E4.5 2-Way Powered Studio Monitors
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004275EO4/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?qid=1404370423&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
Reliable & along with a nice pair of quality headphones it'll blow anything away. & this is on the cheap side, look into the <$100 ones in the future
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GPV7AH4/ref=s9_dcbhz_bw_d0_g23_i1_sh
This is a super basic amp and portable. You may also want a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) as well assuming it's for a desktop computer setup.
This should be a decent intro level DAC/Amp combo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QLPJM/ref=s9_hps_bw_g23_i2
I went with a Creative Sound Blaster. It replaced my broken headphone jack and improved audio. Just don't use the software. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004275EO4/ref=s9_hps_bw_g147_i16
And I also have this Fiio for using my Sennheiser HD280s at work. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RPD7KP8?psc=1&amp;redirect=true&amp;ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
Yeah, one of these then. I don't really have an opinion on quality for these things though but a usb sound card is what you need. The link is just an example.
I'd probably just get the cheapest one at Blurst Buy or your local equivalent and return it for the next cheapest one if the sound quality sucks and repeat till I find a good one.
It does not. http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1405299455&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=creative+usb Here's a list of specs if you need more info.
Couple options that are really the same options: Get a USB external sound card. Creative labs makes some, and they even have headphones that plug in via USB and have the 'sound card' built into them.
Examples:
external 'card'
headphones
i'd recommend not going the headphone route, because you'd preferably like to pick the cans you want, without being restricted to that one pair... the the external card is the way to go probably.
(edit - keep in mind these are just example products, and I've never used them (although i do have a pair of the fatality headphones... they are decent, but not very good), there are better quality ones out there, so be sure to investigate before you buy)
Sounds like interference if the mic is muted and sound still comes through. Using a USB interface might solve it, but there's no way to know for sure. There are several cheap USB soundcards for <$10 on amazon, but the sound quality may be questionable. For around $30 you can try the Creative Labs X-Fi Go, which I would trust a bit more.
The 9500's have pretty low impedance at 32 ohms and have high sensitivity at 101dB/mW, so an external amp is not really necessary.
Somewhere above $1000. But really, you'd be better off buying an external sound card. I use this one, which works quite well and is pretty cheap. Depending on what hardware it will be driving, you might want something better.
Well, there's always USB alternatives:
Here is the best deal on the internet - the external USB sound card - make your music sound 50 times better. It's called the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1290. Amazing low price of $29.99 on sale (Amazon). Before this device my volume was max and it sounded poor. Now my volume is at 20% and it sounds like an expensive stereo.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_147_3?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=31tudwHNXgL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR102%2C160_&amp;refRID=09CXN5MXW71FGBHP448C
This is your best bet. Ignore the USB part of your request because any headset can be made USB for very cheap DAC's.
The majority of USB headsets ship with a low quality DAC anyway. So don't bother.
Grab one of these as well if you require USB.
That's a very high quality one, but you can go cheap if budget is an issue, and then upgrade later.
If you determine that your hardware has failed, here's a work-around for $35:
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Soundblaster-Audio-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0
So check out this thing. UCA verse the creative portable usb one.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Soundblaster-Audio-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=pd_cp_e_1
I had to pick up an external sound card for my pc for it to recognize Apple type headphones as well as my QC25s. I would imagine the QC35 would have the same wiring.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEDC0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
You're probably using the MB sound card if you're not sure. I highly recommend upgrading your sound card, it'll make your headphones sound a fair bit better.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0044DEDC0/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?qid=1457313955&amp;sr=8-9&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=usb+sound+card
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009346RSS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1457314148&amp;sr=8-3&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;keywords=usb+dac+fiio&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41l5DQfwtyL&amp;ref=plSrch
Does your computer not have another port anywhere to use a microphone? No pink slot?
If it doesn't, this will solve your problem:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEDC0/
Will this work ?
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA
I was thinking that now I'm spending on external source, I'd better get something with which my 5.1 speakers can benefit too
I just posted this as a separate post and it was recommended I post it here. Thanks!
So today I received my new Sennheiser PC 350 Special Edition 2015 headset (thank you Prime Day). It came with an adapter to go from the two 3.5mm plugs (headphones and mic) into one 3.5mm. When I plug directly into my computer through 3.5mm, it does not sound good: absolutely no low end, however the mic still sounds pretty good. Am I in need of some other piece of hardware?
I saw with another Sennheiser headset that this item was recommended: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Adaptor-Gaming-Headsets-3DM1/dp/B01ER49SCA/ref=pd_sim_147_3?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=41CWckDmylL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=TR022ZTKCYMQSXMDB7RC
Headset I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-350-Special-2015/dp/B015ZKJIYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1468443684&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sennheiser+pc+350
Forgot to mention I'm using a Macbook Pro I got in early 2014.
EDIT: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/product-reviews/B0044DEDCA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_paging_btm_next_2?ie=UTF8&amp;showViewpoints=1&amp;sortBy=recent&amp;pageNumber=2 this seems to be something I need. Any input?
Yeah, I think that's what's causing the problems. Unfortunately the receiver only has L&R RCA inputs, and the PC only has TRS out. I'm probably going to look into a USB card like the Sound Blaster X-Fi.
I have the Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB, for my laptop and while Skyrim hasn't opened up for me yet it has solved past audio problems.
Example: Crysis made weird electronic distortiony sounds but after I installed the card it worked great! It bypasses the onboard soundcard and frees up more resources, also supports 5.1 out as well as spdif and other fancy stuff.
Yeah, I'm thinking about upgrading it but for now I need something for it to work till I choose one. Then I would run the audio from the HDMI from the GPU or run a sound card anyway (just a modern one)?
I set my eyes on this solution: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=2IJM41OXBK08W&amp;coliid=I1GICVN1AU9YYQ 60 bucks and usb. Do you think it has the same performance or close to a 80ish pci one?
I have a
Creative X-FiAsus Xonar U5 on my HTPC and it worked flawlessly straight out of the box with no setup required.Edit: oops, I mis-remembered and I actually have the similar looking Xonar U5. Since you're concerned about it, the U5 has optical SPDIF output and 5.1, while the U7 apparently has coax SPDIF. However, it's still SPDIF and you can get a coax -> optical converter for ~$10 if you must have the optical SPDIF (aka TOSLINK).
Budget - 120$
Source - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro
Requirements for Isolation - Some, but heavy noise cancelling is not necessary.
Preferred Type of Headphone - Full sized, over the ear.
Preferred tonal balance - Something bassy, but overall balanced.
Past headphones - Seinheiser Phillips O'Neil Headsets
Preferred Music - Old school Heavy Metal/Rock and Roll
Usage- The headsets will be used not only for music, but also gaming and for recording commentary (The mic I'm using is a Blue Snowball.)
Headphones I've used the past 10 years.
&nbsp;
Virtual surround sound I've used
&nbsp;
Hate wired headphone?
&nbsp;
Microphone
You think these would work? from my understanding it need to be connected to a pc to use the drivers that are on the pc.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491587374&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=external+sound+card+5.1
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Performance-Headphone-Integrated-Microphone/dp/B00EZT7RE4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491587374&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=external+sound+card+5.1
Two speakers and a separate sub.
I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of Cerwin-Vega SL-10S with a pair of Cerwin-Vega SL-5M. I don't even know if it's possible to connect it all to be honest.
The sub is powered so technically I would only need a soundcard, right? I was thinking of Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro. Would it work if I just plugged the speakers into L/R and the sub into...sub and then to my PC through the optical/USB?
external sound card and several small amplifiers or one multi channel amp. for example something like this external soundcard and this 6 channel amplifier board along with a powered subwoofer would work.
Then, something like this? https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Surround-TruStudio/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1500234034&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=External+Sound+Card
The Creative SBs tend to be plug and play, I only use the Digital Out to bypass the DAC in the pi, and in the SB to get it to my Sherwood Receiver
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419608470&amp;sr=1-4&amp;keywords=sound+blaster
Awesome, thanks again. I have one last question for you if you're up to it...
Would I find a substantial increase in quality(or whatever anything) by picking up something like a Sound Blaster Z or a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi?
I've never amplified anything before besides guitars haha, so this is a very big learning experience for me. I cannot say I've heard high fidelity audio before so I'm not sure what I've actually been missing out on by just running my cans through the default input.
I don't know what you consider cheap, but I use a Sound Blaster SB1095 as a second sound card and it works really well for recording and playback. It'll run you about $50.
If you're gaming and already have a headset with a mic, you may want to look into buying a PCIe sound card or a USB DAC intended for gaming use (most arent cheap).
$:
-
$$:
-
$$$:
Otherwise you may get some lag between you listening to your audio output from one device, and your mic input going through another device (your motherboard).
The other suggestion of a Fiio d03k won't work for you - thats strictly a cheap one way SPDIF dac, no headphone output, no volume, no input!
You should probably ask this in one of the headphone or gaming subs (/r/pcgaming/ perhaps?). You have a different scenario than most of the readers here.
Go into Sound settings and make sure Realtek HD audio is enabled, and the default device. And also if you like your audio, http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1450305106&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=creative+sound+blaster
You'll have to get an external soundcard for 5.1 over optical
Thanks for the answer, greatly appreciated !
Funny thing is I have a Marantz amplifier ( M-CR511 ) powering the 530s and providing the sub out. And yes, I think the weakest link is the sound card, a Creative Labs ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEDCA/ ), but it's 5.1 and it has a volume knob, which is really a plus for me. Oh well, the quest continues !
I have the same issue..
About a month ago i picked up a pair of mackie mr8's and had a very noticeable hum/static sound coming from them..
I purchased This external usb soundcard in hopes of fixing the sound and the static/sound is still there (though slightly reduced).
Plugging my monitors into a laptop vs my desktop removed the humming noise. Perhaps OP should check to see if he has the same issue, which would at least narrow it down to an issue with his power supply or grounding?
Good luck finding a solution!
