Got it! That answers everything here :) Thanks for the help!

Ahhh; I hadn't even considered that! Thank you!   Is the bit about sound card supporting 7.1 allowing me to play virtual surround through stereo headphones true?

Hello,   Totally new to the audio scene with a quick question that I'm having trouble finding an answer to.   If I have were to buy a soundcard that "supports 7.1", like the Asus ROG Phoebus, then connected a set of headphones (Sennheiser 598's are what I'm looking at) that are stereo, I...

I see; Thanks for the detailed info!   It's good to hear that I should notice the sound improvement in game and with music - that's my prime focus. FPS isn't an issue with my hardware and I was aware of the lack of improvement with modern sound cards anyways.   I've actually really been...

Does anyone else have anything to add? I'd appreciate more input before I bite the bullet and make a purchase.   Thanks!

Got it! I'll take a look at the setup you've suggested. I really appreciate your advice :)    If anyone else has something to add in addition, I'd appreciate the additional feedback!   Thanks again!

Got it; Thanks for the link!   With respect to the Phoebus/Essence STX, I had heard that only the Phoebus had dolby home theater and had heard that it had an interesting array of features. Since current line of asus cards seems to be so similar otherwise, is this something that should be...

Oh wow. Do you notice a difference anywhere else? If it's hard to tell the difference even with equipment, it seems like it'd be hard to tell a difference elsewhere, too.   Thanks so much!   I'm inclined to go all-out on the card due to its long-term viability. I've heard good things about...

Gotcha, makes sense. Thanks again!   Do you think that I'll really get something noticeable out of this? I had trouble distinguishing between the two files in this link: http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/mp3-sound-quality-test-128-320/   I've never really had high quality audio equipment...

Sweet, thanks for the recommendations! Would you mind explaining why you feel those fit? I'm totally new to this and would appreciate the reasoning so that I can better understand audio equipment.    Any idea if I'll actually notice a difference given that I can't pick out the two .mp3s in...

Hello, all!   I'm a long-time gamer with a fairly high-end gaming PC. I listen to a lot of music as well, and I'm interested in looking at sound equipment to bring out another dimension in my games and better appreciate my music.    Currently, I'm running:   i5 3570k EVGA GTX 670 FTW 4gb...

Ah, this should probably be in "Introductions, help and recommendations" Sorry about the trouble; Is there any way to get it moved?

Hello!   I'm posting to ask for advice on a headset and possibly a soundcard. I'm big into gaming, but I listen to a bit of music and watch some movies too, and I've got a pretty nice build and headset now but have had trouble figuring out what I should do and know very little about sound...