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New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 3, 2016
- Posts
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Hello Head-Fi, I'm sure you guys get a million threads like this every day, but I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for a proper audio setup.
My focuses are 60% fps gaming, 30% movies, and 10% music. I've been using Astro A50's for a few years now, and after having gone through 4 pairs I decided to finally upgrade to some real headphones. I've basically decided at this point that the Philips X2s would be my best bet as I've heard the earcups are fairly large and roomy; I've owned M50x's in the past and cannot stand how they rubbed against my ears. I am by no means an audiophile or purist and will not be using this for professional work; I'm mainly just looking for something with satisfying, immersive sound and Dolby 7.1 Surround capabilities.
X2: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2-27-Fidelio-Headphones/dp/B00O2Y2MZG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_12&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
The main problem that I'm having is deciding on the equipment to pair with the headphones. The one thing I'm sure I will need is a dedicated sound card as my G45 Gaming motherboard does not support any Dolby surround sound technologies and the onboard sound is dying. So far I've narrowed it down to the Asus Xonar DX and Creative SB Z for internals, and have checked out a number of externals such as the Creative G5, SB Omni and the Asus Xonar U7. The externals seem like a very attractive option to me, is there any real reason to choose an internal over one? I like the idea of being able to quickly change out cables and adjust the volume.
U7: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-U7-Sound-Card/dp/B00E7QA9E0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_6&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
G5: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-BlasterX-Headphone-Amplifier-SB1700/dp/B018JUPY3A?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_5&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Xonar DX: http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-Channel-XONAR_DX-XD-90-YAA060-1UAN00Z/dp/B00198DM2K?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
SB Z: http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462307163&sr=1-1&keywords=creative+sound+blaster+z
DAC/AMPs are what is confusing me; are they similar to the Astro Mixamp where it decodes the audio in the box before sending it to the headphones? What extra features and performance does it offer that an external like the U7 or the G5 wouldn't. The ones that I have seen recommended the most around here are the Magni 2 and the E11k, but would these add significant performance compared to running with just a sound card?
Magni 2: http://www.amazon.com/Schiit-SCH-0702-Magni-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00SCBKPW2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=A2MQBWZ25GS6JU
E11K: http://www.amazon.com/Kilimanjaro-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Extreme/dp/B00VETHZ04?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A364KLI3BZY8MZ
So basically I'm just looking for the best price-to-performance ratio equipment I can get to pair with these headphones. I'm leaning more towards the single external sound card option such as the G5 or U7 since they seem to have all the features that I am looking for, but any other suggestions are greatly appreciated. Sorry for the wall of text, thanks.
My focuses are 60% fps gaming, 30% movies, and 10% music. I've been using Astro A50's for a few years now, and after having gone through 4 pairs I decided to finally upgrade to some real headphones. I've basically decided at this point that the Philips X2s would be my best bet as I've heard the earcups are fairly large and roomy; I've owned M50x's in the past and cannot stand how they rubbed against my ears. I am by no means an audiophile or purist and will not be using this for professional work; I'm mainly just looking for something with satisfying, immersive sound and Dolby 7.1 Surround capabilities.
X2: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2-27-Fidelio-Headphones/dp/B00O2Y2MZG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_12&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
The main problem that I'm having is deciding on the equipment to pair with the headphones. The one thing I'm sure I will need is a dedicated sound card as my G45 Gaming motherboard does not support any Dolby surround sound technologies and the onboard sound is dying. So far I've narrowed it down to the Asus Xonar DX and Creative SB Z for internals, and have checked out a number of externals such as the Creative G5, SB Omni and the Asus Xonar U7. The externals seem like a very attractive option to me, is there any real reason to choose an internal over one? I like the idea of being able to quickly change out cables and adjust the volume.
U7: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-U7-Sound-Card/dp/B00E7QA9E0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_6&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
G5: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-BlasterX-Headphone-Amplifier-SB1700/dp/B018JUPY3A?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_5&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Xonar DX: http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-Channel-XONAR_DX-XD-90-YAA060-1UAN00Z/dp/B00198DM2K?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
SB Z: http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462307163&sr=1-1&keywords=creative+sound+blaster+z
DAC/AMPs are what is confusing me; are they similar to the Astro Mixamp where it decodes the audio in the box before sending it to the headphones? What extra features and performance does it offer that an external like the U7 or the G5 wouldn't. The ones that I have seen recommended the most around here are the Magni 2 and the E11k, but would these add significant performance compared to running with just a sound card?
Magni 2: http://www.amazon.com/Schiit-SCH-0702-Magni-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00SCBKPW2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=A2MQBWZ25GS6JU
E11K: http://www.amazon.com/Kilimanjaro-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Extreme/dp/B00VETHZ04?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A364KLI3BZY8MZ
So basically I'm just looking for the best price-to-performance ratio equipment I can get to pair with these headphones. I'm leaning more towards the single external sound card option such as the G5 or U7 since they seem to have all the features that I am looking for, but any other suggestions are greatly appreciated. Sorry for the wall of text, thanks.