Will this drive a 150 ohm headset? Need to have mic port since the one on my mobo is busted.
I use my HD555s w/ a modmic on ps4 with this usb sound card from Asus. It was the only setup that worked for me, the controller did not.
Any suggestion for a onboard audio repalcement? the onboard audio for my new dell xps8930 desktop is really bad. the max volume is really low compare to my old desktop and their MaxxAudio software dont offer that much adjustment either.
Do you guys think this usb sound card is a good replacement option? any suggestion is appreciated. i mostly use a speaker (Logitech Z200) currently
I had the same issue when using my motherboards built in soundcard so I bought one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Xonaru3-Mobile-USB-Soundcard/dp/B004ZI5E1S and it fixed it. some motherboards have absolutely awful soundcards especially for microphones.
This is the newer version http://cdn.mobilesyrup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/HTC-Vive-Pre-20.jpg
its just an usb hub I think. One is input and one is output.
It has a 3.5 audio jack aswell but thats audio over hdmi (=no microphone?) and its basically just an extension cable.
All the audio stuff is done in Windows.
I am sure every USB soundcard would work but my main problem is that I want one with good sound. Thats why I am here :D
These are the 3 more expensive ones that I found on Amazon
http://www.amazon.de/Asus-externe-Soundkarte-Digital-Support/dp/B004ZI5E1S
http://www.amazon.de/Creative-Blaster-Externe-USB-Soundkarte-schwarz/dp/B00JFRHLOM
http://www.amazon.de/Soundkarte-Virtuelles-Surround-Tablet-PC-10-kompatibel/dp/B017NH8M0C
and I have no idea which one I should choose.
While I'm not sure what the problem is in your setup, I can recommend using a cheap USB soundcard like the Asus Xonar U3 to connect your ModMic to your PC.
This way you can get rid of interference from the motherboard's circuitry and possibly (as you suggested) from the PSU as well.
Source: Using a ModMic with the above soundcard right now :)
You can get a USB soundcard and those work really well in windows. I have a Asus xonar (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Xonaru3-Mobile-USB-Soundcard/dp/B004ZI5E1S) and the sound is better for me compared to the headphone jack.
Will this be good enough?
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Converter-Adapter-Desktops/dp/B06XP5R449/ref=zg_bs_3015427011_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0588R0YE2P6TRRJ0CRT1
Or maybe should I take this?
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-Sound-Cards-XONAR_U3/dp/B004ZI5E1S
I saw this as a cheap USB-C one but it might be crap
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSC/dp/B071HJ98Q6#customerReviews
That sound card is crazy. No one, and I mean no one, needs a sound card that costs even half that much. http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Fatal1ty-Champion-SB1354/dp/B0060SXDRI
That costs more than a new mid/high-end GPU. Was the seller blind and playing racing games by ear? And that's not even considering the fact that Creative can't make drivers. Even when they (used to) make useful hardware, their drivers were so horrible that 3rd party groups of hackers made better drivers for the Sound Blaster cards, because Creative literally couldn't do it. Their current hardware is downgraded from their old stuff.
And he used it for Logitech 2.1 speakers.
Anyway, ending rant. You can probably tell the seller to keep the sound card if he knocks $200 or $300 off the price. Or better yet, tell him to keep the sound and graphics card to knock $350 off the price, and put that money towards a new graphics card.
It really depends on what you want, and most of the time a lot of these things can be done with bay add ons or are already common.
> You know how you only need to touch the xbox one's power button to turn it on? and it gives sound feedback
Most PCs POST (the little beep you hear when you turn it on).
> or the blu ray drive that doesnt come out but you only need to slide the disk in
Slimdrives are farily common in SFF cases like this one (slot on the front side).
There are also cases that do stuff like regulate exhaust vents being open/closed automatically (Zalman H1).
And front bay devices that do everything from regulate fans, act as sound cards, or manage overclocks exist and are pretty easy to come by.
Hey all,
I've owned a FiiO E17 for a few years now, and am thinking of finally completing the set by picking up the K5. I only use HD650s with the E17 right now. What are your opinions on the K5 if I already own the E17? Other comparable price-to-performance?
___
In my pc (built years ago) I have this soundcard, though I do not use it as an output since I run my E17 via USB into the pc.
In this case, I would not purchase the K5.
Sorry for any confusion. Basically I want to know if I have some good hardware (soundcard) that is underutilized and possibly don't really need to purchase more.
Yes
I have one of these (Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D THX PCIE Fatal1ty Pro) because my current motherboard has some sound disfunction thing. If you're really interested in it, I'll sell it and buy myself a working mobo.
Sound Blaster Recon3D azn
Here's the dxdiag
64 bit Windows 7.
MSI 670 OC
i7 3820
MSI ATX motherboard X79A-GD45(8D)
16gbs of patriot viper ram
Recon soundblaster 3d soundcard
antec 650 watt psu
two velociraptor hdds in raid
I was using the latest nvidia drivers. 3.20. I'm currently using the 3.26 beta drivers.
Building computers started as a hobby. I was always able to play whatever I wanted with an $800ish Gateway computer (before they went to crap, sorry Gateway) back in the 1999-2005 era. Then Battlefield 2 came out, while I was in college, and I couldn't run it on my machine. It was a slideshow.
I knew there were things I could do to make a computer faster, but I didn't know what exactly each thing "did". More RAM = faster computer? Did I need to overclock? Do graphics cards matter that much? Those were my thoughts back in 2005, and I did a bit of research and decided that for the money I had to spend, I needed a new graphics card and twice the amount of RAM as I had before. I looked up guides online (which were more sparse back then) on how to swap out a graphics card, how to install RAM, which I'd done years before, but had no idea what type of RAM I needed, or what speed was worth buying, or how much I wanted to shoot for. After some research, I went to Best Buy and grabbed what I needed.
I spent the afternoon with the computer case open on my bed in my apartment room, figuring out what wires I needed to move (probably none, but I was started from near-scratch with my knowledge), and making absolutely sure I did it correctly. When I closed the case panel and hooked it back up, it worked! I installed the drivers and it worked. It felt great.
Suddenly, Battlefield 2 was playable! I used that computer for a few more years, learning a bit more about processors and components, but not in a targeted way, just by osmosis through my gaming and web surfing. In 2008, my friend built his own computer, and used this cool clear acrylic custom case he basically built and drilled himself from a kit. I was too intimidated from watching him struggle with getting it together, his first build, and I decided against building my own computer. I bought some $850 "gaming machine" from Cyberpower. It was a C2Q Q6600 with a crappy motherboard, a crappy PSU, 2 gigs of DDR2 in 2x1 sticks, filling both RAM slots of the motherboard, and a GT8600 GPU. And the case was a tin toilet. No management options, and the whole inside was a rat's nest - I found that out years later when I wanted to upgrade and put in a new GPU.
When the 8600 was no longer cutting it, I decided to pick up a cheap GPU that would just barely get me back into gaming again. I grabbed a 5570 and opened up the case at home - and was again intimidated because of the clutter and wires. I sucked it up and installed the GPU, then played games for about a year. Then I started having problems with some games I really wanted to play, again. I was really irritated, had buyer's remorse over getting what I found out then was a really anemic GPU, and thought, "I'll just overclock my CPU to give me some more juice, maybe that will help". That's when I learned about how shitty my motherboard was, and how important a motherboard is for overclocking and expansion. I decided that the computer wasn't worth working with anymore, so I went to Fry's and cut loose. I had learned more about the components, and had spent a bit over a month on this wonderful subreddit researching parts and builds and what people recommended.
April 2012, I came home with an 8150, a new MSI G45 motherboard, 8 gigs of DDR3-1333 RAM, a new 550W "CoolMax" PSU, and a Radeon HD 7750. It was like Christmas building the thing, with my Macbook Pro next to me for reference, motherboard poster-manual spread out on the other side. I stuffed it all into the tin toilet Cyberpower case, and after booting and installing Windows 7, it worked! I was on cloud nine... for a few days. Then I realized that the 8150 was a pretty lackluster CPU, for the money, this generation, and after looking into overclocking, found out the G45 had a lot of problems supplying power at anything above stock for an 8150 because of its 4+1 power phase configuration. "What the fuck is a 4+1 configuration!?" I thought, frustrated. So I dug in, hard, into each component. I researched what motherboards have the ability to overclock better. I found out what GPUs really give you the best bang for the buck - but more importantly, what exactly they let you do, resolution and graphics settings-wise. I figured out what is considered important in a PSU. I found a slew of reputable brands. And I saved. And I waited.
Over the summer, I decided to overclock the 8150, as I'd heard good things about its overclockability. Motherboard and shitty PSU be damned. I got it up from 3.6 to 4.1 locked frequency. It was stable, so I left it there. I bought a second 7750, trying to get some more performance out of my anemic single GPU (good money thrown after bad), cranked the 7750s up to as high as they would go before artifacting in games. I gamed all summer, and in September it finally blew. The motherboard fried and took the CPU with it. I don't know if it was the crummy CoolMax PSU or the motherboard's lack of control over supplying the voltage, but it fried. I smelled burning for about 10 seconds, thought my house was on fire, then as I started to figure out the source was below me from the computer case, it was too late. It shut off instantly with a "snap" noise. Goodnight, sweet prince.
I had been waiting to upgrade, and although I was supremely angry with my lack of research that led to the components dying, I was more than prepared. I knew every fucking component inside and out. I knew every brand, which OEMs were behind everything, what was worth the money, what was necessary, what to absolutely not cut corners on, everything. I had spent 6 months, every day, on /r/buildapc, discussing components, viewing builds, reading comments and critiques. I went to Fry's with confidence, and though I had been burned a bit by the 8150's performance, the Piledriver generation had launched that week, serendipitously. I had been reading the early reviews, and it seemed to be a HUGE hit for the price. I got a great deal on an 8320, which I knew to be the same chip at a lower stock clock, got a better motherboard, got an Antec HCG 620W PSU, which I knew to be a Seasonic OEM and of great quality for the price, a Hyper 212+, and a Phantom 410 case. I also bought a new HDD. I came home and built the crap out of that computer. I cable managed everything into oblivion. I put in an extra fan in the front. I was very happy with every component choice.
