[kaidomac]

I'm planning on picking up a pair of HD-650s and a Gilmore amp from Headamp (either a GS-1 or a Lite) for use with my computer. I'm currently using a laptop which I'm selling this month to pay for a desktop. What's the best sound card for this headphone setup?

I have an Audigy 2 ZS left over from my last desktop, but I'm willing to buy a better card if there is one available. I will be listening to 128kb MP3s/AACs via iTunes, DVD movies via PowerDVD 6 Deluxe, and various computer games (FEAR, HL2, etc.). I may upgrade to a dedicated CD player down the road, but that's a different story. As far as music I listen to - everything. Country, pop, oldies, soundtracks, whatever. I'm open to PCI, USB, and Firewire sound cards. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaidomac I'm planning on picking up a pair of HD-650s and a Gilmore amp from Headamp (either a GS-1 or a Lite) for use with my computer. I'm currently using a laptop which I'm selling this month to pay for a desktop. What's the best sound card for this headphone setup?

modded 0404 -> best rythm sense
std. / modded 1212m -> more balance , more neutral , with the benefit of a doubt

 

[lordgibbness]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaidomac I'm planning on picking up a pair of HD-650s and a Gilmore amp from Headamp (either a GS-1 or a Lite) for use with my computer. I'm currently using a laptop which I'm selling this month to pay for a desktop. What's the best sound card for this headphone setup? I have an Audigy 2 ZS left over from my last desktop, but I'm willing to buy a better card if there is one available. I will be listening to 128kb MP3s/AACs via iTunes, DVD movies via PowerDVD 6 Deluxe, and various computer games (FEAR, HL2, etc.). I may upgrade to a dedicated CD player down the road, but that's a different story. As far as music I listen to - everything. Country, pop, oldies, soundtracks, whatever. I'm open to PCI, USB, and Firewire sound cards. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Rather than the CD player go for a big half terrabyte disk and rip your CDs to lossless (e.g. FLAC)

. Best soundcard is supposed to be the 1212m, but also take a look at the Juli@ and the AP192.

 

[kaidomac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordgibbness Rather than the CD player go for a big half terrabyte disk and rip your CDs to lossless (e.g. FLAC) . Best soundcard is supposed to be the 1212m, but also take a look at the Juli@ and the AP192.

This the one?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...s=19&c=us&l=en

 

[boodi]

yes

 

[glenmorangie]

i think the 0404 would be way to revealing for 128k mp3s and isnt a good gaming card either

 

[lordgibbness]

You may find the Emu cards generally fiddly for gaming. I'd opt for one of the other two cards that I mentioned if you play lots of games too. They are both excellent cards. I have a slightly lower spec M-Audio than the Audiophile 192 and it is very good.

 

[BushGuy]

I personally prefer the Juli@ for HD650 use when a card is wanted that costs less than $200. A modded 0404, while another excellent setup, tends to put a bit of a bloom on the bass which HD650 does not want.

 

[Cyrilix]

I personally wouldn't go with something expensive for 128 kbps... 128 vs. 192 is easily noticeable to me, even with crappy equipment. If that's the case, then it means that you're being limited by your music, but I guess something cheap like the AV-710 would be a worthwhile investment.

 

[zulu934]

You might want to consider getting higher quality downloads. The files from Music Giant are approximately 15 meg for each song, but the improvement in sound quality is large.

 

[kaidomac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordgibbness You may find the Emu cards generally fiddly for gaming. I'd opt for one of the other two cards that I mentioned if you play lots of games too. They are both excellent cards. I have a slightly lower spec M-Audio than the Audiophile 192 and it is very good.

The Juli@ looks pretty neat! I'm even considering just getting an X-Fi, which is supposed to have pretty good game support. Any comments on that one?

 

[lordgibbness]

From what I have read the X-Fi has very comparable SQ to the other cards mentioned and is obviously the card for gaming (EAX, surround sound etc.) but the drivers can sometimes be questionable (esp. if you have an nforce mobo, I believe). Also, it may cost quite a bit more than the Juli@ or AP192 (you'd have to check).

 

[kaidomac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordgibbness From what I have read the X-Fi has very comparable SQ to the other cards mentioned and is obviously the card for gaming (EAX, surround sound etc.) but the drivers can sometimes be questionable (esp. if you have an nforce mobo, I believe). Also, it may cost quite a bit more than the Juli@ or AP192 (you'd have to check).

Yeah, I'm not too fond of my Audigy's software...it's gotten better over time, but still...and yeah, I'll be using an nForce4 motherboard (DFI Ultra-D). Bummer. I'll just use my Audigy until I've decided on a high-end card. Thanks for the input!

 

[Chri5peed]

Before you do anything get rid of those 'insult to ears' 128K files. HD 650s with 128Kbps files, why has no one commented on that?

The best system on earth would struggle to do anything with such crappy files. Heard of the term 'bottleneck'?

Are they downloaded? Shame if they are, CD-quality my ass.

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed Before you do anything get rid of those 'insult to ears' 128K files. HD 650s with 128Kbps files, why has no one commented on that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenmorangie i think the 0404 would be way to revealing for 128k

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrilix I personally wouldn't go with something expensive for 128 kbps... 128 vs. 192 is easily noticeable to me, even with crappy equipment. If that's the case, then it means that you're being limited by your music, but I guess something cheap like the AV-710 would be a worthwhile investment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zulu934 You might want to consider getting higher quality downloads.