[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

So it's not really worth waiting for?

Yea, not worth waiting for a sound card that may or may not come out.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

So it's not really worth waiting for?

 
Wait in case Asus puts out a new version? Doesn't make sense to me unless Asus has announced a release. And then Asus is not so hot sometimes at meeting release deadlines anyway.

 

[gopanthersgo1]

OK, and say i ever needed the h6 expansion in the future, where would i buy it, and would it be good to buy it now, since i cant find it anywhere except amazon.uk???

 

[gopanthersgo1]

Well, the X-Fi Titanium HD is available on Newegg for only $115, so I got it!

 

[MrMateoHead]

If I were you, and were really serious about computer audio, I might try this:
 
http://www.htomega.com/clarohalo.html
 
Its about 200 bucks, but you are getting up to blu-ray quality audio, multi-channel surround, and actual RCA outputs if you want to line level to a stereo.
 
It also has dedicated amplification for headphones of up to 600 Ohms, though you have to move a jumper to enable it. It is based on Texas Instruments:
http://www.ti.com/lit/ug/slou169/slou169.pdf
 
Rated power is 2 watts at 32 Ohms. Not sure if it can do this at 600 Ohms, but this is more than enough power for most headsets. It is also about as much power as many really good headphone amps seem to throw out.
 
Basically, the card specs very well compared to DAC / AMP combos you can get for a similar price.

 

[gopanthersgo1]

If I were you, and were really serious about computer audio, I might try this:

http://www.htomega.com/clarohalo.html

Its about 200 bucks, but you are getting up to blu-ray quality audio, multi-channel surround, and actual RCA outputs if you want to line level to a stereo.

It also has dedicated amplification for headphones of up to 600 Ohms, though you have to move a jumper to enable it. It is based on Texas Instruments:
http://www.ti.com/lit/ug/slou169/slou169.pdf

Rated power is 2 watts at 32 Ohms. Not sure if it can do this at 600 Ohms, but this is more than enough power for most headsets. It is also about as much power as many really good headphone amps seem to throw out.

Basically, the card specs very well compared to DAC / AMP combos you can get for a similar price.

actually, I'll be getting a good dac with coaxial and amp later, so i need dolby and dts over coaxial

 

[MrMateoHead]

For an external sound set up I might also try this:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1240/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1351285273&sr=8-6&keywords=creative+sound+blaster
 
Again, the key is having dedicated headphone amplification.

 

[gopanthersgo1]

i thought pci had better latency, and I've already ordered the titanium HD

 

[MrMateoHead]

Finally, the Asus Xonar if you are into Asus:
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010
 
Another Texas Instruments amplifier built-in, to handle up to 600 Ohms (rated 80 mW into 600 Ohms). Very low distortion.
 
http://www.ti.com/product/tpa6120a2
 
The specs on that amp are harder to understand. It appears that Max power before distortion is around 100 mWs, which may be a little light for some headphones, and is not as much as you could get out of a Fiio.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

i thought pci had better latency, and I've already ordered the titanium HD

 
You did fine. That's a very good card for that price. Don't get into the 2nd guessing that comes out of having just placed the order 

 

[MrMateoHead]

Quote:

i thought pci had better latency, and I've already ordered the titanium HD

I was too late. That's cool. Its good to know that there are some decent soundcard options out there for headphone freaks.
 
Of course, it would be cool to have a component DAC/AMP combo that could move around once in awhile - without the computer in tow.

 

[gopanthersgo1]

I was too late. That's cool. Its good to know that there are some decent soundcard options out there for headphone freaks.

Of course, it would be cool to have a component DAC/AMP combo that could move around once in awhile - without the computer in tow.

Yeah, but I have a rockboxed Clip+, and am going to get an amp, and probably the Fiio x3 next year

 

[stv014]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Rated power is 2 watts at 32 Ohms. Not sure if it can do this at 600 Ohms, but this is more than enough power for most headsets.

 
I assume you took the 2 W from the datasheet of the amplifier IC, rather than the specifications of the sound card ? What the card can actually output depends on the details of the implementation, and if the manufacturer did not provide sufficiently detailed specifications, it can only be determined with measurements. By the way, the "2 W power" is meant as the total power in stereo mode, so it is really 1 W per channel, and that assumes the chip has adequate heat-sinking. Into 600 Ω, the maximum power output of the TPA6120A2 is ~80 mW at the most commonly used +/- 12 V power supply voltage.
 
Quote:

Finally, the Asus Xonar if you are into Asus:
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010
 
Another Texas Instruments amplifier built-in, to handle up to 600 Ohms (rated 80 mW into 600 Ohms). Very low distortion.
 
http://www.ti.com/product/tpa6120a2
 
The specs on that amp are harder to understand. It appears that Max power before distortion is around 100 mWs, which may be a little light for some headphones, and is not as much as you could get out of a Fiio.

 
It is the same amplifier as above, and the maximum power output is "only" 80 mW because it is specified into 600 Ω. At a lower load impedance, it is higher, but you normally do not need more for dynamic headphones. It is actually a fairly typical implementation of the TPA6120A2, using a 2x12 V power supply, and 10 Ω output resistors. The FiiO E9 (same amplifier IC and same voltage) is comparable, while the other FiiO amplifiers (E6, E7, E10, E11, and E17) are in fact less powerful, but have lower output impedance.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

i thought pci had better latency, and I've already ordered the titanium HD

 
There is no significant difference in latency between PCI and PCIe, but if you intend to bypass all analog components on the card and use an external DAC via S/PDIF, you could have bought the cheaper non-HD X-Fi Titanium instead.

 

[gopanthersgo1]

There is no significant difference in latency between PCI and PCIe, but if you intend to bypass all analog components on the card and use an external DAC via S/PDIF, you could have bought the cheaper non-HD X-Fi Titanium instead.

I meant PCIe vs usb, and I'm going to use the titanium HD for headphones and speakers until I can afford a good DAC and amp