Would it be worth me upgrading?

[MaxP779]

Ive current got some Z5500's hooked up to a xonar D2X, i only use 2 of the speakers on the Z5500's though, a bit pointless considering its a 5.1 system but theres just no room for the 5 speakers.

I was thinking about selling them and getting a pair of stereo speakers instead, stand alone ones. Maybe also getting a xonar STX since i wont be needing 5.1.

I mainly game and listen to music. Any thoughts or suggestions? Good idea, bad idea?

 

[Marsman]

Tbh, I say the only real value in moving to a Xonar Essence, is if you get some decent headphones, as that is where the Essence really shines. If are only using your Z5500 for 2.1, then there is some value in getting stereo speakers and an Essence. However, using speakers, you would really need to get a stereo amplifier and some bookshelf/standmount speakers to notice any difference between the D2X and Essence. If you were to get an Essence and some Creative T20 speakers, for eg, then I don't think you would gain much over a D2X.

The Essence is a great stereo card, but you really need some decent hi-fi speakers to do it justice. However, using decent headphones is where it's real quality lies.

 

[MaxP779]

I was thinking about getting the PC360's once they come down in price, but i just realized the xonar essence dosent have a mic port at the back....doh lol, messes up my plan.

As for speakers i was looking at m-audio av40's:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467198433&pf_rd_i=468294

I dunno though, i try not to let price dictate what i buy too much but ive heard speakers should be around 2x the price of the soundcard for a good matchup.

Might just stick with the Z5500's until a card that fits my requirements shows up.

 

[Uriel]

I was thinking about getting the PC360's once they come down in price, but i just realized the xonar essence dosent have a mic port at the back....doh lol, messes up my plan.

Yes it does. A big fat 1/4" one that autodetects whether it's supposed to function as Mic or Line.

 

[MaxP779]

Yes it does. A big fat 1/4" one that autodetects whether it's supposed to function as Mic or Line.

Oh right, i see. Can the smaller (i dont know what they are called) headphone/mic ports fit into these at all? Or is there some sort of adapter that can screw on to make them 1/4" ports? I think i remember seeing somthing like that.

 

[Uriel]

Yep. One of the mini-jack to full sized jack adaptors that comes with most headphones will do the trick. You may need a mono one for a mic, rather than stereo.

 

[MaxP779]

Awesome, what would be a good pair of speakers to go with this card? Would the AV40's i mentioned earlier be any good? Would i need to raise my buget some?

 

[Marsman]

The AV40 are decent budget monitor speakers for under £100 mark, but Audio Engine A2's are better speakers. They cost more, but I think they are the better buy. I don't really see the point in spending more than say £150 on monitors, because for that money you can get a decent amplifier and a quality pair of bookshelf speakers. The downside to that is, finding the space for the amp. Monitors are active, so they have the amp built in, so are great in minimal space environments. If space is not an issue, I would go for amp + speakers over budget monitors any day.

Another thing to consider is, monitors do not colour the sound, or at least are not meant to. They are designed to reveal flaws in music, so if you have any music that is recorded poorly, likely with a pair of good monitors, it will stick out like a sore thumb. Some people like the transparency of them, some do not.

 

[MaxP779]

Thanks for explaining this stuff, i knew there was somthing up with speakers that had no buttons/volume dials etc. Passive and active, i see

Well i dunno space could be an issue, would i still need the xonar STX if i got an amp? I guess i could find room for an amp if that was the better deal. Any suggestions on which amp/speakers to get?

Almost all of my music is 320kbit MP3.

 

[Marsman]

320k MP3 is fine. If you said 128k, that wouldn't be good.

Thinking about it, the Essence is somewhat overkill if you are only going to use it with speakers. First and foremost it is a card for headphones. For someone with no sound card, then with or without headphones, it is a great card to have, but when you have a D2X already, the gains will not be so much I feel, decent hi-fi setup or not. I feel the gain in sound quality is there using speakers, but I don't think it's going to be a big enough increase to justify the cost. If you were intending to get some decent headphones at some point that will benefit from the Essence's amp, then that does change things somewhat.

If I were in your shoes, I think I would look to getting some decent speakers first. The Z5500 are good for what they are intended for, gaming and movies, but for music they are lacking. Either some monitor speakers like the AV40's or AE A2's, or an separate amp and speakers, and go from there. The D2X is still a very capable card, even when being used just for stereo.

The Z5500's deliver quite a lot of bass, too much probably. Monitors and smaller bookshelf speakers would be somewhat lacking in that area in comparison, is that something you would miss? Do like the ear destroying bass the Z5500's deliver? What monitors and bookshelf speaker lack in bass, they more than make up in mid range, which is where many 2.1/5.1 PC speakers fail. Should you want earth shattering bass, with certain amplifiers you can connect an active sub, so you get 2.1. I think Monitor Audio make a sub to connect to their monitors, but I am unsure if the A2's feature that connection. I think monitors like the AV40's or A2's provide probably enough bass for a lot of people, depends on the room size I guess. I don't want you to get the impression they or bookshelf speakers provide very little to no bass, it's just obviously significantly less than a dedicated sub can provide. Some people just like lots and lots of bass, which if that's the case, monitor or bookshelf speakers would disappoint.

 

[MaxP779]

I like the bass, i cant use it though not in this flat, upstairs girl moaned about the Z5500 at 7-8 bars out of its maximum of i dunno maybe 16, not counting the volume boost after that and the bass is set to 2-3 bars usually out of 16 So im after quality but with some bass, nothing that sounds tinny or anything.

I was planning on getting PC360 headphones, as the PC350 were just HD595's with a mic and no bass (until modded anyway) but i may just snag a pair of HD555 to go with the STX and perhaps upgrade later to either PC360's or have a look at the HD600-650, depends how much i miss talking to other people in left 4 dead, i dont anticipate missing it too much tbh So i do plan to get decent headphones.

Ive been looking around and found the following stuff that seems to have a good reputation:

Cambridge Audio Azur 340ASE amp
Wharfdale Diamond 10.1 speakers

Think they would make a decent setup?

 

[Marsman]

Certainly. I am considering the 340A myself to connect up to my Essence. Not decided on the speakers though. Some decent size speakers like the 10.1's would give enough bass I feel without being too much to annoy the hell out of neighbours.

I have some Goldring DR150's headphones, I absolutely love them to bits when using them with my Essence. I also use them with my gaming PC when playing games with friends. I use an old Sennheiser headset for a mic, I just leave it on the desk. Works very well. You could either use a clip on mic, or a desk one. Quite a few people on OcUK do that, rather than use a headset. Depends though, some people prefer the all in one of a headset, some want the quality that headphones provide over a headset, so use a separate mic. Which is what I do.

 

[Angel_Rex]

I have a sony strdb-940 5.1 amp & mordaunt short MS202's on stands for my home cinema.... I mainly pc game with gainward sound xplosion 5.1 headphones but was looking at moving to DR50's and a xonar D1. Would I benefit from adding the sony amp to the pc gaming mix - instead of just using it for home cinema? would it make much sound improvement?