Xonar D2X - What's it like? ...and what headset to go with it?

Fledge

Fledge

Fledge

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Recently my Xonar DG took a turn for the worse so I had to have it refunded. This time I'm looking for something a fair bit better; so I took a look at Ocuk's selection of sound cards.

The Xonar D2X caught my attention. Considering the price, and the PCI-E nature of the card; I'm expecting something extravagant. I've had a look through a couple of reviews and it all seems positive - but I'd like some genuine feedback.

Today I sold my Corsair HS1A (because I flippin' hated it) so I'm looking for a replacement headset - preferably something that pairs well with the D2X. I would use it for copious amounts of loud music (everything ranging from solo piano to progressive metal) and a lot of gaming. Also I'd like it to have a very high quality mic. Price-wise I'd rather not go above £70 unless that'd be holding back the D2X of course.

Any thought-out suggestions or relevent info is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Fledge
 
Fledge said:
Recently my Xonar DG took a turn for the worse so I had to have it refunded. This time I'm looking for something a fair bit better; so I took a look at Ocuk's selection of sound cards.

The Xonar D2X caught my attention. Considering the price, and the PCI-E nature of the card; I'm expecting something extravagant. I've had a look through a couple of reviews and it all seems positive - but I'd like some genuine feedback.

Today I sold my Corsair HS1A (because I flippin' hated it) so I'm looking for a replacement headset - preferably something that pairs well with the D2X. I would use it for copious amounts of loud music (everything ranging from solo piano to progressive metal) and a lot of gaming. Also I'd like it to have a very high quality mic. Price-wise I'd rather not go above £70 unless that'd be holding back the D2X of course.

Any thought-out suggestions or relevent info is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Fledge
Click to expand...

Once you've got it up and running(as using SPDIF requires some extra steps in the control panel or at least thats what I found) it is superb.

Crisp, clear signal

Got my Tritton 5.1 headphones running out of SPDIF and my 5.1 X-540's from the analog output and switch between them and honestly, its ograsmic
 
Thanks, I'll make sure to look into that!


On a differnet note:
Screw headsets - Imma get myself a good ol' pair of Sennheiser HD555's!
 
What ever you do, don't pay £90 for them. They are a rip off at that price IMO.

SkeeterUk's has had his 3 weeks I believe, and already the plastic above the ear cups has cracked. That has been a problem for many years, and Sennheiser have done nothing to address it.

A £40 price hike, without addressing a problem like that, is not on.
 
They are good headphones, don't get me wrong, but they used to sell for £50.

£40 increase when they still have a structural design flaw, which has plagued many a pair, makes their £90 price tag, look very poor indeed.
 
£50? I remember them being £40.

Get Goldring NS1000 or DR150. Better sound quality than the HD555 - same rubbish cracking plastic but for the money you can buy a spare pair!

N.B. I have a a 3 year old set of NS1000s and 2 1/2 year old set of DR150s. Both as good as new but not all have been so fortunate.
 
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NS1000's.

I have some DR150's, but quite a few people who have had both, including Uriel, prefer the NS1000's.

The only positive thing I can say about the HD555's at £90 is, they have a 2 year warranty. Goldring's have 1 year. 2 years probably doesn't mean much though, when you are paying double.

The Goldring's build quality has declined over the years it seems. People who bought them years ago, like Uriel did, have had no issues. Not so long back, there was a spate of NS1000's having structural problems. Goldring did say they had found the fault, something do to with the type of plastic used, which reacted badly with some hair products, I believe. Whether or not that is the whole story, I don't know. Remains to be seen if the new batches are more reliable.

I guess it is not so surprising that the build quality is not what it was, when you consider that the NS1000's used to sell for £150. To have a level of build quality and sound quality you expect from a £150 pair of phones, it's going to be hard to keep that for their current retail price of £50-£60.

If indeed they have corrected the fault, then good on them. At least they may have managed to address a problem on a product which has seen such a price drop. Sennheiser on the other hand, just didn't bother, and decided people should pay more, potential fault included.

If Sennheiser had addressed the problem, then £90 would be more justifiable.
 
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