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Soundcard Dilema

post #1 of 5
10/9/11 at 11:17am
Thread Starter 
I'm having a hard time choosing between a Auzentech Forte or a Xonar STX. My current setup is HD555s with a Xonar DX, which I'm relatively pleased with. I've ordered a set of D2000s and figure I should upgrade my sound card to match.
From what I gather, the D2000s are somewhat easy to drive, so the amp in either the forte or the stx should be sufficient. The Forte would run me $120cdn, the Xonar $140cdn plus shipping.
I figure that gaming would be better on the forte, but overall music quality should be better on the stx.
How much better is the sound quality of the stx? I've got no complaints with my DX but I don't want to hold back my D2000s with a lower quality card.
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post #2 of 5
10/11/11 at 8:09am
I enjoying HD650 on Xonar STX plus u can improve it by replacing OPAMPs for less than $20
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post #3 of 5
10/11/11 at 9:45am

Wait for the day after Thanksgiving (for best prices).

By then Creative Labs should have their new sound cards on the market, so you have more options.

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post #4 of 5
10/11/11 at 10:23am

The Essence STX wouldn't be optimal for either headphone. They both have low impedance, and the Essence STX has high output impedance. This could color the sound of the D2000, but not by much. This will almost definitely color the sound of the HD555, which if it's like its older 595 sibling has a very big peak in the impedance curve. You'll get a lot more mid-bass, which could muddy the sound.

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post #5 of 5
10/11/11 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 

I went with the Forte, he lowered the price for a quick sale so I jumped.  I wish I had have just ponied up the rest and gone with the STX, the Forte was quite the hassle as mine suffered from a buzz that matched the mouse movements on screen. 

I ended up having to wrap the mounting bracket in electrical tape, using a plastic screw, and moving the card from the PCIe slot above GPU1 to the slot sandwiched between my two 5870s.  Thankfully my Asus 5870 has the fan at the very end of the card, so the Forte doesn't cover up the fan hole at all.  Still a little tighter than I'd like.

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