Are sound cards worth it?

LiamC

LiamC

LiamC

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I just grabbed a new set of headphones ( SENN HD205 ) and just now they are no better than the £5 tesco pair.


I want to be able to listen to LOUD music, and right now im falling asleep its that quiet.



Will a new sound card let me turn the audio up until i can't take anymore? Or do they just offer better sound quality?
 
When I got my card it helped a lot of audio output levels. Just don't expect too much from that set of senns mate. I think you should take a look at the asus d1/dx or the ds model if you're not too fussed about the extra features. They're great cards for listening to music.
 
namorismo said:
As with Nocky, I think your Headphones might not be helping.
I have a Senn PC 161 gaming headset that play sound very loud.
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Everyone has a difference tolerance to sound levels though.

OP sounds like a friend of mine, he likes obscene amount of volume when using headphones. I lent him my Xonar DS to try out when he had trouble getting his Creative card to work. He commented it didn't go loud enough when using headphones. I tried his headphones with that card when he came round some time before, and I found the volume at 100% just about bearable, only for a short duration though. No wonder he has ear trouble.

Onboard audio doesn't have the volume level of a sound card, not the onboard audio solutions I have experienced anyway. The DS is capable of greater volume than onboard audio in general, but the DX/D1 would be a better choice. Comparing the DS to the X-Fi I have, the X-Fi is much louder when using headphones.

Looking at the sound pressure levels, the HD205's are rated at 112db, my Goldring's are only 2db less. 100% volume from my X-Fi would destroy my hearing.
 
Last edited:
C64 said:
You need better headphones budget sennheisers are pretty dire tbh.
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Surely that will only improve SQ though. The HD205's can go louder than my Goldring's, and I certainly can't take using them with onboard at full volume for any length of time, let alone using them with my X-Fi at 100% volume.

Getting better headphones will certainly sound better than the HD205's, but won't necessarily be any louder. Depending on headphones of course. Going by the OP, sound quality gain is not enough, whether it be obtained by sound card or better headphones.
 
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