Would like some advice concerning a sound card for gaming!

The Auzentech X-Fi Forte or a Creative X-Fi Titanium HD are basically the best gaming cards currently existing. Asus Xonar Essence STX purpose isn't gaming, that was indeed an afterthought.

Given that you only play new games, keep in mind that OpenAL provides higher audio quality only when proper hardware is present. It also works on software when people have only onboard audio chips or old soundcards, but it's best to have a soundcard with both high quality parts and also made with gaming in mind.

IMO, there are three cards of interest for gaming (ordered accordingly):

- Creative X-Fi Titanium HD

- Auzentech X-Fi Forte

- Asus Xonar D2X

Well, they're certainly not, specially if you install them properly, which is a major downfall for many users. Without even going into the E-MU series, Creatives hold their own quite well, as long as people manage the software that comes with it, as it interfaces directly with the hardware, contrary to some people who just install WDM drivers and complain that the cards don't perform as expected.

The Auzentech card is a very nice modded X-Fi card, but it's from an older generation. For headphones alone, I'd go with the Titanium HD, and even though it doesn't have a separate amp, I wouldn't worry at all, given the headphones you are going to plug into the card. Anyway, many people bypass internal amps from soundcards to feed their own external amps for several reasons, be it driving power, or quality by itself.

So yes, the Titanium HD is the more powerful choice here.

BTW, you should consider getting proper headphones instead of those gimmicky gaming headsets that virtually always underperform compared to real headphones. ATH-AD700 are highly regarded as some of the best gaming headphones available, and far less expensive than those computer brand headsets.

You shouldn't be using any form of Dolby.

I've used the Titanium HD, Xonar STX, Xonar DG, Titanium Fatal1ty Pro, the FiiO e7 and a SIIG Soundwave 7.1 PCI. There was no difference between any of them and my Realtek ALC889 except with the SIIG Soundwave 7.1, which sounded worse. You've got an ALC892 which is just an ALC889 with an extra feature (DTS encoding).

If the sound doesn't appeal to you, then you've got to get a different pair of headphones, not a different sound card.

Games I've played: call of duty 4, battle field bad company 2, crysis, crysis wars, crysis 2 and quake live. I was one of the best Crysis Wars players in the world with just my JVC HA-RX700s and my realtek ALC889, and I hated the sound in that game. Sound was just about useless in that game, and it did not improve with any of the sound cards that I've used. Meanwhile, the sound in a game like Call of Duty 4 was excellent on all sources.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuad 

You shouldn't be using any form of Dolby.

 

I've used the Titanium HD, Xonar STX, Xonar DG, Titanium Fatal1ty Pro, the FiiO e7 and a SIIG Soundwave 7.1 PCI. There was no difference between any of them and my Realtek ALC889. You've got an ALC892 which is just an ALC889 with an extra feature (DTS encoding).

 

If the sound doesn't appeal to you, then you've got to get a different pair of headphones, not a different sound card.

Do note I didn't mention DH or CMSS3D at all.

I've noticed you currently have a Titanium HD and find it to have no difference than your onboard sound. I notice a tremendous difference between ALC888S and ALC889 compared to Xonar D2X, X-Fi Surround 5.1 (non Pro version), Titanium XtremeGamer and Titanium HD. Now, different ears listen differently.

The OP mentioned he wants to game, and onboard is the last thing he should use for that. I would be slightly less adamant if general audio usage was the purpose, yet I would never agree on continuing to use onboard audio chipsets, no matter how much they advanced over the years, they're still onboard audio.

On the ALC892, you should be able to pass DTS encoded audio via SPDIF. The ALC892 can encode audio in DTS on the fly as well, which must also be passed through a digital cable. So the problem is most likely that you're doing it wrong.

I don't think that Dolby Headphone or CMSS-3d should be used for gaming. They just distort and degrade your sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uhtred 

Should DH or CMSS3D be used at all while gaming, then? As I understand these technologies enhance the experience in order to create a vitualized 5.1 experience.

As for my onboard chip it just doesn't cut it, I cannot get Dolby Digital or DTS to work on my board. My A40's sound no near as good on my PC as they do through my PS3.

 

Yes, I also considering getting some headphones that are better than the A40's. Glad you recommended some already, I've heard that they are good.

You are right when you say that DH and CMSS3D purpose is to create virtual surround sound. I personally find the sound gets horrible when such features are turned on, and lose natural sound characteristics. But you should try and find out if you prefer to use those virtual surround features or not.

Keep in mind that the AD700 are recommended mainly for gaming, having a wide soundstage but being rather light on bass. So it's more for gaming than for "fun" listening, so to speak.

But don't be fooled. The AD700s are worse than JVC HA-RX700s, which cost just a third of the price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuad 

But don't be fooled. The AD700s are worse than JVC HA-RX700s, which cost just a third of the price.

Your opinion.

I think a lot of people would agree with me.

The only thing AD700s beat the RX700s in is comfort--by a lot. Yes, they've got a larger sound stage, but the RX700's sound stage is big enough to pin point sounds in games, so you get no benefit in that area from AD700s or just a trivial one at best. Then of course, the AD700s have no bass and an obnoxious airy treble sound, while the RX700s give great balanced sound. Finally as I mentioned before, the price.

I'm not familiar with your equipment but a quick look at the mixamp and headset's manuals makes me think that neither are capable of decoding DTS encoded audio. I don't know why dolby digital wouldn't work, but there are some troubleshooting tips in there you could try looking at.

Comfort? Sure. Soundstage? They're open so I wouldn't call trivial at all.

It's funny you talk about the HARX700, which are fine headphones on their own, but the OP wants to game, got it? Perhaps if he wants an overall listening experience, he could go with the (dark) HARX700, but for gaming, AD700 beats it to a punch. Still, both work, on different performance degrees.

A system has to be balanced, and running the sound chain with unbalanced component quality does more harm than good to sound itself.

It's not trivial that they've got a larger sound stage. I gave that to the AD700s. I'm saying that because the RX700s have a sound stage that's already big enough for competitive gaming use, the benefit from the unquestionably larger sound stage of the AD700s is marginalized if not completely diminished.