sound card with headphones

[fruscai]

this is a very noob question, but i'm buying a new pc, and i'm debating whether or not to get a sound card, i'm already a bit over budget, and there's no way i'll be buying nice speakers, however I can save up fairly quickly to get excellent gaming/mp3 headphones, do i need a good sound card as i'm not going to have good speakers and my motherboard has integrated realtek audio?

 

[Geoff]

Onboard sound is fine if your not an audiophile, or arent going to be using decent speakers/headphones. However if you do want to get high quality speakers/headphones, a sound card such as an X-Fi will show major improvements.

 

[Cab00se]

or you could just buy a USB headset because it has built in soundcard qualities, although soundcards are generally the same price as these (70-80) bucks so it might be more advisable to just get one of those and a pair of Platronics Audio 90's (I've had 2 great ones)

 

[fruscai]

the headphones im looking at are more in the 150 dollar range, quality philip or sony headphones and a nice little stereo amp to go with it, would this sound card be enough to give me good sound and work well with headphones (for gaming and listining to proper Drum n Bass)

AuzenTech XMYSTIQUE7.1 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
- $79.99

or would it be better to dish out the extra 40 bucks to get a Creative X-Fi? As in, will the 40 bucks really make a realistic performance or sound difference?

 

[Geoff]

Dont go with that sound card, i would recommend getting the X-Fi XtremeMusic for around $80. It has improved CMSS-3D for headphones, which simulates virtual surround sound, and i must say it works very well since i used to have one myself.

 

[holyjunk]

About the headphones. Go bose for around $150 usd.

 

[Starman*]

I got a sound card for one reason, nothing to do with audio! Onboard audio is decent quality but it needs to use the processor. If you are doing anything processor-intensive like playing games, video or graphics editing, you don't want the processor taking time off to do audio. It tends to slow things down and can produce jerky audio too. A sound card takes most of the audio load from the processor, allowing you to blast the crap out of some dude in your fps game without interruption.

Starman*

 

[fruscai]

alright well ive decided on the xi-fi xtrememusic from creative, as omega suggested, only thing is, on newegg, its $121.99. I'll figure out a cheaper price though, maybe in an actual shop.

Neway, can someone now give me some advice on a good headphone set, maybe one that can switch between gaming mode and music mode or something like that. Also, does anyone know any good sites i can check out to learn as much as possible about hi-fi audio and headphones?

 

[fruscai]

ive decided to go with beyer DT 880 for headphone, and then work out a suitable amp, maybe the Bithead. Neway, can someone explain what the difference between 7.1 and 5.1 is realistically? will i care with my headphones and amp?

 

[mrjack]

5.1 has 2 front and 2 back speakers, plus a center front and subwoofer. 7.1 has the same and 1 speaker on your left and right side.

5.1

7.1

 

[fruscai]

5.1 has 2 front and 2 back speakers, plus a center front and subwoofer. 7.1 has the same and 1 speaker on your left and right side.

thnx a lot for pics, as they say 1 picture is worth a thousand words. My main concern in terms of surround sound and the xi-fi is will it sound really nice with the headphones and amp, and if so, can i get a lower quality sound card that is 5.1 that will still sound excellent with my headphones (i am not buying any speakers at all, i have a crappy 100 rand pair now, about $15, and I don't care to waste hundreds on speakers)

 

[Beyond]

Fruscai:

Don't do anything drastic yet!

What's your number one priority: gaming or music performance?

 

[fruscai]

Fruscai:

Don't do anything drastic yet!

What's your number one priority: gaming or music performance?

see thats a tough one, ive never really gamed extensivelly before, and i really want to get into it, but i also love music (id take a bullet for the red hot chili peppers). Will it really put that much stress back on my cpu if i get a cheaper 5.1 card? I mean, it will still sound great, and im going with a dual core 4200+ am2 chip and ddr800 ram to overclock a new system im building, so how much performance stress can a lower end sound card really cause?

 

[Beyond]

see thats a tough one, ive never really gamed extensivelly before, and i really want to get into it, but i also love music (id take a bullet for the red hot chili peppers). Will it really put that much stress back on my cpu if i get a cheaper 5.1 card? I mean, it will still sound great, and im going with a dual core 4200+ am2 chip and ddr800 ram to overclock a new system im building, so how much performance stress can a lower end sound card really cause?

Well, the reason I ask is because none of the Audigy cards are your best options for music, if that is your only concern, nor are any of the headphones previously mentioned (for gaming OR music!)

 

[fruscai]

i've heard a dt 880 before and it sounded amazing, whats wrong with that?

 

[Beyond]

i've heard a dt 880 before and it sounded amazing, whats wrong with that?

Nothing at all, I didn't see it earlier in the thread..

What genres of music do you most listen to, though?

 

[fruscai]

Nothing at all, I didn't see it earlier in the thread..

What genres of music do you most listen to, though?

pretty much everything except rap and country. I like rock, alternative, hardcore, metal, ambient, drum n bass

i've recently discovered a love for atmospheric drum n bass, i cant get enough of the stuff, i just cant find good djs

anyway, i was also planning on getting a headphone amp to run though my computer and give me excellent sound with thos dt 880s

 

[Beyond]

pretty much everything except rap and country. I like rock, alternative, hardcore, metal, ambient, drum n bass

i've recently discovered a love for atmospheric drum n bass, i cant get enough of the stuff, i just cant find good djs

anyway, i was also planning on getting a headphone amp to run though my computer and give me excellent sound with thos dt 880s

With rock, alternative, hardcore, and metal, your best option hands down will be a Grado/Alessandro product. What's your budget for everything (amp, sound card, and headphones)?

 

[fruscai]

sorry, it takes so long for me to post, the time difference from here to the states is more than 6 hours, so im usually sleeping when its 4 or 5 oclock over there.

With rock, alternative, hardcore, and metal, your best option hands down will be a Grado/Alessandro product. What's your budget for everything (amp, sound card, and headphones)?

well the sound card is included in an am2 setup im going to build, actually i would really appreciate it if you could check that out, its in the desktop pcs forum and includes the xi-fi xtreme sound blaster

as for amp and headphones, im looking at about 500$ max, but ill buy it here, so it'll be more expensive (the rand is 7:1 to the dollar, but it changes all the time, and they screw you over here for any electronic equipment)

 

[Beyond]

sorry, it takes so long for me to post, the time difference from here to the states is more than 6 hours, so im usually sleeping when its 4 or 5 oclock over there.



well the sound card is included in an am2 setup im going to build, actually i would really appreciate it if you could check that out, its in the desktop pcs forum and includes the xi-fi xtreme sound blaster

as for amp and headphones, im looking at about 500$ max, but ill buy it here, so it'll be more expensive (the rand is 7:1 to the dollar, but it changes all the time, and they screw you over here for any electronic equipment)

Well, for music listening, that sound card is not your best option.

With a $500 budget for sound, you could actually have a setup that was decent for both.

Example:

Music:
Sound Card- E-MU 0404 $100
Headphones- Alessandro MS-1s $100
Amp- PA2V2 $60

That leaves you around $240 to get equipment good for gaming. You could use the same headphones and switch them with a sound card such as the X-FI, or you could get speakers or another set of headphones better for gaming..