Audio Newbie to Sound cards - suggestions required for sound card upto 3k

cranky said:
Again, I do not rule out discrete sound cards unless you have very poor speakers. I don't know what kind of speakers are available in the 5k range.

Headphones magnify differences between cards even more sharply and even if you could manage without a card for speakers, I suppose a good card or amp/dac combo is indispensable for even the most basic of headphones.

YMMV.
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That last part is exactly tempts me into trying out such stuff. Audio is the most subjective thing out there and no matter how much i read up on it, i won't climb a rung till i get to experience the same first hand.
Also, the speaker setup i use is kinda entry level and the same can also be said about the headphone, which are bassy while providing average detailing.

greenhorn said:
actually over the couple of days a few things happened which have changed my opinions a lot. My mom stumbled onto my porta corda 3 which I'd always considered lost. And I got a pair of arko 80W bookshelves at a sweet deal. Hooked them up, have been rediscovering music all over again :)

PS: My total outlay for the whole thing was 2.2k a couple of years ago for the DAC and 3.5k for the speakers. I'm sure there is not a system under 10k which can touch it for resolution, and if I add my Z2300 sub, It's godlike.

Eternomind, why not one of them DAC/headphone amps ? Btw, the XD 200's, while warm and bassy, are very forgiving headphones. so adding a soundcard might not five you gains in resolution. however, do try playing Eminem's ass like that with your XD200's in movie mode, and see if they vibrate without distorting. If they distort/fail to vibrate - you need something brawnier than your current onboard - I used to be able to notice this with my XD 200 when i switched between my mp3 player and soundcard
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Congrats on the new-found music nirvana :D

I did the experiment you mentioned and there was no distortion and no vibration either. I raised the volume to the maximum level i was comfortable with. However, there are always distortions when i am watching movies with heavy action sequences. Case in point TDK, TDKR, Saving Private Ryan and the likes. Plus, the XD200s do make it difficult at times to comprehend hushed dialogue bits. Any pointers to what this says about my onboard sound chip ?

When you say a DAC/Amp unit, can you please point to any model? Also, although majority of my current usage is through headphones, i do turn on the speakers with multiple people around. Would it make sense to use the DAC/Amp with speakers as well?
@greenhorn

TheBroker said:
Hi all,
bought the Xonar DG a week back, finally installed it today! I couldn't be more happier with the purchase. This is a good piece of hardware and it makes a good difference to the sound output, be it gaming or music. Can hear the small details of songs / instrumental songs. And I'm saying that while using an Altec Lansing BXR1221, which is an inexpensive 2.1 speaker set, so while using a higher end speaker set, the sound will only be sweeter. I don't know the technicalities of audio, but I can guarantee that sound is better with this APU.

For 1600 bucks, this is a good purchase for anyone looking to upgrade their sound.

ONE IMPORTANT POINT OF CAUTION FOR ANYONE BUYING THIS CARD - I'm using a micro atx board ( Gigabyte H55M-S2 ) and this is a PCI based card, sitting right under my GPU ( Sapphire HD 7750, which is dual height) . The PCIE version will be better for m-ATX board users and shall future proof it too. My gaming temps are up by 5-7 degrees to 55 degrees Celsius. :(
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Congrats on the purchase !

Would it be possible for you to pen your thoughts on the Xonar DG by pairing it with a headphone (especially in movies and music) ? As for speakers, i use entry-level ones like you from Logitech.
 
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Hi, Thanks. The sound on is definitely improved compared to the Realtek Onboard. However I'm using a cheap non-branded headphone/mic set, so I can feel that the sound detail is slightly missing, but then that can be a headphone issue more than that of the card! Will update when I lay my hands on a better set of speakers :)
 
are you sure the increase in sound quality is due to the card itself, and not due to the DSP/enhancements that come along with it ? You could have gotten them with just software :)
 
greenhorn said:
are you sure the increase in sound quality is due to the card itself, and not due to the DSP/enhancements that come along with it ? You could have gotten them with just software :)
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Yes, its a hardware related boost, because I have turned off all possible settings / enhancements on the Xonar Audio Center. I anyway listen to music on a flat equalizer :)
 
let me renew this topic
recently I got Asus Xonar DG from @PristineNote . I feel it's sound quality is better than the on board sound,
however front panel jack sensing is not working .. searched on the net and found that it is a well known issue ;
unsure if I should use alternate drivers (eg. uni-xonar) .. :confused:
 
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@seshu i am facing the same problem with the Xonar DG. Fiddled around with the driver console but couldn't get the jack sensing to work. Also the dedicated headphone jack at the back is not working or am i missing something. o_O
 
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^ hmm., selecting correct output device (eg. 2 speakers / FP headphones ..) appears to be important in the Xonar Audio Center's main menu ...
 
Even my front panel ports are not working since the day i got it and thought it is happening only with me, though i have disabled HD audio drivers in BIOS and disconnected the front panel adapter from sound card itself and now front panel audio jacks are completely non working but i don't care too much since i got headphone out port in my C2 amp.

@seshu i am using uni-xonar myself and that doesn't rectify this problem.
 
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