After that, and after even more research, I decided to start building and selling custom gaming rigs. I knew it was a tough sell, and that a lot of people did it, but I used my business marketing degree to create a website and build some custom rigs. I sold them for $575 and $600 brand new, and they had the high-clocked Pentium dual cores in them with a 6950, which I found for a steal at around $150 on a clearance in the fall. They could play BF3, Tribes: Ascend, Source Engine games, and anything below it, like League of Legends and WoW and Diablo 3. They were an impressive amount of power, considering I had to buy Windows for them, at the time. But the important thing was I was doing something I loved and knew everything about. After a month of building, I had an opportunity to work for an IT company, doing break/fix work. I took it. I was able to land the job, in a field I had never worked, because of /r/buildapc. I knew hardware better than anyone in that company, even if I had to learn software troubleshooting as I went. Whatever, I'm a Google master.
I still had the 7750s, though. That little reminder of my first build, and all of the bad decisions that I learned from, irritated me daily. So I saved. And I asked for Amazon bucks for Christmas from every family member that still gives gifts. I'm 28, so I didn't expect much. But everyone game me Amazon bucks, and it totaled a bit over $200. I had my eye on a GTX660 this time around, wanting to get more than the crummy entry-level 128-bit bus, and get some power for new games like BF3. But I had some money, and the day after Christmas, the first day after getting the gift money, I saw a GTX 670 going for $280 on Amazon, in a ridiculous sale. I couldn't believe my eyes. This was a top-tier GPU, in my reach! I could taste it. I dropped the extra money on it in a heartbeat, got it in 3 days, and popped it in. My dream machine was under my feet. I had an overclocked processor capable of VM work, transcoding, gaming, and a GPU that, when overclocked, matched a stock flagship 680 GPU.
So I went from a gamer to a seller of custom rigs, and a worker in the IT industry, solely because of this subreddit. My most recent addition to my rig was a Soundblaster Recon3d Professional, because I wanted a headphone amp/sound card, and it is a killer deal right now. I love the Scout mode in FPS games, and the sound quality going from unpowered headphones to powered, surround-sound, full quality is night and day. I love PC building and PC hardware, and I build computers because of /r/buildapc.
Thanks so much. I'm definitely going to go with Stereo, however now I'm a bit confused with the connections going on. I'm specifically looking at these Fostexs. Do I need to have the DAC, or can I use the sound card I recently purchased?
BAM!
http://us.store.creative.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Recon3D-Fatal1ty-Professional/M/B00654PTT2.htm
Grab it off of Amazon or Ebay and experience the magic
Thanks for your help, I purchased the 250 ohms 880 from Amazon. I'm a total noob at the matter, I tried reading the wiki and the amplifiers recommended on a budget looked like regular sound cards from motherboard. This one, for example, would it really improve the quality over my motherboard(Asus Z87 Pro) integrated sound card?
Would you recommend any other amp? I have no idea what should I get, I just heard about amps today, and I would be willing to spend another 50€ if the performance is really improved.
Thanks in advance!!
I haven't looked at audio cards yet. but that will be what im getting when i look for one]
Edit: Like This
Okay awesome, I'll grab a PCI sound card.
Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 Sound Card (PCI Express 1.0, Smart Volume Normalizer, Xear 3D Virtual Speaker Shifter, Magic Voice) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007RMMYFI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FiNLxb41JNRWW
So I'll grab one of those receivers a set of bookshelf speakers and some cable and i should be good to go
Amazon have it for £25 NEW https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xonar-DGX-Express-Normalizer-Virtual/dp/B007RMMYFI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1509924686&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=asus+dgx
might wanna lower it.
DG (PCI)
DGX (PCIe)
I have a DG and it's great. Use the UniXonar drivers as they're more flexible and faster. The DG is all you need unless you want to spend $100+ on a USB DAC, which is only reasonable if you have $300+ headphones. The only issue I have with the DG is that Linux (ALSA) doesn't have great support for it.
If anybody knows a cheap PCIe sound card with decent quality that works well with Linux, please let me know.
Excellent mouse(I tried many this is my favorite) for a headset you can choose this aswell as picking up this and for a keybaord this is a nice one
More like this + this for PCI or this for PCIe
You had picked the wrong soundcard, the DX would be for simulating surround sound on a stereo system. Confusing, I know. Asus is not making it easy for us.
I'm using this Asus Xonar DGX and it's working nicely. Before I noticed my mic would pick up some electrical interference with the onboard jacks and this got rid of them as well.
I'm completely new to this (basically have zero experience in the audio world) but I'm looking at getting a dedicated sound card. My use case is pretty much purely gaming, but I also listen to music a lot, just not hardcore like a lot of you folks do. I'm also a VR enthusiast and would be using this heavily for VR games. My setup would consist of 2.0 speakers, IEM's, and whatever sound card I get. What's important to me, in no particular order, is audio quality, immersiveness, surround sound, positional audio, ease of use/lack of hassle, build quality, and proper EMI shielding/lack of signal noise. The quality of audio through IEM's is more important than the quality of audio through the 2.0 speakers, since I wear IEM's while in VR. I'm not considering a DAC/amp at all, so please don't suggest that. My budget is $100 or less.
Here's what I've found so far, again in no particular order:
ASUS Xonar DSX
Creative Sound Blaster Z
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy RX 7.1
ASUS Strix SOAR
ASUS Xonar DGX
Out of these options, which do you think is best for my use case? Are there any better options in this price range I haven't considered yet? Will this even be a noticeable improvement over onboard audio? (Z270 motherboard)
Also, kinda unrelated but also kinda related: If I'm not horribly confused (which I am), the 2.0 speakers would require a left audio input and a right input, like this. However, I've noticed that none of these sound cards have left audio out/right audio out ports. Just front, rear, center, and woofer. (Plus a few more, like line in/mic in, but never left/right audio out.) So, uh... Where would I plug my speakers in? >.>
Also also, a lot of these sound cards advertise support for surround sound. Do I HAVE to have a 5.1/7.1 system in order to use surround sound, or would I be able to get surround sound with 2.0 speakers? Ditto for headphones - if I was using IEMs, would I be able to get surround sound? Or would it be the same as using onboard audio in that regard/make no difference because it's still only two speakers (one in each ear)?
Cool! Thank you for the helpful replies. They're greatly appreciated!
I do have 1 more question -
I'd like to add a dedicated sound card to this build. Would something like this ASUS Xonar DGX be compatible?
this card has front panel. however no idea if it's linux ready. both my cases have front panel, too bad the audio jacks on the front panel are caked with dust..
what I do, is buy the microsoft lifechat. in online gaming, it works well enough, i can hear myself echo through the other guy's speakers. so i buy a usb headset, because I always kick the cord, and break the motherboard, either that, or there's a humming noise that's louder than my voice
https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK
Quick(ish) question: Topping NX2 (amp/dac) or an Asus Xonar DGX (soundcard) for either a Philips SHP9500 or an AKG K240 studio (haven't decided yet), mostly for gaming. I'm open to recommendations for other options as well.
There's also the ASUS Xonar DG and DGX (which is PCI-E)
I have a DT990 Pro 250 ohms with this amp and an Asus DGX sound card. I have the amp and the sound card connected optically, and have installed the necessary drivers for the sound card but no sound will play. There are two ASUS DGX devices listed under playback devices, a speaker and a digital output. However, neither of these will play any sound through my headphones. Are those the correct devices I should be selecting as playback devices? Anything I've done wrong or need to do to enable my headphones?
JVC Harx700 + Zalman mic. Runs about $45, and much better quality than any "gaming headset".
There is a more expensive ($60) JVC Harx900 headset if you want to get something a little more pricey.
If you want to get fancy you can get some snakeskin cabling, some heatshrink, and a lighter and semi-permanently combine the mic cable to the headphone cable.
https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ
https://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX700-Precision-Sound-Headphones/dp/B0013OWPV4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013P3ZOE/ref=psdc_12097479011_t1_B0013OWPV4
While you are at it a decent soundcard will do wonders if you are using an onboard card. You can get a decent entry level card for about $40. Just like a standalone mic is better than a headset mic. A standalone sound card is miles ahead of an onboard card in the vast majority of cases.
https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK
I personally use Creative Aurana Live! 2 with Asus Xonar DGX. That combo is very cheap and has insane quality and surround if properly configured. When it comes to audio never buy anything marked as "gaming".
Creative Aurvana Live! 2 (Around $60-$65): https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Aurvana-Headset-Drivers-Line/dp/B00FC2R7ZC/
Asus Xonar DGX (Around $40): https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/
I don't recommend buying anything other than DG (PCI) or DGX (PCIe) since the software will be different and it might lack some options.
Better Cable (highly recommended): https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Replacement-Upgrade-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B00KAKGQCQ/
The default cable is thin and only coated in rubber while the Sennheiser one is sleeved and very solid. It also delivers a better quality of sound.
Those products might look old and not gamer like but I have personally tried even $150 sound blaster ae-5 card and this $40 innocent looking card beat it hands down.
Can't tell you how many times I got called out for wallhack in CS:GO due to amazing surround depth and sound separation.
If you will decide on that I can even give you instructions on how to configure it. I'm using this combo for few years already.
This is a hardware thing. Cheap DACs and amps in consumer grade hardware are usually pretty crap, unshielded, and prone to interference. Luckily for you, there are a lot of options. Cheap PCIe sound cards like this are easy to install and work great if you have a spare PCIe slot. If not, there are USB options as well. I personally like the FiiO E10k but the Schiit Fulla is popular as well. You can find either of these pretty cheaply on somewhere like /r/AVexchange/ if new is too expensive for you.
