Looking at these 2 sound cards, which one?

Woody...!!!

Woody...!!!

Woody...!!!

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i am looking at these 2 sound cards and i can't make my mind up

Asus Xonar D2X 7.1 PCI-Express Sound Card

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium - Fatal1ty Professional Series 7.1 Sound Card

i am really stuck because i dont know if i should stick with my onboard sound of the gigabyte ex58-ud5 or if to buy a sound card

yes i do gaming
 
If you will be using headphones for gaming, get the Xonar. Dolby Headphone rules.

With speakers I would also consider the X-Fi (which doesn't do such a bad job with headphones either TBH) as well as the Xonar.

Either will give an improvement over onboard, but you'll notice it more if you have decent speakers or headphones.
 
Woody...!!! said:
the headphones i have are these
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-027-SL&groupid=702&catid=1058&subcat=692
Click to expand...

Ahh... The Medusas... I have a set myself - the origninal home edition but they're kind of semi-retired.

Either soundcard will make the medusas redundant to be quite honest. Their headphone modes are designed for stereo headphones. I've tried the X-Fi Xtreme Music, X-Fi Prelude and am currently using a Xonar D2.

CMSS-3D headphone on the X-Fi gives a superior positional effect to the Medusas. There's a clearer separation of front and back than the medusas. It works by simulating 8 speakers around your head. The sound is still unmistakably headphones but the directional aspect is greatly enhanced over plain stereo

Dolby Headphone on Xonar simulates listening to 5 speakers around you but also simulates a room, as well as the speakers. If your headphones are comfortable, it's easy to forget you're wearing headphones at all. Positioning is perhaps not quite as accurate as the X-Fi (although again, it's superior to the Medusas) but it's a much more natural, speaker like, surround sound.

Both technologies give a better surround experience than the medusas. If you think about it, the way the medusas do surround sound is quite un-natural - piping sound into from 4 drivers into each ear. When you hear surround sound speakers, it's not just the one ear and the direction. Your natural perception of sound direction comes partly from one ear hearing the sound earlier, and more loudly than the other, with some aspects of the sound influenced by the shape of your head and your ears. With the medusas you hear a lot of sound in one ear only and you're not getting several of these other audio cues. Dolby Headphone and CMSS-3d headphone simulate them more accurately (neither of these technologies are perfect but they're a cut above the multiple drivers for each ear solutions).

I've used my medusas for gaming with Dolby Headphone on the Xonar. I've also ditched the medusa amp, as I had problems with interference with it. Even using the medusas in stereo with Dolby Headphone is better than their own 5.1 mode. Sound quality wise I'd say the medusas are on par with stereo headphones costing around £10 to £20 (and I've tried a lot of headphones). Stereo headphones in the same price bracket as the medusas completely blow them away though.
 
Uriel said:
Ahh... The Medusas... I have a set myself - the origninal home edition but they're kind of semi-retired.

Either soundcard will make the medusas redundant to be quite honest. Their headphone modes are designed for stereo headphones. I've tried the X-Fi Xtreme Music, X-Fi Prelude and am currently using a Xonar D2.

CMSS-3D headphone on the X-Fi gives a superior positional effect to the Medusas. There's a clearer separation of front and back than the medusas. It works by simulating 8 speakers around your head. The sound is still unmistakably headphones but the directional aspect is greatly enhanced over plain stereo

Dolby Headphone on Xonar simulates listening to 5 speakers around you but also simulates a room, as well as the speakers. If your headphones are comfortable, it's easy to forget you're wearing headphones at all. Positioning is perhaps not quite as accurate as the X-Fi (although again, it's superior to the Medusas) but it's a much more natural, speaker like, surround sound.

Both technologies give a better surround experience than the medusas. If you think about it, the way the medusas do surround sound is quite un-natural - piping sound into from 4 drivers into each ear. When you hear surround sound speakers, it's not just the one ear and the direction. Your natural perception of sound direction comes partly from one ear hearing the sound earlier, and more loudly than the other, with some aspects of the sound influenced by the shape of your head and your ears. With the medusas you hear a lot of sound in one ear only and you're not getting several of these other audio cues. Dolby Headphone and CMSS-3d headphone simulate them more accurately (neither of these technologies are perfect but they're a cut above the multiple drivers for each ear solutions).

