[L3onardo]

I have the Xonar U7 Echelon edition but I'm still confused on how to get the best in-game soundwhoring
Tried using both stereo and DHT4 but couldn't get it right?
 
What are your settings for gaming, Im using a HD598+ modmic.

 

[Jaeger 77]

First of all,gaming means surround not stereo.For your cans put high gain>64 ohms and sample rate 48/16.Take note that i use a pair of Corsair Vengeance 1400 (pretty average headset),for your Senns you have to tune-in EQ differently. You can see my audio settings for gaming here:

 

[jamieuk147]

Any tips on best settings for Sony MA900 ?

 

[jamieuk147]

So for dolby surround gaming should this be avoided as it upscales from 2.0 ?

I all ready own it, but if I am honest I remember my Asus DX card sounding better and was much cheaper!

 

[Ultraflr]

Hi, im using a hifimediy sabre sync version, im considering buying the u7.
basically I listen to music with a pair of technics speakers, and some with headphones.
Do yo think i´ll hear some improvement in music listening?
 
I've also heard that the speaker output is driven by the cirrus CS4362, and the headphones by cs4398.
I thought the front channels were driven by cs4398 too. can anyone confirm it?
 
thanks

 

[suhaybh]

I am interested in this devices as a strict USB DAC+AMP for OSX music playback. The only other device that seems to be comparable in capability is the meridian explorer. Any comparison between these two in terms of sound quality?

 

[pietcux]

The U7 is targeted on Windows usage. It comes with a complete software suite and has dedicated drivers. It seems to work with OSX, but I think you'd be better off with things like the Meridian, as such devices are made for USB audio usage and nothing else.

 

[MrMD]

Been looking for some advice on how to set up this card for my Setup,finally found this thread and signed up to post here
 
So i have the U7 and i just cant figure out the best way to configure it.
 
Im using some AT-m50's with it and im wondering what settings i should be using to get best quality sound.I listen to mostly metal and play a lot of games
 
So what sample/bit rates should i be setting ect. And can any one point me in the direction of decent settings in Dolby EQ for a rock/metal profile.
 
Im not too savvy on audio settings and tech,i dont really understand what a lot of the settings available actually do.The only setting i know i have defiantly correct is Amp gain (set to mid gain)
 
Any help would be appreciated
 
Edit: Also the Uni drivers dont work on the U7 do they?

 

[L3onardo]

Now Creative comes with the Soundblaster X7?? Lmao, seems I was too quick to buy my stuff, from what I read that should perfectly do what I need.
Or is there a way I can get the best sound using the U7 altogether with my O2+ODAC??

 

[du3z]

Just got the U7 as the last component of a full new computer rig. Assumed that 7.1 means I could probably run a 2.1 setup too but not sure if this is the case?
 
I'm currently using JBL LSR 305s as 2.0 with onboard audio. "might" consider adding a subwoofer, but man, these things are huge. Still, I would like the U7's to support my usage should I ever add a subwoofer. Can this be done?
 
*got the U7 purely because I wanted a volume control knob since these JBLs don't have one in the front*

 

[M D Gould]

Hello everyone,
Just reading all the posts on the U7 and I was thinking about the 7.1 not being available on the Headphone side of things...could this work around fix that....
plug an 'RCA-to-3.5mm Y Cable' or an RCA-to-6.5mm Y Cable into the red and white color coded RCA ports which pull double duty as front channel outputs in 7.1 configurations, then into the 3.5 or 6.5mmm connection plug in your Headphones...would this give the Headphones the needed 7.1 surround sound??
I am not a tech dude so I do not know if the power rating of those RCA ports would blow up your Headphones...let me know and thanks in advance.
 
regards
M D Gould

 

[lelynx]

Hi there,
 
I'm using this Xonar U7 sound card with the Philips Fidelio M1 headphone (16 ohms) reviewed here http://www.whathifi.com/philips/fidelio-m1/review
and the sound is bad, like coming from the drain, a dozen of meters underground so I came here kindly asking for tips on getting this awful sound fixed.
 
I'm sure that the headphone and the music/movies I tried are above any suspicion and cannot say that about the sound card's hardware handling the headphones. It would be nice to know if there are similar issues and if anyone had its sound card replaced for such things.
 
About the software settings:
- Low gain (-12 dB for < 32 ohms)
- Sample rate 96 KHz 24 bits
- Environmental effects: none (although with the Roon setting the sound is the closest to normal)
- ASIO left to default settings? (i.e. Bit-Depth: 16/16 bits and Latency 20 ms)
 
The other settings (Xear Sing FX, Xear Surround Headphone, Xear Surround Max and Dolby HTV4) are disabled.
 
I've tweaked all the settings without any satisfactory result and now I'm out of ideas. Maybe I should have unplug/plug the sound card or even reboot the PC after some of the settings change?
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks and regards

 

[Yatsuman]

 
Im using some AT-m50's with it and im wondering what settings i should be using to get best quality sound.I listen to mostly metal and play a lot of games
 
So what sample/bit rates should i be setting ect. And can any one point me in the direction of decent settings in Dolby EQ for a rock/metal profile.
 
Im not too savvy on audio settings and tech,i dont really understand what a lot of the settings available actually do.The only setting i know i have defiantly correct is Amp gain (set to mid gain).