Hey Zeos, I'm looking to run a SMSL SD-793ii as a DAC/AMP but my motherboard doesn't have a S/PDIF output. I know that you linked the fanmusic USB to S/PDIF as an alternative but I was wondering if something like this would also work. If it does, do you suggest I go with this route or the fanmusic route?
EDIT: Would something like this also be an alternative?
Thank you!
Probably, yes. You might need to get a new part and do some soldering though.
Photos of the actual broken part could help us giving better answers, both sides of the motherboard.
If you need help soldering or replacing parts, consider asking in /r/AskElectronics
If you feel that's too much of a hassle, just buy and install a sound card like this and call it a day. Plus, your audio will sound better.
Thanks! So do you have another soundcard besides the one you linked to, or you take the audio straight from your motherboard and run it to that amp? Looks like my motherboard may not have digital out, so I guess I'd need a sound card like this to use that DAC:
http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=wl_mb_wl_huc_mrai_1_dp
Many recomend the ASUS Xonar cards, but I had too much problems with drivers for other ASUS products to even consider them anymore. I'm using Creative Labs ZXR and Im very satisfied with it. As far as I can tell they are equally good. If you are on a budget chose Sound Blaster Z or ASUS Xonar DGX. Sound cards below these perform as well as the built in solutions of the high end motherboards.
Also dont forget that for good sound quality beside a soundcard you need an equally good headphone.
Xonar DG(PCI)/DGX(PCIe) have an integrated amp that's higher-powered than most PC jacks. Fiio and Creative make portable amps in your price range.
I don't know if this is the right place to ask this but let's try.
Hey guys, I'm really new to all this audio stuff and I need some advice to buy an amp for my new headset.
So I just bought a G4ME Zero headset and after I bought it I saw some reviews on youtube telling me that I'll need an amplifier (Ok so I didn't even know that existed for headphones).
Since I already dropped a big amount on the headset, I would like to get the best option as cheap as possible to go with my g4me zero.
As far as my research went, I came with these options:
-Fiio E10k: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fiio-e10k-usb-dac-and-headphone-amplifier (60$ CAD)
-Objective 2 : https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amplifier/ (130$ US)
-Asus Xonar DGX : http://www.amazon.ca/Asus-PCi-E-Engine-Xonar-DGX/dp/B007TMZ1BK (52$ CAD)
-Creative SoundBlaster Z : http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102048 (125$ CAD)
I really have no idea if it's better to get an external amp or a dedicated sound card ? (pros and cons?)
And also I don't really understand what they mean by ODAC and stuff ? what is this?
This amp is gonna be used for gaming and listening to music on my PC.
I would like to stay under 100$ CAD IF POSSIBLE.
Thank you for your help redditors !!
I honestly have no idea. I think some of them can have different surround features maybe? I have this one currently in transit to me, in part because of the static I experience, but also because my onboard sound can't push the new headphones I'm getting.
Yeah. The Superluxx Solution with an external Mic is absolutely awesome and beats any Complete HS far 150 USD.
You can go the "New" Variant what costs a bit more:
HS: HD 681 Evo
Mic: Reloop
With this Combination youve got a real Headset Style, cause the Microfone will sit Right were other Mics are on the regular Headsets.
Now to the "Classic" Combination, cheaper but no loss in Quality:
HS: HD 681
Mic: Zalman Mic1
With both Solutions youre ready to go.
Only thing to Mention. You WILL need Soundcard with Headset Amplifier such as:
for PCI Slot: Xonar DG
for PCI-Ex Slot: Xonar DgX
Both are Equal in Sound Quality, take the one who fits in your computer, and then:
Enjoy awesome Sound :)
DGX is just a PCI-E version of DX afaik, get whatever one you need to get.
I would go for Audio Technica ATH-AD700 + Zalman Zm-Mic1 or ModMic + Asus Xonar DGX
Hmm, well I use a HyperX 2 headset most of the time so it came with its optional own USB DAC.
Worst case scenario I could always get a sound card for 50$ if it's really that bad. Would those be good on Amazon? HERE
Look this over.
Rather than go with an all-in-one headset with a crappy mic and crappy speakers, I researched for a couple years then pulled the trigger and haven't been happier. It was 2015 and I spent $245 on my headphone/mic setup. It still feels brand new. Here's what I am using:
To hold the mic cable to the headphone cable I got this AntLion Audio ModMic Accessory Cable Clips $1
I got this hanger so I don't have to have my headphones laying on my desk when not in use: Brainwavz Hengja - The Headphone Desk Hanger $14
prices may have changed
Read the first link to learn about headphones and soundstage vs. "3-D" and "multi-speaker" headsets. Everyone has their biases, but I've been convinced. (source: pc gamer and builder for 27 years)
If you're not looking to spend 75-150 for a headphone amp you could also get something like this....works well.
ASUS Xonar DGX
I made a separate post for this first before a kind user pointed me here so bear with me if you already saw this.
I've been hovering on the edge of deciding whether to invest in good headphones for awhile now and I need the final word in whether or not to do it. I own a pretty powerful desktop and do a lot of gaming; I also have hundereds of gigs of music and enjoy listening to all kinds daily. Quality is pretty important to me and I love it when a song can fully immerse me. I listen to many different genres ranging from alternative/rock to electronic/ambient. I currently own a pair of Grado SR 60i's right now and they do the trick for casual listening but I feel like I could be getting more. I did some reading and based on some reviews I picked out some new headphones along with some peripherals to enhance my listening experience. I would really appreciate it if you fellas would weigh in on my choices and let me know if I am making the right decision with my purchase.
Headphones- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A8CW2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Sound card- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Amp/DAC- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VO7LG6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A13BNE3P7C8THK
Is there anything I am missing? Something I am skimping on? Will the headphones suit my needs(in a head-fi article I read that 598's were great for gaming as well)?
Try a bios update for the motherboard. If that doesn't work look into a sound card.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007TMZ1BK/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1521271840&amp;sr=8-9&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=Sound%2Bcard&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=411rdurQRkL&amp;ref=plSrch&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1
hi I'm currently using the "akg k7xx" headphones with the Asus Xonar DGX Audio Card
I wanted to know what the optimal setup was for this on the Xonar DGX Audio centre
https://gyazo.com/f0626cf50d641e838133aeca6a778442
Current settings
Your best bet is probably getting it from Amazon Warehouse, currently on sale with 20% off.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007TMZ1BK/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&amp;condition=all
Comes to ~28 after tax(10%).
Can anyone ELI5 "Dolby Headphone"?
I've never used headphones for gaming, but I'm looking to start. As I understand it from reading on /r/headphones, the virtual surround technology du jour is called "Dolby Headphone"
Does an onboard soundcard like on my asrock z97 pro4 support Dolby Headphone?
Do the headphones need to support it, or does it only depend on the hardware? Do I need to run any additional software, or does the driver take care of it?
Do I need to select any special setting in each game to somehow "enable" Dolby Headphone, or is it just recognized automatically?
I've seen sound cards like ASUS Xonar recommended frequently, can I leave my headphones plugged into this, and leave my speakers plugged into my onboard, and somehow automatically switch to the addon card/headphones when I launch a game?
That soundcard doesnt say if it supports dolby digital live or dts connect. Heres one that does http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DSX-Engine-Playback-Support/dp/B007TMZ1MY
https://www.amazon.com.au/Xonar-DSX-Engine-Playback-Support/dp/B007TMZ1MY/ref=sr_1_1?tag=displayninja-22&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1531314741&sr=1-1&keywords=Asus+Xonar+DS is that even fucekn worth it wtf asus
&#x200B;
Alright I have a very...unique problem:
So I have a Tube Amp 25-watt Stereo Hybrid which is connected to my PC via RCA to Aux cable. The amp has one PAIR of speakers connected to it, the right and left and the audio only comes out of the left speaker. PC(internal soundcard on motherboard) > RCA to aux cable > Amp > Speakers/Headphones
Listening to my music, I only hear music on one speaker (left) even after swaping where the RCA cable plugs into on the amp. Now before the amp everything worked fine but now that I plugged this in, mono sound.
After much diagnosis, I determined that the tubes were bad and ordered a new set so in the meantime to avoid all crackling noises and what not I decided to disconnect the amp from the audio path and just connect to the PC in the meantime.
HOWEVER, once I did that, the RIGHT speaker is the only speaker outputting audio (which is the powered speaker if that matters). Now this was my PREVIOUS set up before I bought the amp so its strange that this is happening now. I did a right/left channel test and both channels are coming out the right speakers with the right speaker playing the left channel quieter. My RCA/Aux cable is NOT mono since I used this cable before.
You can get a new Xonar DSX PCIe X1 card for $55
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1MY
Its what I have, and it works great.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listing/B007TMZ1MY/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&amp;condition=new
Budget - $300, $350 max
Source - Most likely an internal sound card.
Requirements for Isolation - None.
Preferred tonal balance - I'm not sure, so I'm going to go with balanced.
Past headphones - Logitech G930, Corsair Vengences 1400
Preferred Music - Rock, folky music with a lot of acoustic guitars and banjos etc.
Miscellaneous - I game a lot. I play a little of everything (except for MOBAs and RTS). I love my G930's 7.1 surround sound (they use Dolby Headphone 7.1 Virtual Surround) and I pretty much need 7.1 surround when I game.
Right now I'm looking at Sennheiser HD 598 (omg so sexy) and an Asus Xonar DSX, + a modmic
Any help or advice would be much appriciated!
Sound card I was talking about: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1MY/
Apart from this, idk what you could get. A gpu fan maybe, or an extra ethernet port for niche use cases.
This is a good budget card. If you want to swing the full 80 That will be a bit better and is amped.
To get a surround effect a sound card would be best.
