Headphone amp / DAC worth it with X-Fi?

[Participant]

Hi all

I have £200 to spend and I'm researching headphone amps. I currently have some Sennheiser HD555s being fed by a X-Fi Xtreme Music. I mainly use my headphones for listening to FLAC files, with the occasional movie and bit of gaming.

1. With my setup, do you think it's worth buying just an amp, just a DAC, an amp + DAC, or none of the above and stick with my X-Fi?
2. Is X-Fi optical --> DAC--> amp--> headphones the way it would work best? Would this be a far preferable setup compared to skipping the DAC and going X-Fi stereo jack--> amp--> headphones?
3. How are the X-Fi's settings going to be affected by using the SPDIF? Do things like CMSS3D still work over the SPDIF for games?
4. Any product recommendations?

Upgrading the headphones is currently not an option as I was given them as a gift.

Many thanks .

 

[Marsman]

If you get a DAC, you will lose CMSS 3D, EAX. Might be worth just getting a headphone amp, at least for now, but I'm not sure how much benefit a headphone amp is to the HD555's, as they are easy to drive. A HP amp might not add any depth to the sound, just increase the volume.

I suppose you could get a DAC with headphone socket, Beresford Caiman would be an example, and use it for music, and keep the X-Fi for gaming.

 

[Uriel]

Some X-Fis allow CMSS-3d to be output as pcm stereo over optical. That might allow you to use a DAC. Which exact model do you have and which Windows version?

 

[Marsman]

Some X-Fis allow CMSS-3d to be output as pcm stereo over optical.

Interesting.

 

[C64]

I don't think anything more than an E5 amp is worth it for hd555's.
They aren't exactly hard to drive, I'd be upgrading the headphones before thinking of getting an amp.

Anyway wrong place to ask really get yourself signed up on headfi forums.

 

[KillBoY_UK]

I've been thinking about using a amp for months if not years with my X-fi Elite pro and HD595's. I did think about getting Asus Xonar Essence STX but no optical IN realy kills it off for me, as I have my consoles and guitar plugged into the Elite pro's box. Guess I'm better off with a proper AV amp but there just a few more pennys lol so not relay an option least atm.

 

[Uriel]

Right I've been doing some reading around, reminding myself of how to get CMSS-3D to work via PCM stereo out.

You would go to X-Fi Console > Settings > SPDIF I/O > If you have a setting called "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output" check it and you're good to go. If you don't have it, it won't work.

IIRC, this feature is only available for X-Fis with WDM drivers (e.g Auzentech Forte, Most retail Creative X-Fis). For UAA drivers (e.g. SB0770 or Auzentech Prelude) it won't work. I think I've previously been able to get around this limitation by installing Daniel_K's modded drivers, based on other soundcard models. It was a year or two ago, so the memory is rusty.

 

[C64]

I've been thinking about using a amp for months if not years with my X-fi Elite pro and HD595's. I did think about getting Asus Xonar Essence STX but no optical IN realy kills it off for me, as I have my consoles and guitar plugged into the Elite pro's box. Guess I'm better off with a proper AV amp but there just a few more pennys lol so not relay an option least atm.

Hope you don't mean as in separates ? get a dedicated headphone amp

 

[Participant]

Thanks for the replies all.

If you get a DAC, you will lose CMSS 3D, EAX. Might be worth just getting a headphone amp, at least for now, but I'm not sure how much benefit a headphone amp is to the HD555's, as they are easy to drive. A HP amp might not add any depth to the sound, just increase the volume.

I suppose you could get a DAC with headphone socket, Beresford Caiman would be an example, and use it for music, and keep the X-Fi for gaming.

If that's the case then I think I'll be having a change of heart, as I want a single solution rather than something that will require constant unplugging / switching.

Some X-Fis allow CMSS-3d to be output as pcm stereo over optical. That might allow you to use a DAC. Which exact model do you have and which Windows version?

My Windows version is W7x64 HP.

As for which X-Fi...all I know is that it's called the Xtreme Music, I wasn't aware that there was more than one version?

I don't think anything more than an E5 amp is worth it for hd555's.
They aren't exactly hard to drive, I'd be upgrading the headphones before thinking of getting an amp.

Anyway wrong place to ask really get yourself signed up on headfi forums.

I'll look at headfi forums, thanks. I understand that better headphones would be a good idea but I'm reluctant to do this, as I've been given them by someone that would notice if I replaced them! However I can get round this.

Right I've been doing some reading around, reminding myself of how to get CMSS-3D to work via PCM stereo out.

You would go to X-Fi Console > Settings > SPDIF I/O > If you have a setting called "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output" check it and you're good to go. If you don't have it, it won't work.

IIRC, this feature is only available for X-Fis with WDM drivers (e.g Auzentech Forte, Most retail Creative X-Fis). For UAA drivers (e.g. SB0770 or Auzentech Prelude) it won't work. I think I've previously been able to get around this limitation by installing Daniel_K's modded drivers, based on other soundcard models. It was a year or two ago, so the memory is rusty.

The only menu I can see that sounds anything like this is called 'Digital I/O':

I also have menu settings called Dolby and DTS...not sure if this helps me at all?

My conclusion is that my best course of action is going to be to get a new soundcard and headphones .

 

[scotty5591]

I'll look at headfi forums, thanks. I understand that better headphones would be a good idea but I'm reluctant to do this, as I've been given them by someone that would notice if I replaced them! However I can get round this.

If your happy with the hd555's then why not just keep them, a lot of people have multiple pairs of headphones as some headphones do things better than others especially if you listen to a wide variety of genres of music.

 

[Uriel]

Is yours an Xtreme Music with two optical ports or a big gamepad port on the back? I have a couple of upgrade ideas for you but just checking how easy it would be to get them to work.

 

[Participant]

Is yours an Xtreme Music with two optical ports or a big gamepad port on the back? I have a couple of upgrade ideas for you but just checking how easy it would be to get them to work.

Hi Uriel

It looks like this:

So I'm guessing the latter, which I'm also guessing is not a good thing for my purposes...?

 

[Marsman]

Is that not the old Gamer though?

 

[Uriel]

Originally the Xtreme Music and Xtreme Gamer (Edit: There wasn't a 'Gamer' in the original lineup but Fatal1ty Gamer turned up later) looked pretty much identical, before the Gamer was released at 1/2 height. For OEM system the two names were often used interchangably for the same card, depending on who they wanted to market to.

Robbie G - that will make it awkward to add a DAC or connect to a receiver as you don't have an optical port. Creative originally sold an I/O module to plug into one of the 3.5mm ports that would give optical in and out ports. I believe that they've been discontinued unfortunately.

 

[Participant]

Is that not the old Gamer though?

What Uriel said, in any case I said it looks like this not that it was this .

Robbie G - that will make it awkward to add a DAC or connect to a receiver as you don't have an optical port. Creative originally sold an I/O module to plug into one of the 3.5mm ports that would give optical in and out ports. I believe that they've been discontinued unfortunately.

Oh dear, looks like I'm shafted then . Never mind, I'm building an HTPC so I'll leave this in my desktop for gaming and get a new card for downstairs.

Thanks guys.