[Pituky]

Hello Guys
 
Finally my Creative X-Fi sound card died.
Took the opportunity to buy something a bit better.
 
My uses:
1) Good Music with Studio Monitor Headphone.
2) Gaming using a Razer wireless Gaming Headset (Virtual 3d sound here)
3) Music on the ONKYO 737 receiver + Monitor Audio Speakers, (using Tidal Master or HIFI, and or movies 5.1, and or games 5.1)
 
My thoughts about how to use the card are:
 
1)  Studio Monitor Headphone, for music,  using the CPU case headphone out (connected internally to  the STX II)
2)  STX II headphone out from the card to the Wireless transmitter input for the Razer Wireless headset (taking care to set the software to low gain to avoid melting the audio transmitter stereo input)
3) Line in,  to connect the Razer wireless Headset-microphone feature.
4) Optical out to my receiver, to listen 5.1 movies and live encoded games using DD Live.
5) Analog RCA front speakers from the card to the analog input on the receiver (labeler on the receiver "PC" input maybe).
 
 
Questions:
 
1)
Now 4 and 5 are optional for music (not for 5.1 stream, I will use the optical anyway, for that purpose).
What is better to use the Optical out or the RCA analogic outs  to send stereo to my receiver.
I guess the DAC on the onkyo 737 is so so correct?.... I do not know if using analog will be better.?
​So if using the RCA card's output to my Receiver, can I damage the receiver input.
​On the STX II user manual they say they connect the RCA outs to passive speakers......I think it is something wrong on the user manual here.
 
2)
Do you think that even setting the Headphone out to Low gain (on the STX II card software), I can melt the Razer audio wireless transmitter input.?
 
3)
​Do you think that the CPU case Headphone OUT connected internally to the STX ii internally, will have the same audio quality as the headphone output located on the STX II back?

 

[PurpleAngel]

The line-output (RCA) jacks on the STX II can not output Dolby Headphone surround sound.
But the STX II can send Dolby Headphone surround sound thru the S/PDIF (optical or coaxial).
So run S/PDIF from the STX II to the Onkyo receiver.
Sell off the Razer wireless headset and get some good sounding headphones.
Plug them into the STX II's headphone jack.
If you get headphones in the 250-Ohm to 600-Ohm range, you can also plug them into the Onkyo's headphone jack.

 

[Pituky]

Thank you for good advices!!

Received the card and played a bit with it

I have the shure shr840 connected to the front headphone out. Music

I have the crappy wireless razer connected to the back headset and line in. Only Gaming..with dolby headphones yes they are crappy but wireless and they have mic...and have volume rockers.

Have the 2 rca outs connected to the onkyo. Music

Have the spdif optical connected to my Onkyo. Music and games with Dolby Digital Live....not very good indeed compared to the dts live I used to have on the sounfblaster.


Now.

Comparing the analog and digital connection to my onkyo, just stereo.
Using Tidal master. Not sure I can hear a very significant difference.

Tried to use foobar with Asio and waspi. But they hang out freeze foobar when playing flac 24 96 or 192.....


Thanks!!



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[Pituky]

I know now why they sound similar, stx ii has Burr-Brown PCM1792 (SNR 129dB / THD 0.0004%), and the onkyo has a Burr Brown 24-192 too I could not find the exact model...


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[audioBenj]

This is unrelated to your queries but I would highly recommend that you get a studio headphone instead of a "gaming headset" if you want a far superior sounding pair of cans. This is especially since you're using a discrete sound card.

 

[Pituky]

I have several headsets. Studio headphone shure shr840, for music, the razer ones are only used for gaming.
Plan to buy a sennheiser hd 599 since the Srh840 are perfect but as expected sometimes sounds boring.

Yes as I commented before I use all the card outputs currently for different purposes.


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[PurpleAngel]

Received the card and played a bit with it
I have the shure shr840 connected to the front headphone out. Music
I have the crappy wireless razer connected to the back headset and line in. Only Gaming..with dolby headphones yes they are crappy but wireless and they have mic...and have volume rockers.
Have the 2 rca outs connected to the onkyo. Music
Have the spdif optical connected to my Onkyo. Music and games with Dolby Digital Live....not very good indeed compared to the dts live I used to have on the sounfblaster.
Now.
Comparing the analog and digital connection to my onkyo, just stereo.
Using Tidal master. Not sure I can hear a very significant difference.
Tried to use foobar with Asio and waspi. But they hang out freeze foobar when playing flac 24 96 or 192.....

 
Because of possible impedance issues with the Onkyo's headphone jack and the SRH840 being only 44-Ohms.
I would say to plug the SRH840 into the STX II's headphone jack, for best audio quality.

 

[Pituky]

Thank you! Using it there sounds better.

Using Jriver with Asio. Great piece of software.
Foobar does not work well with Asio.

Now after some days using the stx connected to the analog inputs of the onkyo....man what a difference in sound. After some days the sound improved a lot. More soundstage and instrument separatiom, warmer sound...
There is no wait back to the optical input, except for 5.1 sound.



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