This has 7.1 surround http://amzn.com/B007TMZ1MY
Hi, I am looking for an Amp because I just buy the Beyerdynamic DT-990 250Ohm Pro
I am between this https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=11567 or this sound card: https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483848934&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=sound+card
What do you recommend? Do you have another amp for the same price? I have $80 budget
Cannot get Rocksmith or Rocksmith 2014 Remastered to launch. Black screen on start, sits there a while, black screen disappears, executable stops running. Behavior on RS2014 unchanged by enabling rs_public_beta build.
PC:
Notes of things tried:
Things yet to be tried:
Hello audiophiles!
Long post, so here's a TL;DR: What soundcard, DAC or AMP do I need that greatly enhances my virtual surround experience in Sennheiser Game One headset?
After a long research on gaming headsets, I went ahead and purchased Sennheiser Game One headset. I know I could have gone different routes but that one was the best I could have done with my budget. Going separate headphones and mic was a bit too expensive since I wanted claritiy in mic also (which would require investing in a good mic). This Sennie was kinda was the bang for my buck.
When I plugged the headset to my motherboard, the sound was a bit low (at which point I thought maybe I need an AMP). However some tweaking in Windows 10 (such tweaking being turning on "Loudness Equalization" in "Enhancements" tab in playback device settings) made the sound too high and introduced a background hiss (permanent noise). Fiddling around the equalizer did help a little bit but the sound felt super artificial and bloated, also considering the fact that I am not the best person to understand what each equalizer column actually does. The end result is drowned out footsteps which is totally undesirable.
Other than this, I noticed almost no difference to my directional audio (i.e. where the footsteps or gunshots are coming from) compared to my old Steelseries not-so-very-good headset. I feel like there absolutely needs to be some sort of hardware that does this virtual surround processing. I tried the software route first; dolby atmos, Windows sonic for headphones etc, did not change things one bit. I think those things are nothing but fancy gimmicks. Feel free to correct me here.
Today I plugged the headsets to my iPhone 7 via 3.5mm adapter and boy the sound was awesome. Which leads me to think that my on-board motherboard audio (RealTek) is not that great. I feel like I need a sound card, a DAC or an Amp of some sorts.
Which brings me to my question and TL;DR: What soundcard, DAC or AMP do I need that greatly enhances my virtual surround experience in Sennheiser Game One headset? Now that I have made the investment, I can save up for something and get it if will enhance my experience.
I have found Sennheiser GSX 1000 and Creative SoundBlaster Z which may quench my thirst. Anyone had any experiences with these?
I appreciate any input from you knowledgeable audio people.
Thanks!!
Sorry, testing how PriceZombie works...
www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Beamforming-Microphone-SB1500/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395608030&sr=8-1&keywords=Creative+-+Sound+Blaster+Z+Sound+Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102048
Hello all. I've been using a pair of DT990 250ohms for a few months now. I've also been considering picking up an amp as it would seem the general consensus is that you need something to drive them.
However, I've come across some conflicting opinions from the various forums and posts that I've read and would appreciate some opinions of those more knowledgeable than myself before I spend any money.
Firstly I'm running the headset straight out of my motherboard. The motherboard in question is an EVGA Z270 Classified K which comes with the Creative Core3d solution. Out of a forum post by an EVGA dev I learned the technical specifications are as follows however much of it goes over my head and I would appreciate if someone translated it for me.
DAC: CA0132
AMP: MAX97220B
SNR: 109dB with RL=600Ω, 112.5dB with RL=1KΩ
Supports up to 192kHz Playback and Record
Dolby Live and DTS Connect Not Supported
Here is a link to the particular amp specifications
https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/analog/audio/MAX97220B.html
This is the same amp that is present in the Creative Sound Blaster Z based off of the information present on the linked Amazon page below. Many state that the the Sound Blaster Z is capable of driving 600ohm headphones and can drive the 990s with just fine.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
The "Best Solution" post within the following forum link below claims that the Sound Blaster Z can drive the DT990s decently, to maybe 80% of their potential.It also claims that they are notoriously hard to drive. I would like to know if these are relatively agreeable statements.
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2545260/amp-beyerdynamic-990.html
On the other side of the spectrum however I've seen it said various times that even the best motherboard sound doesn't even compare to a $30 discreet sound card. I don't know if this is hyperbole or if that claim is no longer true relative to motherboards today. What is your opinion on this?
My concern is value. Ideally I would like to have my 990s not be crippled. On the other hand purchasing an amp and dac would be dependent on how much they are being crippled as I don't know if I could be bothered for 10%
So my real question is is my motherboard proving adequate? I have a hard time answering this myself because of the conflicting opinions and my nigh complete lack of expertise within this field.
Would I to purchase a amp would I need to also purchase a dac to compliment it?
My primary considerations along the purchase route would be Magni 3/Modi 2 combo. Alternatively if it would be a better value and able to power the headphones 100% a Fulla 2.
My usage is generally gaming. When I'm not gaming I'm listening to Spotify Premium. Additionally, as further information I do not have an issue with my headset being too quiet while playing games or listening to music. I can very easily have it way too loud. I understand that amps/dacs do further things than just provide more power to the device (at least I think) and that they provide better audio in general by some other form of magic.
However this leads to another question from me.
Would a $2000 amp beat a $300 amp in audio quality if the $300 amp could provide ample enough power to the device? Why?
I'm trying to figure out whether I need to buy a sound card.
I want to be able to play a twitch stream, spotify through my 3.5 speakers and have my my game and mic through my headset.
If I do is this https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E a good option?
If you ask a question, and someone answers it correctly, reply with a thank you, but include this checkmark: ✓ ( or if you cannot enter Unicode, use
!checkinstead )This will score the user whose comment you replied to a 'point'. Currently the points will unlock special flair that will show in all Daily Simple Questions threads.
This should be working, hopefully
In case you missed it, click here for yesterday's Daily Simple Questions thread.
There may be some questions still unanswered! Below are a selection of questions with no replies. See if you can help them out.
If you don't want to see this comment click the little [-] to the left of my username to collapse this comment.
----
> I have $70 on steam that is burning a hole in my pocket. What single player games would you recommend?
/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq24v1h/
----
> I'm trying to figure out whether I need to buy a sound card.
>
> I want to be able to play a twitch stream, spotify through my 3.5 speakers and have my my game and mic through my headset.
>
> If I do is this https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E a good option?
>
/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq2cd43/
----
> is there an updated guide for windows 10 like this?
> https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/3f10k0/things_to_removedisable_in_windows_10/
> Things to disable or turn off?
/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq2hjy7/
----
> Can anyone recommend a good remote desktop application for playing games? My plan is to keep my desktop at home and play from a laptop in dorms.
/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq337ih/
----
User | Points
-----|-------
badillin | 432
Sayakai | 290
Luminaria19 | 242
thatgermanperson | 205
motionglitch | 168
saldytuwas | 135
rehpotsirhc123 | 115
095179005 | 108
thecolonelofk | 90
glowinghamster45 | 85
----
I am a bot - This action was done automatically. Please direct any questions or concerns ( or bug reports ) to \/u\/eegras - About /u/PCMRBot
I have the DT990 Pro 250 Ohm and I use a dedicated sound card. The motherboard will definitely not be enough to power them properly.
A few suggestions:
Those are the sound card suggestions. There are also Amps and DACs that sit outside the PC and power the headphones:
There's obviously even better/more expensives one but you get the idea. Just google DT990 Pro soundcard/amp/dac and there will be loads to read.
Good luck and enjoy the headphones.
First time PC Builder, are my parts compatible? Am I missing anything?
Part | Item | Price
---|---|----
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO | $32.00
Motherboard | ASUS ATX DDR3 1800 Motherboards H170-PLUS D3 | $117.91
CPU | Intel Boxed Core I5-6400 | $242.99
Graphics Card + PSU Combo| XFX Radeon RX 480 | $389.98
RAM | Kingston HyperX Fury 16GB Kit (2x8GB) | $87.99
HDD | 2 x WD Blue 2TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive | $95.50 each
OS Drive | Corsair Force Series LE SSD, SATA 6Gbps 480GB | $142.49
Sound Card | Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card | $129.98
Case | Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-02 Mid Tower | $74.99
Optical Drive | LG Internal UH12NS30 BD-ROM | $56.99
PS: a suggestion for a black and red motherboard at the same price or lower would be much appreciated!
Shoutout to /u/spamsince, /u/Cerelius_BT for assistance with this build.
For the curious:
Sold separately on amazon:
Card
Speakers
Headphones
And here is my motherboard
I also tried my roommate's studio beats and still nothing. He said they were $300. I might just have bad hearing but I wouldn't recommend a sound card to anyone who isn't making music professionally.
Here is a $100 one from Creative. Popular choice, but still likely overkill.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Beamforming-Microphone-SB1500/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1408936408&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=sound+card
I know you say the cords bother you, but hear me out.
I have a Sound Blaster Z, which comes with a mic that sits on top of my monitor. I never notice it, and I don't see any wires. I use the Sound Blaster Z to power my Sennheiser 598 headphones.
My setup is expensive, but it is also amazing. There are cheaper alternatives. The Sennheiser 558 headphones are 100 dollars, though you'd still need a small mic like the one that comes with the Sound Blaster Z.
Sennheiser does make headsets. This one is (if i recall correctly) the 558 headphones with a mic attached for you.
If that is also too expensive I can leave you with this advice. Get yourself a pair of open headphones and a mic like the one that comes with the Sound Blaster Z. Open headphones are better for gaming than closed headphones / noise canceling headphones. Open headsets have a much larger "Sound Stage" compared to closed. The "Sound Stage" is how big the area appears to be that the sounds are coming from. Open headsets with large sound stages allow you to better pin-point where a sound is coming from. This allows you to much more easily tell that the footsteps you hear you coming from your 5 o'clock and that player is 20 yards away, for example.
The only time a headset is better closed than open is if you live in a very loud house/apartment, you live in a college dorm and don't want your roommate to hear your games/music, or you plan to use the headset in public at a library or on a bus. If you are buying strictly for gaming, open is the way to go.
