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I need help choosing a sound card for my HD555 and 5.1 Speakers

post #1 of 3
12/22/12 at 1:55am
Thread Starter 

My headphones are Sennheiser HD555 and my speakers are Logitech z506.

 

I game and watch movies, a lot more than I listen to music. I currently have an Asus P6T with onboard audio, Realtek® ALC1200. I also have a Creative SB Titanium HD to compare it with, and I noticed some obvious differences. The sound is clearer in live musical performances, but the one difference that really stands out is the clarity in the bass. I recently bought the Titanium HD just to see if there was a difference between a DAC card and onboard. I do plan to return it and now I'm convinced.

 

With my HD555 and speakers what sound card should I get for gaming and movies? I really like the THX TruStudio Pro feature on the Titanium HD, because it intelligently manipulates the sound to make it better and pleasant to my ears. I was considering the Creative SB Z. My only concern is the fact that its headphone amp supports hi-quality headphones up to 600 ohms, mine is 50 ohms, so I'm thinking that maybe I might be spending too much? Please let me know. I heard that gamers are buying the Asus Xonar DG 1.5, but I want features like the THX TruStudio Pro, and I know Creative's SB Z has something similarly new to that. Thanks in advance for the help! normal_smile%20.gif

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post #2 of 3
12/23/12 at 12:34pm

I always thought that CMSS-3D Headphone (when using Game Mode) blew THX TruStudio Surround out of the water on both Titanium HD Entertainment Mode and the Recon3D USB, but I'll just leave that to personal preference.

 

Because your speakers need analog 6-channel input, that rules out cards like the Titanium HD and Essence STX that can only output 2 analog channels. I'd normally suggest something like the Auzentech X-Fi Forte, but you'd have to buy used.

 

I wouldn't be too worried about amplification requirements for the HD555, but Sennheiser is known to have some bizarrely fluctuating impedance curves on their headphones, particularly in the low end...

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post #3 of 3
12/23/12 at 3:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by element72 View Post

My headphones are Sennheiser HD555 and my speakers are Logitech z506.

 

I game and watch movies, a lot more than I listen to music. I currently have an Asus P6T with on-board audio, Realtek® ALC1200. I also have a Creative SB Titanium HD to compare it with, and I noticed some obvious differences. The sound is clearer in live musical performances, but the one difference that really stands out is the clarity in the bass. I recently bought the Titanium HD just to see if there was a difference between a DAC card and on-board. I do plan to return it and now I'm convinced.

 

With my HD555 and speakers what sound card should I get for gaming and movies? I really like the THX TruStudio Pro feature on the Titanium HD, because it intelligently manipulates the sound to make it better and pleasant to my ears. I was considering the Creative SB Z. My only concern is the fact that its headphone amp supports hi-quality headphones up to 600 ohms, mine is 50 ohms, so I'm thinking that maybe I might be spending too much? Please let me know. I heard that gamers are buying the Asus Xonar DG 1.5, but I want features like the THX TruStudio Pro, and I know Creative's SB Z has something similarly new to that. Thanks in advance for the help! normal_smile%20.gif

Your looking at spending more for a sound card then the current headphones are worth.

I would say to sell off the Senn HD555 and buy a Senn HD558, bidding on used ones on eBay are currently at $100.

Also Amazon and Head-fi's "Headphones for Sale" thread sometimes have good prices on used HD558s.

Then spend whatever ever is left over in your budget for a sound card.

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