I've used my medusas for gaming with Dolby Headphone on the Xonar. I've also ditched the medusa amp, as I had problems with interference with it. Even using the medusas in stereo with Dolby Headphone is better than their own 5.1 mode. Sound quality wise I'd say the medusas are on par with stereo headphones costing around £10 to £20 (and I've tried a lot of headphones). Stereo headphones in the same price bracket as the medusas completely blow them away though.
Click to expand...

thanks thats food for thought

so can you spec me a card and head phones that will match each other, also while i am at it i might aswell get some speakers, shame the logitech THX speakers are a stupid price lol
 
Woody...!!! said:
thanks thats food for thought

so can you spec me a card and head phones that will match each other, also while i am at it i might aswell get some speakers, shame the logitech THX speakers are a stupid price lol
Click to expand...

How much would you be willing to spend?

If you do get new headphones and a soundcard, you might consider selling your medusas to fund it. They do seem to fetch decent prices 2nd hand, especially via auction.
 
Uriel said:
How much would you be willing to spend?

If you do get new headphones and a soundcard, you might consider selling your medusas to fund it. They do seem to fetch decent prices 2nd hand, especially via auction.
Click to expand...

on the whole set up "speakers, sound card and headphones" about £400 cheaper the better though lol
 
Given your budget, it may be worth thinking about the separate amp / receiver and speakers route rather than PC speakers. Also consider that most music is mastered for stereo speakers and, for music at least, you might do better from a pair or stereo bookshelf speakers. I'm not that up to date on PC and hi-fi speakers at the moment so maybe someone else can chip in?

Ultimately, this is going to be about balancing your budget to what suits you. I'll recommend a range of soundcards and speakers so you have a few things to consider.

If you're spending a fair bit on headphones, I would suggest trying them on, if not getting a full demo. I've got rid of quite a few pairs because I found them uncomfortable, even great sounding headphones. That's one think I really like about the Medusas and the main reason I sometimes still use them - the comfort.

Given that you're using Medusas I assume you're happy with open headphones? (Edit: I've indicated where they're closed - others are open) Here's a quick shortlist of Headphones you might consider:
Goldring DR150+
Goldring NS1000 (closed with active noise reduction - great for pc fan noise but requires AAA battery)
Sennheiser HD555 +
Sennheiser HD595 +
Sennheiser HD580 * (discontinued but you might be able to find it)
Sennheiser HD600 *
Sennheiser HD650 *
Audio Technica ATH-AD700 (reputation for having excellent soundstage, detail and comfort)
JVC HA-RX700 (closed)
JVC HA-RX900 (semi-closed)

Note: + benefits significantly from dedicated headphone amp; * absolutely requires dedicated headphone amp to get the best from them. I've colour coded them so that Yellow is stuff I've owned or had an extended home trial. White is stuff I've tried briefly. Red is stuff I'm recommending on reputation / reviews alone.

All of the above are headphones rather than headsets, but you can use a clip-on or desktop mike. Unfortunately there really aren't that many good headsets with a microphone.

Soundcard wise, I would be happy to recommend any out of the Xonar D1, DX, D2 or D2X. Bear in mind the note about headphone amps: The Xonar Essence STX has a fairly good one built in. It doesn't have the analogue connections for surround of the other Xonars so your 5.1 speakers or amp would need to be digital.
 
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Uriel said:
Given your budget, it may be worth thinking about the separate amp / receiver and speakers route rather than PC speakers. Also consider that most music is mastered for stereo speakers and, for music at least, you might do better from a pair or stereo bookshelf speakers. I'm not that up to date on PC and hi-fi speakers at the moment so maybe someone else can chip in?

Ultimately, this is going to be about balancing your budget to what suits you. I'll recommend a range of soundcards and speakers so you have a few things to consider.

If you're spending a fair bit on headphones, I would suggest trying them on, if not getting a full demo. I've got rid of quite a few pairs because I found them uncomfortable, even great sounding headphones. That's one think I really like about the Medusas and the main reason I sometimes still use them - the comfort.

Given that you're using Medusas I assume you're happy with open headphones? (Edit: I've indicated where they're closed - others are open) Here's a quick shortlist of Headphones you might consider:
Goldring DR150+
Goldring NS1000 (closed with active noise reduction - great for pc fan noise but requires AAA battery)
Sennheiser HD555 +
Sennheiser HD595 +
Sennheiser HD580 * (discontinued but you might be able to find it)
Sennheiser HD600 *
Sennheiser HD650 *
Audio Technica ATH-AD700 (reputation for having excellent soundstage, detail and comfort)
JVC HA-RX700 (closed)
JVC HA-RX900 (semi-closed)

Note: + benefits significantly from dedicated headphone amp; * absolutely requires dedicated headphone amp to get the best from them. I've colour coded them so that Yellow is stuff I've owned or had an extended home trial. White is stuff I've tried briefly. Red is stuff I'm recommending on reputation / reviews alone.