Most headsets you can buy at retail shops are closed. This is a trend that started maybe 5-6 years ago when eSports were getting bigger. The pros play in tournaments with closed headsets because they need to block out the sound of the crowd. People want the same gear their favorite pro uses, so suddenly open headsets disappeared from retail shops.
The three Sennheiser products I linked are all open headsets.
Thank you for this long answer.
Today i found a Soundblaster Z (this) for 30€, ofc is a second-hand product.
Now i have this dubt:
Sennheiser HD 598SR + Soundblaster Z (160€ in Italy)
or
Beyerdynamic DT 990 + Soundblaster Z (170€ in Italy)
EDIT: i know that a DAC woud be better but i was wondering if this Soundblaster would help me, mostly at this price
How about this? The price is good and It has really good reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E
amazon
>3.5mm gold plated headphone jack driven by the 600 Ohm Maxim MAX97220 amp
I think I have the same (got it from a friend so I have not looked into it) Though I disabled all the buildin gaming functionally and removed the software altogether. It made the music sound much worse for me.
The bass was too intense and it crashed when I swiched from back to front panel.
I don't think you get much out of a better amp, unless you invest some serious money.
If you want to be sure you can also ask in /r/headphones
I personally doubt there are any gaming headset that make you hear footsteps more. Unless they use some weird EQ to highlight specific frequencies?
Lately i've been thinking if I could run Xbox audio through an external soundcard and my laptop via optical line-in. Point of this is having better audio quality and having xbox and pc Audio on the same headset. Party can be run on the xbox pc app. I know it works with this one, having tried it myself on a diffrent setup. So there shouldn't be a problem doing the same with this external card and a laptop? Am I right?
If you do and need any help getting the audio to set up let me know. Here is a link to the card that I have but the model below it. Its about $30 cheaper but has the same inputs and decibel output.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1498845975&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=creative+sound+blaster+zx
I honestly wish that I had gone with this one because I have never used that volume controller and I don't have studio headphones so I have no need for it.
I have this in my rig and it sounds awesome.
DGX will work... If you want to spend more money for a little better card, that will be up to you. Another popular sound card seems to be this...
www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/
Actually yes, I did. My motherboard used the Realtek built-in sound or whatever it is, which was alright, but once I got the soundcard (I got this one on sale for like $75) the sound was much clearer, and insanely louder with better control over everything. You do need decent headphones, so like a $30 headset isn't going to be affected as much as something like the ATH M50x's I got a year or so ago (Also very good purchase). I used to listen to music at 75-95% usually which was pretty loud, and now the equivalent is around 25-30%, and its quality is enough to very noticeably tell the difference between stuff like spotify premium and YouTube audio.
> You're overlooking one factor. There are some people who will come to this thread, misguided in the fact that adding a new soundcard will make a magical difference on their system no matter what. That's where I have the issue.
>
>
>
> It needs to be stated, quite clearly, that a dedicated sound card isn't always going to make a difference. It's not a fix-all. It won't make your crappy speaker systems sound nice, and it won't make you magically able to hear the faintest of footsteps on crappy headphones.
>
>
>
> I'm all for discussing higher-end solutions, as long as it's made apparent that only higher-end sound setups will notice the difference.
>
>
>
> I've personally been burned by the psychotic hipster audiophiles in the past, and don't want to see other people throwing away money fruitlessly.
>
>
>
> EDIT: Oh, I forgot to factor in another thing, as well. Some people literally cannot hear the difference, even with all the high-end bells and whistles. It could be due to partially damaged hearing (which is a very common thing, thank you loud rock music over extended periods of time), or other similar factors. Pitching several-hundred-dollar solutions like they're a godlike gaming fix for everyone is just ignorant, and it's just begging people to waste money when they genuinely might not be able to hear any difference.
>
>
>
> Like I said above, when I see posts like this, I just think of all of those people that spent a ton of money, just trying to justify their costs, even though it's entirely possible that they can't genuinely tell a bit of difference.
It seems like you did not actually read any of my posts, or listen to the demo.
This is not an "audiophile" change where someone is claiming that a new DAC or a new amp will significantly improve your sound quality, when there was nothing wrong with what you had before. (no hiss or interference, and things played loud enough)
This is the difference between stereo audio and surround audio - which should be noticeable on all but the crappiest of headphones.
If anything it goes against what "audiophiles" recommend, since that's usually along the lines of: ditch the sound card and spend $200 on a Schiit Stack. (Magni+Modi)
A Sound Blaster Z is $77 on Amazon right now and has been as low as $55.
If you're happy with how your on-board audio sounds, and it's using a supported codec, X-Fi MB3 for $30 is also a potential option.
Additionally, a sound card can do exactly what you say above: "it won't make you magically able to hear the faintest of footsteps on crappy headphones."
That's what Creative's "recon mode" option does - though it's not a feature that I use.
>Im using software to switch between but don't like the constant unplugging
New sound card. internal if you have a desktop or external if you have a laptop.
Do you know if something like this would do what I need? Plug my current headphones into the usb and then stick the 3.5 into the sound card slot for headphones in? This is the sound card btw, and thanks for the help.
Hi guys, I want to get a sound card. Your thoughts on this: https://www.amazon.ca/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1503404345&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=sound+card
and does it fit in these pcie gen 2 x1 slots on this motherboard: http://www.asrock.com/mb/intel/h97%20anniversary/
Thank you
I was about to buy a soundcard like this: https://www.amazon.ca/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505938163&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=sound+card
What is better for my HD598?
Oh! Oh! A chance for me to ask someone else about sound stuffs!
I've been using Sony MDR V6's for awhile now. I'm not so extensively knowledgeable to be able to discern good from bad in headphones. So I bought a pair that I liked for a variety of other reasons. So TL;DR are Sony MDR V6 headphones good enough for a game such as CS:GO?
One more question. Is onboard audio usually fine or is it worth investing in a sound card? I really don't know what a PCI-e card could do for me sound wise. However as a bit of a computer nerd. I am under the impression that it could take some of the load off of my CPU. Or so I've read. However that was a few years ago so I don't know if it applies anymore. I was looking at cards like this and this but I really don't know enough about what I'm looking at.
Amazon warehouse soundblaster z for under $70
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_sc_1_olp?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1405903649&amp;sr=1-1-spell&amp;keywords=soindblaster+z&amp;condition=used
Newegg refurb same price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102066&amp;cm_re=sound_blaster_z-_-29-102-066-_-Product
Yah it's whatever for me. I bought the motherboard for gaming specifically, I was going to get a sound card or DAC regardless of the audio, but I thought I could wait a little longer because audio quality wouldnt be as bad.. The amount doesnt surprise my, my headphones are 400 ohm and that means they will be quiet with almost anything, my cellphone especially (note 7and note 4). I was looking for the chipset in my HP Pavilion Dv6 with Beats Audio, maybe you would know how to find what audio chip is used? It just honestly blows me away, I've had this for 6 years, and although it's on the Fritz I still bust bust it out for music). Very very little static (better than my brothers Sound blaster using the onboard amp) and the audio quality in my ears is clearer, closer, and voices sound even more defined (amped).I also user foobar2000 btw, idk what else there is, or if it will of change sound, but just for reference.
Edit: Also both my desktop and laptop might not need an amp, it's just for the volume I enjoy (a little on the louder side)I need and and amp. If i was walking around in public with either of these computers I would not amp it, and I bet people could still hear it (ignoring my open back headphones). comparing at 90% on my laptop, and matching volume on my amp, it definitely gets a little tighter with the amp. I didn't notice anything with the desktop.
i got the dt 990 pros last night. they are just a little under the volume i need them to be at for gaming sadly... so i was going to grab the e10k after work today but my friend has an unused soundblaster sound card which hes offered for free. it has a built in amp, do you think that will do the trick and give me more volume and potentially better sound compared to my on-board audio?
its a [sound blaster z pcie] (https://www.amazon.com/d/Internal-Sound-Cards/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1540908988&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=Sound+Blaster+Z+Pcie)
I have a decent sound card but I thought my current headphones were 7.1 or 5.1.
Apparently not lol
The new HyperX models seem to be nice. There was a Seinnheiser around $200 that was supposed to be amazing but current reviews don't seem to agree.
This page lists the new HyperX as a top one. I don't mind spending the money I just want to hear from those who have the 7.1 headphones on how they like it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009ISU33E/ref=ox_sc_act_image_5?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I cant decide what I need, this FiiO E10K which from my knowledge is a DAC/AMP in one or just a soundcard, was thinking about this one Soundblaster. I dont know a whole lot about this so the best thing for me is what I want. I have a good gaming PC and a pair of Sennheiser 598's I dont like how they sound directly into my mobo so I want to try something else. What is the difference between those two products? Do they do the same thing? Thans in advance :)
EDIT: I have a msi gd65 gaming mobo
What's a good sound card thats under a hundred that would work? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009ISU33E/ ?
> fiio e10k
Will this beat out any internal sound card I could get? For example something like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ISU33E/ref=nav_ya_signin?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&amp;pf_rd_r=KVP7QS4HK6NECPF1YZSQ&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=202b99be-dd6c-5402-b007-d88175803d72&amp;pf_rd_i=284823&amp;
No you don't need more power for it. I personally use the Sound Blaster Z from creative because it works really well.
The Sound Blaster Z from Creative who have been leading the PC audio from pretty much the beginning
Here Is a youtube video with one of the head guys there and you can learn a lot about PC audio and why it's taken a back seat.
ya but i want a switch, so i dont gotta replug and unplug them.
something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Desktop/dp/B009XDWUCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1425847779&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sound+blaster
just without the soundcard of course.
So, I did some research and I can have this, new.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009XDWUCQ?cache=455cf914c984f65d1773834a05c519dd&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;qid=1409681684&amp;sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
That's free two day shipping included.
With that said, can you come down in price? If not I'll just buy her brand new for the same cost.
