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Need help; buying a sound card in the US

post #1 of 2
9/17/11 at 12:48pm
Thread Starter 

So, I'm visiting NYC with my girlfriend in about a month or so, and I figured I'd get some shopping done, since everything is much cheaper in the US, than here in Denmark .

 

I'm looking for a sound card, as I'm currently using a ****ty onboard one. However, I have a few questions?

 

- Would buying a decent sound card mean, that I wouldn't necessarily need a dedicated DAC for my simple NAD C326BEE Amp + Dynaudio DM 2/7 speaker setup? 

- Would it be a noticeable difference listening to headphones merely plugged into the PC? (ATH-M50, MTPC in-ears)

 

Also, what kind of card should I go for? I've set a max of 400USD.

 

Lastly, I would prefer something that could be picked up at a NYC shop, as mail-ordering to a rented apartment might be a bit tricky.

 

Thanks in advance guys!

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post #2 of 2
9/17/11 at 7:21pm

I'm heading downtown tomorrow to B & H to get a pair of earpads.

 

J & R and B & H are the only two major stores that I know of where you would pick up such a card in person.

 

If you have a PC desktop, the Asus Xonar Essence STX is under $200 and would likely blow away your onboard as I know of no superior card at the moment:

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/645911-REG/ASUS_XONARESSENCESTX_Xonar_Essence_STX_PCI.html

 

A laptop is a different story as it will need an external DAC.

 

It says it is out of stock right now, but as you can see in the specs it has a very high quality DAC.

 

So, the answer is yes to both questions.

 

 

 

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