I need advice on my next IEM and on a sound card.
Jul 7, 2014 at 6:12 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

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I'm new here and I've only recently started to care about sound quality. I can honestly say that I have no idea what most of the terminology actually means because I haven't physically heard most of the described sounds(eg. Warm, analytic, dark etc.). I used this website for some information when I decided on my current setup, but I can't really find answers for my next purchase(or purchases depending on what the answers are).
 
Firstly, my current setup:
 
For gaming I decided on an Astro Mixamp Pro(which is connected to on board sound) and with a Sennheiser 350 SE.
For music I decided to start out cheaper with Sennheiser CX 300 II Precision Enhanced Bass which was on sale for $30 or so at the time. At the moment I simply use it with my iPhone and iTunes' default .MP3 audio format. I'd prefer balanced sound rather then emphasis on specific frequencies.
My budget is $100-$130 for the IEM and under $100 for a possible sound card.
 
First question:
 
I've been thinking of upgrading from my current IEM to something better. I like to listen to music when I go to sleep, so size and comfort matters. I've found some good(supposedly) IEMs, which are:
 
HifiMan RE 400
RHA MA750i
Etymotic Research HF5
Philips Fidelio S2BK/28
 
The question is whether or not they are actually better than my current IEM. Is the quality gain worth upgrading to one of these, or should I simply wait until I have enough savings to increase my budget? Also, if they are worth the upgrade, which one would be best?
 
Second question:
 
My Mixamp is currently connected to my on board realtek sound, but for some reason it won't send the Mixamp any surround sound signal for it to turn into virtual surround for my Headphones. I found a workaround by using razer virtual surround and sending it's signal to my Mixamp. Would using a decent sound card and plugging my Mixamp into it result in better surround sound and sound quality than than my current setup, or is the performance gain(if any) not worth the money?
 
Third question:
 
Are loss-less audio formats even worth it for someone like me?
 
I'd appreciate any help that I can get.
 
Jul 19, 2014 at 10:58 PM Post #5 of 9
Consider the Havi B3 Pro MK1, Ostry KC06 or Zero Point Tenore Carbos.

As for your mixamp, doesn't it also work with a USB connection? If so, use that instead of optical, then configure the mixamp in the Windows Control Panel sound area.
 
Jul 24, 2014 at 10:28 AM Post #6 of 9
Thanks for the advice. Even though the mixamp uses USB I can't, or rather won't, send the main audio through it. It would defeat the purpose of using astro's mixamp, which is to allow you to the adjust game/voice volume ratio by simply turning a one of the volume control knobs. This requires voice to go through USB and main audio to go through the optical port. It then combines both audio sources with the specified volume ratio(I think). Seeing as sending main audio through the USB isn't possible, which sound card would you suggest? I was thinking of simply getting a Xonar, as it's quite cheap and most reviews praise their price/performance ratio.
 
I've been reading up on the Ostry and Tenore. I can't decide which has better overall SQ, as there are some reviews that completely contradict one another. I suppose it's all based on who's listening and how their ears work. I'm leaning towards the Ostry though, simply because I've read that the tenores have inconsistent build quality. Shipping purchases to my country can seriously increase the resultant cost and I can't afford to buy multiple sets of tenores because they keep failing. Is there any truth to the tenore's bad quality control/build quality?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Jul 25, 2014 at 9:50 AM Post #9 of 9
I think I'll get the tenores. Does anyone know which seller on amazon to use for international shipping? There are quite a few sellers and I have no idea which companies sell authentic products.
 
Thanks in advance.
 

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