[sashakrik]

Hi,
I want to buy a new sound card for my PC, the budget is around 150 $.
Currently i'm using the sound card that is integrated on my motherboard (Intel DP67BG)
To the sound card i have connected a 2.1 Creative sound system and a gaming headset Razer Carcharias - most of the time i'm listening via the headphones.
 
I'm not happy with the sound quality and power level, i tryed to connect these headphones to my Iphone and the quality and the level was a lot better.
 
 
I will very appreciate recommendation for a good sound card
 
 
Thank you !

 

[NamelessPFG]

X-Fi Titanium HD.
 
Just keep in mind that if you connect the speakers via the RCA jacks, plugging the headset into either the front or rear headphone outputs forcibly mutes the speakers, with no option to change this behavior in software.

 

[sashakrik]

currently both the speakers and the headphones are connected at the rear and i can hear in both of them simultaneously.
 
by the way i switched the connectors of the speakers and the headphones and now the volume level is higher in the headphones but unfortunately the sound quality didn't changed

 

[NamelessPFG]

What I meant with that statement is that it's an unusual limitation of the X-Fi Titanium HD. (It's not a limitation on other X-Fi cards, but the sound quality on the others isn't quite as good.)
 
It doesn't bother me because I only use headphones with my desktops, but you may find yourself unplugging and re-plugging your headset a lot because of it.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Refurb X-Fi Titanium (non-HD) $43.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102043
Fiio D03K optical DAC, $30
http://www.amazon.com/D3-Digital-Converter-Optical-Toslink/dp/B005K2TXMO
 
Plug your headphones into the Titanium's headphone jack (& mic jack?)
Plug the Fiio D03K into the Titanium's optical output jack, plug the speakers into the D03K
 
So for a total of $73, you get a gaming sound card that Nameless should approve of
and the speakers get their own separate connection to the sound card.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Didn't think of the D3 as a viable DAC...that would actually work out pretty well, if you remember to check "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output". Both the sound card's analog and digital outputs will work simultaneously with no fuss.

 

[sashakrik]

what do you think of the Asus xonar D1 ?
a friend of mine recommended me this card, he says that it has the same quality as the Creative X-FI titanium and is cheaper.
 
 
 
Do you think that the Asus xonar D1 is a good match for my Razer Carcharias headset ?

 

[Roller]

Quote:

X-Fi Titanium HD.
 
Just keep in mind that if you connect the speakers via the RCA jacks, plugging the headset into either the front or rear headphone outputs forcibly mutes the speakers, with no option to change this behavior in software.

 
^This. The X-Fi Titanium HD is quite a bit superior to both the non-HD variant as well as the Xonar D1, and is well within your specified budget.