[anetode]

Quote:

It must feel good to defend onboard audio chips, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it, other than for trolling. Even the discreet audio (pseudo) cards you mention have very similar measurable performance to the measly onboard audio chips, even if I don't like to bring RMAA to the table due to some controversy around it.

Classy.
 
I wasn't originally going to respond, but might as well make this clearer:

I'm not defending jack crap, onboard audio can be good or bad. I'm presenting the neutral, evidence-based viewpoiont, lest the thread starter buy into the whole audiofoolery. You've made it clear that you disagree and I have no reason to argue with you about it.

Back to advice,
Audio cards are a good solution, I have the Xonar STX and it is a superb well-made card. However, I'm a gadget snob, and often buy things that are beyond practicality. You can have the same sound from an audio card that costs lest than fifty bucks, like the Xonar DG. If you are unsure, those cards (CMedia codec & >100 SNR) are the best bet. But try to compare them to tell whether there's a noticeable improvement.
 

 

[Roller]

Quote:

Classy.
 
I wasn't originally going to respond, but might as well make this clearer:

I'm not defending jack crap, onboard audio can be good or bad. I'm presenting the neutral, evidence-based viewpoiont, lest the thread starter buy into the whole audiofoolery. You've made it clear that you disagree and I have no reason to argue with you about it.

Back to advice,
Audio cards are a good solution, I have the Xonar STX and it is a superb well-made card. However, I'm a gadget snob, and often buy things that are beyond practicality. You can have the same sound from an audio card that costs lest than fifty bucks, like the Xonar DG. If you are unsure, those cards (CMedia codec & >100 SNR) are the best bet. But try to compare them to tell whether there's a noticeable improvement.
 

Again, correcting that sentence of yours. Onboard audio can be bad or less bad.
 
I'm not arguing with you, only pointing out that there are audible differences, other than the very debatable measurable differences, which should very well be a heads up over the fact that it's worth to upgrade from any onboard audio chip to even a sub $50 dedicated soundcard, like the Xonar DG you mentioned. Of course that the better your listening gear is, the easier it will be to notice the differences. What I find amusing is you considering your Xonar STX as beyond practicality, but to each their own.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

I  think the difference of xonar stx from onboard realtek is subtle , but the sound might appear more refined and enjoyable after extended listening. Somehow the sound was a bit less boring than with the realtek, but still with my hd595. Buying a fiio E7/E9 might be a wiser buy, as from  what I've heard the amp of xonar stx, doesn't provide satisfying result with the k701  (then why bother , if you can't amp most known headphones with it).
 

 

[raymond555]

I moved from ALC889 To Titanium X-Fi HD and at first I was very dissapointed.
But after I changed the stock OpAmps,there's really no match.the X-Fi is the best piece of hardware I've bought for the last 5 years,just awesome sounding card.

 

[genclaymore]

The main thing with the STX when using the headphone amp, is the op-amps thats in the I/Vs are used and not the buffer. Once you change out those Jrcs with better op-amps. then your mind will change on it. I think they should atleast use good op-amps on all op-amps sockets and not just a pair on the buffer and some cheap generic ones on the I/Vs.

 

[fzman]

People seem to lose track of the fact that small differences can be important - more for some people than others.  Coming in second by a fraction of a second is still losing!  On the other hand, the performance differences between a Ferrari and a basic Ford of Chevy may be nearly irrelevant for city driving in a congested metropolitan area like Chicago.
 
Caring about good sound may not create the differences between components, but it goes a long way toward explaining their importance to some folks.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

I changed my mind when I bought a more revealing/detailled headphone,  i.e the srh940.
The xonar stx is worth it, depending of what you plug.

 

[VeXun]

I also have the Realtek ALC 889 on my GA-X58A-UD3R motherboard and recently got a pair of Sennheiser HD 558's and am interested in making them sound better. They do sound pretty good with my onboard but that's probably because I haven't heard a dedicated sound card and don't have an amp for portable use. 
 
I am looking to invest in a cheap sound card if it will make a difference, I just saw an [size=1em]ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 PCI card on newegg for 23.99 with a 10$ rebate. Would there be a noticeable difference in sound quality? The extra little details in my music make a huge difference to me.[/size]
 
[size=1em]Also I use an ipod touch 4 and want to get an amp for it so I don't have to use the aux port is there a headphone amp I can get that will work for both my ipod and my pc and make them both sound better? I am on a pretty tight budget because I just purchased these 558's a new samsung galaxy player 5 and new GPU. I was looking at an e7 or e9 for my 558's would it make them sound a lot better with my ipod if I use a line out cable? I am still new to everything as you can probably tell so please bare with me.[/size]
 
[size=1em]Thanks![/size]