Hi guys ive always used onboard sound but want to go with a sound card now as I will be getting some £100+ headphones. I would like to be able to use the cans without having to constantly go behind my pc to unplug them and replug the speakers in is there any cards i should be looking at to stop me having to do this please?
What Sound Card?
- Thread starter Apem
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You can do this with an asus essence STX
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hm I have a creative titanium, and i can plug the headphone socket on the front of the pc case into the sound card, and whenever i plug the headphones into the front socket, it automatically turns off the speakers and adjusts to headphone enhanced mode..!
creative titanium a bit out of date now tho
creative titanium a bit out of date now tho
Sounds like the Sound Blaster Zx might be what your after 
The creative Z has this. It's the main reason I bought the card. You can plug headphones and speakers in at the same time and you switch between them in the soundblaster control panel.
Edit: Sorry if you are plugging in and out the headphones all the time then the creative Zx might be better for you, it has the control module that sits on your desk, saves you going around the back of your PC.
Edit: Sorry if you are plugging in and out the headphones all the time then the creative Zx might be better for you, it has the control module that sits on your desk, saves you going around the back of your PC.
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If it's like the Essence ST/STX it should let you do that. Or you can just hook up the front panel audio connector and never go to the back of the PC again.
Either way, you just switch outputs using the dropdown box in Xonar control centre.
Either way, you just switch outputs using the dropdown box in Xonar control centre.
If your going to be buying a set of £100+ cans and want the best there is to offer - I highly recommend the Asus Essence STX. You can plug in a set of 2 channel speakers AND your headphones at the same time, then use the software control panel to switch between the two without ever having to reach around to the back of your PC.
The ROG Pheobus - I wouldn't recommend, I looked into it myself before I bought the STX. Its actually not as good quality but is more so designed for gamers etc, but will give you a 5.1+ output if you so require for your speakers. I didn't need that (got 2.1 channel speakers) so went for the best there is currently on that market. I also note the ROG Pheobus has driver issues (problems with games like BF3 and is an early release just yet) and is nearly £50 more expensive!
If your not wanting to shell out for the best, then it looks like the Soundblaster Zx should be ample for your requirements as it has a dedicated headphone socket which can be coupled at the same time as the speaker sockets. However I'm not sure if you can switch between the two via software.
Most other soundcards will require you to either switch manually round the back of the PC between headphones and speakers or alternatively will allow you to plug in your PC cases front headphone sockets but I'd highly advise against this as your just defeating the purpose of getting £100+ cans! (i.e. The more direct the signal to your soundcard the better)
hth
The ROG Pheobus - I wouldn't recommend, I looked into it myself before I bought the STX. Its actually not as good quality but is more so designed for gamers etc, but will give you a 5.1+ output if you so require for your speakers. I didn't need that (got 2.1 channel speakers) so went for the best there is currently on that market. I also note the ROG Pheobus has driver issues (problems with games like BF3 and is an early release just yet) and is nearly £50 more expensive!
If your not wanting to shell out for the best, then it looks like the Soundblaster Zx should be ample for your requirements as it has a dedicated headphone socket which can be coupled at the same time as the speaker sockets. However I'm not sure if you can switch between the two via software.
Most other soundcards will require you to either switch manually round the back of the PC between headphones and speakers or alternatively will allow you to plug in your PC cases front headphone sockets but I'd highly advise against this as your just defeating the purpose of getting £100+ cans! (i.e. The more direct the signal to your soundcard the better)
hth
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"the best" is very likely the upcoming zxr. far superior mic port, same (replaceable) opamps, sameish dac, same headphone amp, better or same snr depending on mode, with a native pcie interface (the stx uses a bridge chip). this causes less jitter and latency, which might be unnoticeable, but a product can't be called "best" when there's a similar product out there that's either the same or better in all regards. however if creative forces you to buy the DBPro (a niche "pro" recording daughterboard) with it, the £200 msrp for the package is high - anywhere from ~£150-£180 and below though (with or without DBPro) and it probably beats the st/stx in value (subject to reviews!)
the zx and zxr come with a headphone+mic extension on a remote that has a handy hardware volume control, so your headphones can be connected to something on your table. the zx loses out on internal quality, but then it is cheaper than the stx. both can switch between headphones and speakers in software.
i sound like a salesman... personally i'd love to see asus come out with an st/stx refresh with their new pcie chipset. all they'd have to do is replace the cmi 8788 chip with the cmi 8888, and they wouldn't even need to come out with a new product. it'd be even cheaper to produce because they can take out the PLX bridge chip
the zx and zxr come with a headphone+mic extension on a remote that has a handy hardware volume control, so your headphones can be connected to something on your table. the zx loses out on internal quality, but then it is cheaper than the stx. both can switch between headphones and speakers in software.
i sound like a salesman... personally i'd love to see asus come out with an st/stx refresh with their new pcie chipset. all they'd have to do is replace the cmi 8788 chip with the cmi 8888, and they wouldn't even need to come out with a new product. it'd be even cheaper to produce because they can take out the PLX bridge chip
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I use a D2X coupled with a platronics headset speaker switch meaning at a push of a button on my desk I can switch between the 2 without having to reach behind the computer.
I see your points on the ZXR, PorkPie, but the problem is the software. Creative drivers and related software are, and have always been, terrible.
If Creative hired some competent programmers and dropped the price of the Z series a little they'd have a winner on their hands.
If Creative hired some competent programmers and dropped the price of the Z series a little they'd have a winner on their hands.
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asus apparently fix driver problems very slowly too from what i've read, and the recent phoebus reportedly has horrendous drivers. personally i've only owned 2 creative cards (xtremeaudio, and xtrememusic) but they worked without issues in 3 different machines. however i do know lots of people have problems with the creative drivers.
my attitude with the zxr is that i'd rather see what reviews are like instead of preemptively deciding that it will have software problems. and considering creative think the msrp for the titanium hd is £170 (z for £90 and zx for 120!), it seems safe to say we'll never see the zxr for £200. you're right, if their "street" prices reflect msrp i won't buy one, good reviews or no
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The Z drivers are fine.