[yonyz]

Hi,
 
If I buy a sound card or USB DAC which don't have any virtual surround or "enhancement" features, like presets for movies and all that, is there some standalone software that has them?
I'm torn between an expensive sound card (Essence STX II for $260) and a USB DAC (Schiit Modi for just $100). Both seem to have great sound quality, but I think I might like the presets that the ASUS software has for different stuff (music, movies, gaming).

 

[PurpleAngel]

Get a low costing Asus Xonar DG or DGX sound card ($25-$45)
Or even a used Xonar DX ($50?)
All come with optical output.
 
And a DAC with an optical input.
http://hifimediy.com/SPDIF-9018-DAC

 

[yonyz]

Thanks, sounds like a good solution.
 
What about getting a Xonar U7 USB sound card? It's got surround and those fancy effects. Will its sound quality be a downgrade compared to an ESI Juli@?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks, sounds like a good solution.
 
What about getting a Xonar U7 USB sound card? It's got surround and those fancy effects. Will its sound quality be a downgrade compared to an ESI Juli@?

 
I'm guessing roughly equal audio quality.
Just do not know enough about the chips used on the ESI Juli@ to make a detailed comparison.
I would say to go ahead and swap out the ESI Juli@ for the Xonar U7.

 

[yonyz]

   
I'm guessing roughly equal audio quality.
Just do not know enough about the chips used on the ESI Juli@ to make a detailed comparison.
I would say to go ahead and swap out the ESI Juli@ for the Xonar U7.

Nevermind, I thought the U7 would have the same software as the STX cards, but it's something else. I'll skip it.
I bought an SMSL M8 on Massdrop which I'll be using via USB until I can also afford a Xonar DX.
Or maybe I'll just play around with Viper4Winows and see if it's useful to me.

 

[xxlbeerz]

Many people use this software for surround.
http://www.razerzone.com/surround

 

[U-3C]

If your onboard audio uses Realtek ALC1150 and has an optical out, try this:

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=392085

It might even decrapify your onboard audio if the official drivers are messing with them in the background (they did in my case).

If you don't like dolby and prefer creative's offerings, try getting the demo version of their new BlasterX software, and follow this guide:

https://m.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/410kj7/creative_dsp_sbx_without_creative_hardware/

Then, you can get a dac with an optical input and use it to transfer the audio with the dsp to your external solution. You can skip the sound card as you already have the virtual surround stuff.