 

  I have the Xonar U7 Echelon edition but I'm still confused on how to get the best in-game soundwhoring
Tried using both stereo and DHT4 but couldn't get it right?
 
What are your settings for gaming, Im using a HD598+ modmic.

 
 
The best quality sound is achieved mostly by the hardware (hp's/speakers, soundcard, dac ,amp) and the source (audio or another multimedia file).
The settings you should consider the most are the gain on the Gain Control (medium or eventually high for your M50's) and this will change the MAX volume your cans are going to produce.
Next one is the Sample Rate, which I suggest you should equalize to your headphones specifications. I am running mine on 192KHz/24bit, since my headphones support it. And let me clear this one for you - having a 192KHz/24bit sample rate selected doesn't mean that when I'm playing 48KHz/16bit data rate music will be played as 192/24 to my headphones. Selecting 192/24 only ensured that when I'm playing such a sound it won't be lowered in quality as say 44,1/16. Of course, there is a great possibility that your sound device wouldn't produce any sound at all, if the desired sample rate (lower nor higher) is not supported.
That's pretty much it about sound quality.
Now as per other settings - Xear Surround Headphones/DHT v4 as well as equalizer (intelligent and graphic) - I believe it's all personal, but must be used with caution.
If you think your songs are too bassy you can just turn down the gain for 32-250 Hz by a few dB in the graphic EQ. Same goes with the mids and highs. You can also try the intelligent EQlizer in DHT v4, which I fancy a lot. Experiment with the presets you will find there and pick the one your ears like the most.
The surround virtualizer is good when you want to !!!simulate!!! surround sound in a stereo sound output. It might feel like a real surround or not based on your perception most of all. So play with that as well and see if it works for you or not.
 
 

  Hello everyone,
Just reading all the posts on the U7 and I was thinking about the 7.1 not being available on the Headphone side of things...could this work around fix that....
plug an 'RCA-to-3.5mm Y Cable' or an RCA-to-6.5mm Y Cable into the red and white color coded RCA ports which pull double duty as front channel outputs in 7.1 configurations, then into the 3.5 or 6.5mmm connection plug in your Headphones...would this give the Headphones the needed 7.1 surround sound??
I am not a tech dude so I do not know if the power rating of those RCA ports would blow up your Headphones...let me know and thanks in advance.
 
regards
M D Gould

 
The only possible way to get a 7.1 sound is with 7.1 speakers setup. With headphones you can only simulate surround sound through Xear Surround Heapdones and/or DHT v4.
Headphones should be plugged in the recommended jack (front left), so you would benefit from the amp gain and the other headphones settings you have available in the Xear and DHT v4 software.
 
 
 

  Hi there,
 
I'm using this Xonar U7 sound card with the Philips Fidelio M1 headphone (16 ohms) reviewed here http://www.whathifi.com/philips/fidelio-m1/review
and the sound is bad, like coming from the drain, a dozen of meters underground so I came here kindly asking for tips on getting this awful sound fixed.
 
I'm sure that the headphone and the music/movies I tried are above any suspicion and cannot say that about the sound card's hardware handling the headphones. It would be nice to know if there are similar issues and if anyone had its sound card replaced for such things.
 
About the software settings:
- Low gain (-12 dB for < 32 ohms)
- Sample rate 96 KHz 24 bits
- Environmental effects: none (although with the Roon setting the sound is the closest to normal)
- ASIO left to default settings? (i.e. Bit-Depth: 16/16 bits and Latency 20 ms)
 
The other settings (Xear Sing FX, Xear Surround Headphone, Xear Surround Max and Dolby HTV4) are disabled.
 
I've tweaked all the settings without any satisfactory result and now I'm out of ideas. Maybe I should have unplug/plug the sound card or even reboot the PC after some of the settings change?
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks and regards

Just to make it clear - have you got the headphones connected to the front left 3.5mm jack? I know you said you changed the env. settings to room and it had some sort of an effect, and that already suggests that it's in the right place, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
If yes, maybe the gain is too low (I am unaware of your headphones impedance specifications).
Also have you tried pairing your headphones with say any portable device (smartphone/mp3 player) and have you tried another pair of headphones on the sound card?
As with any peace of electronics there could be a shortened component or another factory defect, so keep that in mind with any of your purchases and always try different scenarios, which will help you easily identify the problem.
 
Good luck to you all,
Yatsu

 

[Sam21]

"The only possible way to get a 7.1 sound is with 7.1 speakers setup. With headphones you can only simulate surround sound through Xear Surround Heapdones and/or DHT v4."
 
 
there exists true surround headsets out there ... like Razer Tiamat 7.1 or others...

 

[Yatsuman]

  "The only possible way to get a 7.1 sound is with 7.1 speakers setup. With headphones you can only simulate surround sound through Xear Surround Heapdones and/or DHT v4."
 
 
there exists true surround headsets out there ... like Razer Tiamat 7.1 or others...

The number of drivers implemented in Razer Tiamat 7.1 or Asus Strix 7.1 matches the physical requirements of a 7.1 speakers setup, thus my statement above. I was a bit unclear with it indeed. By headphones I meant any 2 drivers audiophile headphones that are most likely to be mentioned here. Also, correct me, if I'm wrong but they both come with their own sound card implementation.