rpgwizard: isn't cmss also something that works for all games independently of EAX support or not in the games, in order to simulate surround sound in headphones?   I might be a little back towards the Essence again (:P) but it would be perfect if someone could clear up how a dac/amp for...

Isn't the two primary things separating Forte and Essence ST the EAX and CMSS3D? Where Essence got Dolby Headphones instead of CMSS3D.   And with EAX more or less out of my equation, then it seems like it's up to CMSS3D vs Dolby Headphone - Is that right or are there other things that...

animemaniac, yeah I know I have to decide myself - might lean a bit towards a Forte atm, but any buzzing noise from a soundcard in that pricerange would be kinda bad and annoy me a lot. I don't know how big the problem really is though.   I only got a single graphics card and no other things...

I have seen some people having issues with a hissing noise in the speakers with the Auzentech Forte due to the GPU. It concerns me a little as my GPU is producing a slight hissing sound at the moment, even when it's idle (not through the speakers, but just from the card itself) . Nothing that...

Quote: It should be remembered that I'm not gaming that much, so gaming shouldn't be deciding completely what to get - it differs a lot how much I game which makes it difficult for me to decide unfortunately :( But I can say that all I'd like to get when gaming is good positioning.  ...

I actually thought EAX would enhance positioning? I also see CMSS3D on these X-Fi sound cards might improve positioning, though some disagreement exists on this topic.   Lately I have been playing mostly Quake Live and World of Warcraft, with a little CoD MW2 and BF:BC2 - except for MW2 it...

I have also seen a few times that the Essence ST is recommended as the ideal soundcard for headphones which makes me think that I would get stuff I don't need with a Forte 7.1 - I don't really need a surround sound system for my PC, and most likely not in the future either. I will primarily be...

Been reading a bit about the Auzentech Forte and Xonar Essence ST and it seems like the Forte is generally recommended for gaming and Essence for music - as animemaniac also says. However, as the EAX doesn't seem to be that important, what really makes the Forte better for gaming then? Also, is...

I am leaning towards a soundcard because I'm not sure if the difference between a good soundcard and an external dac/amp is so drastic (though I have no experience with either) - according to reviews and general opinions both solutions seem to give a very nice results. Also, the soundcard is...

Looks nice, but perhaps also a little clumsy with the docking thing of the e7 on top of the e9? I won't need the portability of the e7 because it will most likely sit on my desk all the time :) Even considering that, do you think this combo is better than other non-portable possibilities?  ...

Hi,   I have purchased some Superlux HD 668B (haven't gotten them yet), but I am currently using some onboard soundcard, and an upgrade in this department can probably give me some nice results.   However, I am not sure if I should go with an external usb dac/amp such as the Aune or...

Thanks for all replies :) I ended up ordering Superlux HD 668 B with AKG velour pads.

Anybody? :) I stumbled upon the Superlux HD 681 which is supposedly really good, and can compete against much more expensive headphones. Can this really be true? I see people saying they can perfectly compete against for example Sennheiser  HD595, but the Superlux are like 7-8 times cheaper -...

Hi again :) I hope you are all enjoying the Holidays.   I got a pair of HD 515, but I think I will return them and possibly add in a little extra to get another model - the HD555 is quite similar in price but I don't know if it is available.   However, I just noticed that the local hifi...

When you are saying they are light on bass - do you got any idea how it is compared with the Steelseries I have? If you know those by any chance. I'm a little confused because I see quite a few reviews saying the bass is good - but I really doubt anyone said that for my Steelseries for example...