[Gurpartap Singh]

Hello guys,

This is my first post here, so Hi again!

Here's the situation I'm in:

Sound card options:

1. Auzentech Forte
2. Asus Essence STX
3. Any other PCI-e option?

Audio outputs:

1. Audioengine A5B
   1. For music and scarcely for gaming.
2. Headphones
   1. For gaming only. Need to buy some new decent gaming headset. Will phase out my current Panasonic wireless headphones, although they have been for good long time with me).

Requirements:

1. 65% gaming
   1. I play Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead extensively along with CoD4, etc.
2. 35% music
   1. I'm sucker for punchy bass and mostly that's the kind of music I play along with some classical audio.
      

Operating system: Windows 7 RC

My main concern about posting here is that how much am I going to compromise for music when I get the Forte for my gaming requirements (since it's quite clear that EAX5 supporting card is hands down winner for gaming).

Oh, and do the games I mentioned above support EAX5 so much so that they really deserve a compatible card?

I'm desperate to know if the compromise is worth it. I always wanted the feel good factor in ASUS' STX.

Price is not a factor.

 

[ROBSCIX]

If price is not a factor, Buy both.

 

[hadouken]

I would go for the STX personally, the negative of losing EAX5 will be far outweighed by the superior audio quality of the STX. The STX is also a headphone-targetted sound card, giving you a built-in amplifier should you ever choose to get a audiophile set of cans.

I had the Auzentech Prelude before I had the STX, it had EAX5, X-RAM and the other high end gaming features of the Creative cards but at the end of the day, it makes very little difference to your gaming experience. The STX has EAX2 anyway, so you'll still get some nice effects, it also has Dolby Headphone for emulated surround sound gaming. EAX is very overrated in my opinion.

Btw, I'm a HUGE Left 4 Dead addict, I play at all of the time. Zoey's scream has never sounded so alluring with an Essence STX and a quality set of headphones.

 

[FatMom]

EAX is dead. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last games using EAX were mass effect and bioshock wich are about 1.5years old.

I would personally still take forte anyway, just because its cheaper and I dont think you'll hear much difference in a game between the STX and forte, unless you have a preference for dolby headphone over cmss-3d.

But since price is not a factor, just take the STX and call it a day. Forget EAX unless you play some older games that support it.

 

[Gurpartap Singh]

Thanks guys. STX it'll be then.

 

[43st]

Lots of wrong information in this thread.

 

[voon]

I would go for the X-Fi's or the Auzentech. It's the standard, it's what covers anything coming out (or not) in games etc. No trouble, nothing amiss. And I think the X-Fi I own (Titanium Fatal1ty) is quite nice. Using its optical outs etc, it's in fact more than fine. Also, there is nearly no good headset, so I'd not go along that path (apart from maybe something like the Beyerdynamic MMX 300, if you like its sound for hifi). I'd rather buy a really good normal stereo headphone (avoid the 5.1 etc headphones like the pest, they're all downright horrible for soundquality) and some cheap clip-on micro, if you need headset utility.

 

[leeperry]

the Forte 7.1 HP amp is based on a very lousy JRC4580, and the plug is 1/8"

these are 2 show stoppers for me

why not a cheap X-Fi Xtreme Music for games(modded w/ LM4562 possibly?), and a STX for serious headphones listening w/ some LME49720?

 

[twhtpclover]

Why not jut go with Xonar? still don't get it since the GX usually works, and EAX is less and less being used anyway..