All of the above are headphones rather than headsets, but you can use a clip-on or desktop mike. Unfortunately there really aren't that many good headsets with a microphone.

Soundcard wise, I would be happy to recommend any out of the Xonar D1, DX, D2 or D2X. Bear in mind the note about headphone amps: The Xonar Essence STX has a fairly good one built in. It doesn't have the analogue connections for surround of the other Xonars so your 5.1 speakers or amp would need to be digital.
Click to expand...

WOW the choice

ok i have made my mind up on the sound card (well sort of) it is going to be a asus xonar, either the DX2 or the essence

i like the look of the Sennheiser HD595 so that is on my short list as well as the Goldring DR150

So now i am stuck on speakers, what do you think of these, Logitech X-540 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
 
would i plug the headphones into the speaker control pod, or would it be best to get a Y splitter cable and connect closer to the sound card?
 
I cant decide i keep changing my mind between these 3 cards

Asus Xonar D2X 7.1 PCI-Express Sound Card
Asus Xonar Essence STX Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium - Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1 Sound Card

i have decided to get the Goldring D150 headphones

and i have a set of creative inspire P580 5.1 speakers
 
How long is the Asus Xonar D1 as i have two g'cards and the only slot left is in between them, i am using Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE is it the same size.
 
Woody...!!! said:
I cant decide i keep changing my mind between these 3 cards

Asus Xonar D2X 7.1 PCI-Express Sound Card
Asus Xonar Essence STX Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium - Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1 Sound Card

i have decided to get the Goldring D150 headphones

and i have a set of creative inspire P580 5.1 speakers
Click to expand...

If you're definitely going with the P580s, don't get the STX. It lacks the analogue connections you'll need. As stated, I would recommend Xonars over X-Fis for headphone use.

The D2X and DR150s should be an excellent combo, but I wonder whether it's wise to get such cheap PC speakers at all. I'm so satisfied with the combination of a Xonar with decent headphones (most recently Goldring NS1000s or Sennheiser HD580s) that I hardly ever use my PC speakers. They're pretty much only get used when more than one person needs to hear surround sound. That's with Logitech z680s or Creative Digital Inspire 5700s, which were both £200+ only a few years ago. Most of my speaker use is through separate hi-fi amp and stereo speakers.

You will need a seriously good (several hundred quid) 5.1 speaker system to sound on par with the DR150s and a D2X.

By the way - do you have a spare PCI slot? The D2 (on PCI) pretty much is identical to the D2X (which uses PCI-e) and quite a bit cheaper.
 
Uriel said:
If you're definitely going with the P580s, don't get the STX. It lacks the analogue connections you'll need. As stated, I would recommend Xonars over X-Fis for headphone use.

The D2X and DR150s should be an excellent combo, but I wonder whether it's wise to get such cheap PC speakers at all. I'm so satisfied with the combination of a Xonar with decent headphones (most recently Goldring NS1000s or Sennheiser HD580s) that I hardly ever use my PC speakers. They're pretty much only get used when more than one person needs to hear surround sound. That's with Logitech z680s or Creative Digital Inspire 5700s, which were both £200+ only a few years ago. Most of my speaker use is through separate hi-fi amp and stereo speakers.

You will need a seriously good (several hundred quid) 5.1 speaker system to sound on par with the DR150s and a D2X.

By the way - do you have a spare PCI slot? The D2 (on PCI) pretty much is identical to the D2X (which uses PCI-e) and quite a bit cheaper.
Click to expand...

I thought i would stick with the P580's that i already own, because i can't seam to get my head around what i need (speaker wise) to make a good 5.1 speaker system...

and i thought about the creative champion because then i can have the headphones coming from the 5.25 bay, and the 5.1 coming from the back of the sound card
 
Xonar DX has optical out too btw.. (or Xonar D1)

and is cheaper :)



D1 and D2 are PCI
DX and D2X are PCI-e x1

uriel has the rest covered :)


many of us have Goldring or Senns, I have 595's myself, love them
 
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