Soundcard that encodes dolby digital/dts, have good digital out and supports dolby headphone or other surround techniques

[oqvist]

I have some trouble with my Elite PRO console flashing and not being able to use the digital outputs. So I am stuck with analogue and thus no real surround. My receiver does have 7.1 inputs but I don´t want the cable clutter. And I would anyway want to use my Keces 131 mk 2 DAC or the receivers DACs so I need a digital transport anyway.

Now it doesn´t hurt to get yet another great sounding unit but the must is digital transport that can encode to dolby digital/dts to my receiver so I get surround.

Some good surround for headphones (the receiver can take care of the speakers). Amplification is not important it´s taken care off too.

I would also preferr a console of some kind so I don´t have to crawl to the back of my computer to change from coaxial to optical and such. I also don´t have any space in the front panel of my computer.

Looked at Asus Xonar 2x and essence STX. They are priced the same? Though they have some features I pay for that I just don´t need.

[ROBSCIX]

You understand that with many of these newer cards, they have better DAC's then the S/Pdif input section on the Receiver so using analog connection gives better soound?
-Although you have the cable clutter you should get better sound quality with analog.

The D2X and STX are both great cards, The STX is a stereo only card but still has surround via' DDL...
It is just, these are expensive cards just to use for digital out...

[oqvist]

I have a Keces 131 mk 2 DAC. Is there any soundcard that beats that 250$ or what those is are cheap.

I do think it´s a lot of money unless they beat the Keces DAC and make me sell it. But I am a bit worried about the "bass booming" mentioned so often on the Essence? I don´t want more then say what the Elite PRO gives me for sure.

stereo only in analogue is fine since I have home theater speakers so must use spdif out to get true surround anyway.

[ROBSCIX]

Bass booming mentioned often, by who? I haven't heard of anybody complaining about "booming bass" look through the thread. Also, the end user has a great deal of control over the sonic signature because of the replacable opamps.

What card you go with depends on what you need. If you know your going digital for sure then you might aswell get the chepats card with DDL/DTS-I support you can find and use that.
I still suggest getting a quality add-in card and using analog connections. Just a suggestion though.

[oqvist]

Several in the Essence thread mentions it has a lot of bass. I don´t want to replace opamps that fix one thing and break another I want something that is good stock.

Would be interesting to somehow find the best card in both these segments... The digital only of course having to be considerably cheaper.

But my english was pretty poor in the last reply but a soundcard for 250$ that beats the 131 mk 2 is by my book a very cheap sound card.

To bad there isn´t that many of us out there with lots of experience in term of sound cards

[spacemanspliff]

Not certain if this helps but my X-Fi Titanium PCI-E appears to output Dolby to my receiver when playing movies or other dolby encoded material. I am pretty sure it is stereo only but since I use Dolby headphone or just stereo....Whatever.

I know for games and such that I must use analogue from my pc to receiver though.

[oqvist]

My Elite pro gets Dolby digital Live (encodes to 5.1) with a 5$ pay patch but it just doesn´t do as good job with it as say console games that are already encoded with dolby digital.

I didn´t have my AV receiver earlier and thus to get an analog signal to my buttkicker LFE. I had to connect my console to the Elite Pro console and let it first decode then encode it to dolby digital again. Ended up getting quite a bit more distortion baked in. Particularly in bass and high treble it felt like. Now my old speakers I couldn´t crank up like I can with my new ones but anyway got my receiver now with pre outs so that is not a problem anymore.

Just wondering if soundcards that has dolby live from the start maybe do a better job with it then what creative manages? On the other hand my receiver have 7.1 analogue ins so I could possible just send it in and let the receiver do the conversion if that would work getting true 5.1 surround? More cable clutter but if it sounds better would be worth it. But then the Essence is not an option any more?

Apart from Auzentech and Asus I don´t know if there is more brands to look for that have good DACs on 5 channels at least.

So criteria
7.1 analogue audio
DDL
Dolby headphone or other headphone surround technique
preferrable both optical and coaxial output.
bit perfect output with builtin asio.

[ROBSCIX]

Originally Posted by oqvist

Several in the Essence thread mentions it has a lot of bass. I don´t want to replace opamps that fix one thing and break another I want something that is good stock.

Would be interesting to somehow find the best card in both these segments... The digital only of course having to be considerably cheaper.

But my english was pretty poor in the last reply but a soundcard for 250$ that beats the 131 mk 2 is by my book a very cheap sound card.

To bad there isn´t that many of us out there with lots of experience in term of sound cards

The signature has bass, but not a overwhelming amount of bass.