With my
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009XDWUCQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1519395122&amp;sr=8-5&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=sound+card&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41A5R2qbKSL&amp;ref=plSrch
And my Sennheiser stereo headphones, I hear everything pretty perfectly.. if you're using a similar system make sure that you go to Playback Devices -> Speaker Configuration -> Change it from stereo to 5.1. I frequently get wallbangs just from hearing someone walking or reloading, I can hear that people are above or below me. I am pretty convinced it's probably the best sound setup there is. I've been using a similar setup since playing Americas Army, a game that having a good sound setup was much more important in. Also, after trying several "surround headphones", they just are not good. Get a dedicated sound card. Use a good pair of stereo headphones with them. It's expensive but you'll never go back to anything else.
With this said, the sound does need work. I think sometimes I hear people run in a house, but the footstep sound fails to change from gravel to wood, which can be pretty confusing. If I'm not playing with the 5.1 option set it's pretty aweful. Even tryed using a couple virtual surround sound processors that I guess are built into windows? They were better than stock but still pretty garbage.
I am sold. So just plug directly into the external sound card or would it also work with my internal sound card? Link below to internal. Thanks for you help/advice!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XDWUCQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
Thanks for the reply, so would a sound card like this work? https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-SB1570/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409782966&amp;sr=8-11&amp;keywords=sound+card+headphone+amplifier
couple of questions.
would those headphones need an amp or could i power them with this soundcard.
is the only thing i would need a 1/4” -> 3.5mm adapter?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EO6X4XG?linkCode=gs2&amp;tag=dotdash21-21
Hey,
So I bought a new pc about 6 months ago. And about 3 months ago I started to have sound issues.
I believe I have all latest drivers.
I have clipping on audio and a reverb burp when playing intensive games.
See here :
reverb - (4 second mark)
https://vocaroo.com/i/s1dtn8MnpSDl
Clipping - (constant) https://vocaroo.com/i/s1F42vvkMQMV
The issue has become worse and worse and now effects mp3 music too and sometimes desktop sound.
Mostly in games though when screen is busy.
I've reinstalled the audio drivers but it only stops it for a short while.
I was thinking of buying the above sound card or any sound card anyone recommends which is decent on a budget.
But it occcured to me that I think the pc is using the gcard for sound?
Via HDMI to monitor and internal speakers.
Can anyone suggest what the hell these issues are and how to fix them Please as it's been months and my paid tech support doesn't have a clue...
Thanks :-)
I highly recommend dropping the scam of a headset (7.1 surround sound headsets are a marketing ploy, you don't have 7 speakers pointing at you from appropriate angles), and picking up a pair of Sennheiser HD 280s or similar, and something like this and you will get much better results. Gaming headsets are a terrible value as far as audio quality goes.
Combine those with one of these, and you will get a superb audio experience and the ability to hook up a real surround sound system if you desire.
Edit: Also, if you really want a bunch of macro keys, get a Corsair K95 keyboard. Mechanical keys will last you much longer. Go to a store, or order a switch tester and determine what switches you prefer.
Depending on what you're doing with your computer, you may want to consider just getting a separate internal or external sound card. Here's a well-rated one on Amazon for $35.
Creative Sound blaster is really great for the price
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1463969270&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=sound+blaster
I also recommend Sennehiser's HD 558 or 598 coupled with a cheap 10 dollar mic or something over the Game One/or Game Zer0's
The sound stage and clarity is wholly worth the minuscule extra effort.
Sound cards are primarily to drive high impedance rated speakers, most modern onboard audio is, correct me if I'm wrong, can power 80-100 ohms or so?
Also, if you don't plan on using surround sound you can use a USB sound card for your headphones again I recommend the Creative brand.
The DAC/Soundcard/Amp part get's all foggy for me. I know that if headphones a higher impedance, you should get something that supports that, but it get's confusing.
Would this fit all of those needs?
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX 5.1
The pci express x1 slot
https://www.whatthetech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/slot-types2.jpg
Check this card out
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG
https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-SB1570/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466190662&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=sound+blaster i found this, within my budget. even though its a sound card will it work to make it clearer and louder?
Get a pci soundcard. Any good soundcard shouldn't be giving noise from your pc.
This would do perfectly: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX 5.1 Sound Card SB1570 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_aXE.tb1CPPQSS
Also keep in mind that you don't want to buy a headset that isn't truly 5.1. Anything that says "virtual surround" doesn't have more than 2 channels and uses software to provide a virtual environment of surround sound.
How will that sound next to https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 and a pair of clouds?
It's only "god awful" if you're using an on-board sound card. Sound stage was non-existent when I was using the Realtek built into my motherboard. Upgrading to the Audigy FX was cheap and was a huge improvement to the sound quality and the sound stage. The 5.1 surround on the card really helped. (I can pin-point exactly where Ts are in radio/ramp from rafters on de_nuke with my ears)
I didn't have the intention to use the M50s for gaming (I'm a DJ) but upgrading my sound card made it my main gaming headset.
Didn't read all of the comments here, so someone may have suggested it already... But for less than 40usd you could try getting a new soundcard and plugging directly into it. I'm wondering if it's just the internal connection to the motherboard or sound card that's there? Here's an affordable option from soundblaster:
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_t3QWAbJD8JB8G
Good evening everyone, My onboard audio just broke (or so I thought, anyways) I'm looking for a budget soundcard around 40 euros, do you guys have any recommendations? I'm thinking of this one: https://www.amazon.de/Creative-PCIe-Soundkarte-5-1-Surround-Sound-leistungsstarker-Kopfh%C3%B6rerverst%C3%A4rker/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1522770923&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=Soundkarte
Newer than the ASUS variant so better windows support (I hope) Thanks.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;redirect=true&amp;ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
Cheap and works great with simvibe.
Sounds fantastic as well.
A sound card would be the best option; then you wouldnt have to deal with the possibility of reinstalling Windows and going through all that stuff.
Soundblaster Audigy
Does this mean your front panel audio works though? If your audio was out, then neither would work.
Also, something like this would work, looks simple enough:
USB Sound Card
Instead of buying a new headset, you would have to buy a soundcard. Something like this. Or you could get a headset that connects to the computer by USB rather than 3.5mm jacks.
Something like this.
You'd use it to replace your current audio device, giving you new audio jacks.
not subwoofers, bass shakers! butt kickers! you just need an extra 5.1 sound card on the PC, a sound amplifier and 2 or 3 of those shakers screwed on the underside/back of the seat and another at the pedals. Then download the free to use "simhub" to drive the shakers in your favorite games. I just added mine this week and I cannot go back. Its more life-changing than Virtual-Reality.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bodyshaker-in-custodia/dp/B0034JI3EE/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1543597985&amp;sr=8-9&amp;keywords=transducer
+
https://www.parts-express.com/sure-electronics-aa-ab34181-6x100w-tda7498-class-d-amplifier-board--320-307
+
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Sound-Studio/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1543598064&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=audigy+fx
+
https://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/simhub-diy-sim-racing-dash.10252/
I've tried reinstalling my audio drivers. I tried the one coming from my motherboard (link) and the one from Realtek themselves (link), which should be compatible because it says ALC662 and my mobo manual also says ALC662.
I don't have a sound card at all haha. Right now I only have the one built in my motherboard. I'm considering Audigy Fx SB1570 because it's relatively affordable and I have a slot for it.
One thing to note with this method is that unless you have a fairly nice discrete sound card or really nice on-board, you're probably going to have latency issues while monitoring.
That said, you could probably split the signal so that one side goes to an amp and the other goes to the line-in so that you can just monitor through the amp, but I didn't try that method and just opted to get this puppy here and it's worked like a champ.
Do I need an amplifier for these?
I have a BIOSTAR Group TZ68K+ mobo and I'm planning on buying
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp
which says it's good up to 600 Ohms
what about this one....
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1480388453&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=sound+card
Circuitry is pretty small these days, you'd be surprised :P
I'd try to just find drivers over buying a USB sound card. I am not a huge proponent of USB sound devices in the slightest.
If you end up needing a new sound card, i'd recommend something like this, which is around your price range. Supports front audio header connection as well, and your motherboard (if it is indeed the same one) has a pci-e x1 slot.
Edit: I'm actually not sure if that motherboard is the same as whats in that PC. The image they have is entirely different, and what they have listed as the motherboard (760G), looks to be in reference to the chipset used, lol. And the manufacturer has gone out of business.
Yeah either would allow you to you headphones or speakers. I have a headphone amp and DAC on my desk for the same reason. A sound card is probably the more elegant solution though. If you're looking for a low budget solution, I've heard good things about this and this card.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=zg_bs_284823_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=XMDHQKK9GJMTYYRHDN9N
>sound blaster FX
This one? https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-SB1570/dp/B00EO6X4XG
Your sound card might be dying. If you're using onboard sound disable it in the bios and try a PCI sound card. You can pick these up for cheap on Amazon or Newegg.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1480023951&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=pci+sound+card
If you are looking to buy something like this will do the job https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_21dSCbRNY1DRC
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_kwecBbWN6FWGR
That one will work
Se hai un fisso potresti prendere una scheda audio tipo questa che è la più venduta e costa relativamente poco, 35€.
OPPURE, c'è quest'accrocchio che è più o meno quello che chiedi tu e sta a 20€. Lo colleghi al pc via bluetooth e colleghi le cuffie a questo coso.
Hey man, why cant you just get a cheaper sound card like http://amzn.to/1sB3lYC im sure it would save you some money
Looking to buy these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7H8GG2/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_8?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015A8Y5M/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_9?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A1CPWE4BUHBCWE
What else do I need for everything to work? Soundcard? Will this work? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO6X4XG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
What about cables?
Thanks for the quick response!
I looked a little deeper on the socket type of my board (In retrospect, I should have done this earlier) and it says I have an FM1.
Am I stuck on FM1 processors or can I use FM2 or FM3? If I am stuck on FM1, I'll just upgrade my motherboard as well as my CPU. Would you have any recommendations for this?
Right now all I have is an AMD 7850 with a 600w power supply and this sound card. While I want to say price doesn't matter, I want to keep it under $300 if at all possible.
I want my computer to run games a bit better and be ready for a graphics card upgrade within the next few years. Thanks for any/all help!
I got this for $30 including tax. I had hoped to improve two things. One, my mic can be quiet, and two I have nice headphones that could use some extra juice. Would this sound card be the thing that could do both for a relatively good price? Any thing I should be aware of, as this is my first time venturing away from my motherboards built in audio whatever.
Thanks!
What would be a desirable voltage? Could you recommend a PCI amp? I was looking at this other card, its the best seller, 10 bucks cheaper, and can do up to 600 ohm.
You could try, although $20 sound cards usually aren't the best quality. Try getting an Creative Audigy FX (around $30), you could even get a used one for $16 on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419170684&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=audigy+fx&amp;condition=used
any cheap amps? or would a soundcard work as a substitute? like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO6X4XG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A286IZ33TR5AUQ
I bought this a couple years back thinking it would imprive my sound quality, but all it did was allow me to create custom EQ settings.
Since then, I discovered Peace and use that going straight from the mobo. Sounds a bit better this way.
I've never tried a DAC, but I'm seriously considering one for my SHP-9500s cans. Specifically the FiiO E10k.
Just get a cheap sound card?
I'm not sure if that motherboard has the built in amplifier that you mentioned. I know the Extreme Pro 4 from ASROCK does have the sound amplifier built in though. If you are looking for a solid budget sound card that will drive these, I'd recommend this one.
I use the but kicker gamer2 and simvibe mostly with assetto, Iracing and live for speed. The simvibe software supports these games. In addition to buying simvibe, you also need to run it on its own 5.1 sound card. So yes, your computer needs two sound cards. I picked up one on Amazon and it works great.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO6X4XG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
You know what, I'm a moron. What's the advantage of having an external soundcard over the internal? My original plan was to get the sound card in the OP as well as this Behringer external for audio recording, but I have no idea what I'm doing.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG
What if i buy this? And connect it with optical cable from soundcard to receiver?
Try this for your creative sound card, it will help with Bass and treble
I have 5.1 version of Creative
I tried a large number of different versions of drivers to no avail.
The BIOS settings are correct
I did a complete version of Windows from the disk
I did add a new monitor just before this all happened. It was working perfectly for a few hours before it crashed. If i remember correctly i was casting twitch to my TV when my computer froze. I hit the reset switch and from then on out didn't have audio. Not sure how that would help but i have sense tried the same thing and it seemed to work fine. Also, If im going to buy a Sound Card would this be ok? (https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1549339333&amp;sr=1-4&amp;keywords=sound%2Bcard&amp;th=1) Never had a sound card so I dont know anything about them
I recently came across this sound card:
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1493998169&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=7.1%2Bsound%2Bcard&amp;th=1
And it seems to have every feature that I am looking for (including low-latency mic playback into headphones). I know that it has a headphone amp, but I can't find any information about a microphone amp. Does anyone know if it does or not? My mic is struggling on my motherboard audio :/
not sure I fully follow all y'all but it sounds like I can try using the digital audio from TV to Receiver and enable bitstream.
Can I get around this problem by using a separate internal sound card like this one :
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=pd_ybh_a_5?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=GW53JDZJBVM9Y9V4V410
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy PCIe RX 7.1 Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZPQsybQ4RVGMZ)
This will drive it just fine
Those options seem gimmicky to me. I'm all for trying a different solution, but id honestly recommend just buying a sound card for $20 that works with PCIE and KNOW its going to work.
(EDIT:) After revisiting your post, i noticed the steelseries is a 7.1 surround headset. you'll need something a little more beefy then. This , I believe will do the trick. But i can't be for sure its exactly what you will want.
Maybe go to your local microstation and ask them what card they'd recommend?
There are cards that use PCI-e 1x if you have some spare room for one.
oh, into 2 mono signals. That makes sense.
Thinking about this soundcard:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=dp_cerb_3
According to user reviews it can do 2.0/2.1/5.1/7.1, not 3.1/4.1. I think I will get another JBL LSR305 and a pair of Mackie C3's for $100 combined
I'm not sure, this is what I have.
I'm also saudi.
@Jeddah
___
Specs
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Type|Item
:----|:----|
CPU | Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor @4.8GHz | $329.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $135.99 @ SuperBiiz
Thermal Compound | Gelid Solutions GC-Supreme 7g Thermal Paste | $9.87 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard |-
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $97.22 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $87.95 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $154.95 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card @+300/550 | $649.99 @ B&H
Case | Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case | $149.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $103.98 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer | $52.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) | $87.95 @ OutletPC
Wireless Network Adapter | Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter | $29.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Monitor | Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor | $408.00 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $169.99 @ B&H
Mouse | Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse | $67.38 @ Amazon
Headphones | Kingston HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset | $95.99 @ NCIX US
Headphones| JVC Kenwood Victer HA-SZ2000| $216.00
Sound Card| Asus Essence STX II| $259.99
Other| Belkin Anti-Static Wristband| $4.78
Other| Arctic Silver Arcticlean Thermal Cooling Material Remover and Surface Purifier | $6.89
Other| SYBA Plastic Stand for ATX Case with Adjustable Width and 5 Caster Wheels| $14.21
Thanks for the response.
So everything is basically going to run through the iD. Is it worth it to buy a seperate sound card? or does it matter really if its all over usb. and if so, are the 100ish creative cards worth it, or should I be looking at something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ONSBF4K/
The other question he had was having multiple headphones for monitoring, potentially with different mixes. Whats the best way to do this? I saw the headphone amps to split it 4-8 ways, so if I had one with individual inputs, how do I send 4 or more mixes out to different headphones?
Thanks again
My suggestion is to buy a Soundblaster card, when you can afford it. The new one costs 140. I have an optical port on my new motherboard and opt to continue to use this. It takes a PCI slot so you will need one open. https://www.amazon.com/Creative-70SB174000000-BlasterX-Hi-Resolution-Gaming/dp/B073HT4GM4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=soundblaster&qid=1563742535&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Creative 70SB174000000 Sound BlasterX AE-5 Hi-Resolution PCIe Gaming Sound Card
Edit: for anyone who comes across this save yourself some headache. Find one component that will do everything that you want. because there are a lot of limitations with Asio4all and you might not be able to get sound.
I still have not found a solution to this.
Trying to get a Behringer 404 HD to talk with a creative sound card and AB/virtual cable using Asio4all within FL Studio I was unsuccessful in getting any sound to pass through to the card.
You can use FL Asio or Asio driver that comes with the card if it has one. But you will not be able to Output to a different Source or have a different source of input.
If anyone has had any luck actually getting this to work please message me and let me know your settings.
___
DAC was what i have been looking for.
After digging a bit deeper I'm may very well stick with the PCI just because I'm running out of USB ports.
Any recommendations internal or external?
I could just buy the 50$ card but i like how much this one puts out compared to others.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B073HT4GM4/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1522443903&amp;sr=8-5&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=sound+blaster&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=31PrI84vKLL&amp;ref=plSrch
So far I have not encountered any issue as far as noise or interference from other components.
66.48 on Amazon right now. Still a great price IMO.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009ISU33E
Oh it's an old board with only a single 3.5mm jack? That may change things, won't allow you to use microphone input. Mic input is usually pink. Most likely any sound card will be better than your integrated in this case, will at the least allow microphone input AND audio output, may also have better sound quality as well. I use one similar to this which will probably work well for you. Not super expensive and will provide you with more inputs and outputs.
If you have a desktop, I'd highly recommend the Asus Xonar DX. It's better for music than it is for gaming, where the Creative cards pull ahead just slightly.
If you have a notebook, I'd look recommend looking into the NuForce uDac
If you do most of your listening on an iPod, I'd recommend the NuForce Icon Mobile
If you're on a budget, I'd recommend the Fiio e5, but to be honest, it's a still a little underpowered for those cans.
I am looking to buy a DAC (budget around $30) for my laptop as the sound quality is inferior to my iPhone. I am mainly going to use my RHA ma750i for listening.
I've looked at several of them on Amazon and most are too expensive for me. I just want to have the same music quality experience as my iPhone.
Here's the Link for both of them:
Sound Blaster PLAY!
, Sound Blaster X-Fi Go!
They seem convenient, portable and quite easy to carry.
If you guys know of better DACs in the same price range, please let me know. Thanks.
Oh man, i mean... Those would DEFINITELY solve my problem. But those seem like above and beyond fixing some line noise. I was thinking more like a thumb-drive-sized audio card. I see creative and turtle beach both have them. They seem pretty cheap, but a little pricier than the random non-name-brand companies and promise high quality.
Some reviews on the creative seem to imply that there is noise and feedback on the creative, and someone went as far as digging into it claiming Creative acknowledges the issues and blames the issue on inadequate shielding. This basically makes it useless for me!
People claim the turtle beach has poor sound as well.
Am I just looking for a product that doesn't exist?
I am trying to get just the card from this sound card to work with the speakers from a Sony DAV-HDX285 because the main part is taking up a lot of room on my desk and does not appear to be true 5.1 since it is being ran from a single aux cable from the motherboard.
Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Fatal1ty-Champion-SB1354/dp/B0060SXDRI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377681049&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=soundblaster
or even just a better version of the asus you've got there: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Channel-Audio-Sound/dp/B001EZQ8YC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377681131&amp;sr=8-9&amp;keywords=asus+xonar
Whatever suits you really!
It just goes straight into the back of my pc
question though.. If I buy one of these, will directional audio be a problem for me? I do not deny that along with music, listening is really important in csgo. Will getting something like that potentially mess up how sound works ingame?
edit: would this work? http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK
>better on board sound
I just built a PC with this board and the on board sound is unfortunately nothing to write home about. Tried it out with my HD 598s and it sounded horrible. Debated returning my sound card until I compared the sound. I agree with your other points tho.