[FrozenSteel]

Hello, I'm new to this whole audio thing but I just couldn't stand the Realtek audio on my mainboard. I listen to music for 4+ hours most days and game just as long as well (I have no life ). After being spoiled by a SB Titanium I had on an old build I sold, I just had to move back to a dedicated sound card and went all out. Enter my ZXR. After using it for a few days, it sounds like heaven compared to what I was using except that it's sharp and bright. After listening for an hour, my ears sting slightly and have a ring which goes away after a few minutes. Would changing out the op amps make a difference. If so, what would you recommend for the I/V and output buffers. What's the difference between the them? Cost is not a limitation to what I'm willing to buy but I want to be able to put the shield back on it.

Thanks for your help and support!

EDIT: After looking around, I heard that replacing the 2x JRC2114D's on the I/V circuit with LME47920's and putting a MUSE02 on the line buffers would do the trick but the MUSE02 doesn't seem compatible with the ZXR line output (it uses a mono op amp and the muse is a dual). Is there a muse02 that's in a mono configuration?

 

[SaLX]

Have you tried switching all the effects down or off - crystaliser, EQ etc??? It shouldn't be that bright. Swapping op-amps is meant to improve it not make it sound merely 'good' - maybe give that a miss for now.
 
Overclock.net has a thread for modding: http://www.overclock.net/t/1435931/zxr-op-amp-suggestions-needed-and-some-op-amp-general-questions

 

[FrozenSteel]

Thank you for the response.  I don't know, maybe I'm just not used to this much music detail and hearing anything above 16K for that matter 

.  This sounds hundreds of times better than my Titanium Fatality sound card I used to have and maybe I'm just not used to a good sound.  I will definitely check out that link!
 
One more question, how long does it take to break-in a sound card?  I've heard different stories left and right on how you do or don't need to break in the caps, op amps, dac's etc.

 

[SaLX]

They will burn in (or your hearing will adapt) - how long not sure. I'm sure it'll be OK. In the meantime just EQ down the highs. Hope you've got decent headphones.

 

[kenammo]

  Have you tried switching all the effects down or off - crystaliser, EQ etc??? It shouldn't be that bright. Swapping op-amps is meant to improve it not make it sound merely 'good' - maybe give that a miss for now.
 
Overclock.net has a thread for modding: http://www.overclock.net/t/1435931/zxr-op-amp-suggestions-needed-and-some-op-amp-general-questions

 
+1.  My ZXR came "out of the box" with all effects ON. Crystalizer, Surround and Bass all maxxed. Sounded like crap.
 
After I disabled all that and tweaked the SB Control Panel to my liking, I've been listening to blissful sound ever since.

 

[FrozenSteel]

+1.  My ZXR came "out of the box" with all effects ON. Crystalizer, Surround and Bass all maxxed. Sounded like crap.

After I disabled all that and tweaked the SB Control Panel to my liking, I've been listening to blissful sound ever since.

Yea, that was it. All that SBX stuff made it sound too bright. Much more natural now. Right now I'm just using a set of speakers (Creative Gigaworks T40 Series II, needed a good 2.0 setup) and borrowing a cheap plantronics headset until I can decide on an HD 598, PC 350 SE/360 or Beyer Dynamic 770/880/990 pair of headphones. I never really played with the EQ settings too much. I usually just go through the presets till I find something I like. Is there a guide that walks you through a more customized EQ setup?

 

[SaLX]

Good news Frozen! Yeah crystalizer is meant to 'fill in the missing bits' in low bitrate / poor quality files -  a little bit won't hurt for some things to liven them up. You'll have to Google for a guide - there is a guide here on Head-Fi somewhere but it's uber technical (of course).

 

[FrozenSteel]

Just learned that I can set all my SBX and EQ settings for gaming  and when I'm listening to music, just switch to Stereo Direct on the card and it bypasses everything (No DSP is touching the sound, music data goes straight to the DAC.) I'll try to google the guide you speak of and see if it can help me out further.  Thanks for the help

 

[kenammo]

  Just learned that I can set all my SBX and EQ settings for gaming  and when I'm listening to music, just switch to Stereo Direct on the card and it bypasses everything (No DSP is touching the sound, music data goes straight to the DAC.) I'll try to google the guide you speak of and see if it can help me out further.  Thanks for the help

Awesome!  Glad you were able to tame things down a bit with your settings. Enjoy your ZXR (I sure enjoy mine!).

 

[mononymous]

I too own the Zxr, usually I just use my Grado SR325is for everything and sound just fine. Although having the option to easily switch to my speakers is extremely useful. Considering that on my next upgrade I'll be ditching the sound card in favour for external SACs, I'll miss it.

 

[SaLX]

 

 

 

[raymond555]

just got my ZXR today.
with stock omps the sound is to harsh and distant.
nothing that a muse02 and OPA627 cant fix....

 

[wiz2596]

I want to try muses02 also in the I/V Section, are u happy with the sound raymond?

 

[wiz2596]

  just got my ZXR today.
with stock omps the sound is to harsh and distant.
nothing that a muse02 and OPA627 cant fix....

I want to try muses02 also in the I/V Section, are u happy with the sound raymond?

 

[mistersprinkles]

For future computer audio purchases, I suggest 3 things. A DAC, running via ASIO with an ASIO bridge, or directly with something like Jriver, and a program called Fidelizer Pro. The difference will blow your mind. Of course, you'll need a proper pair of speakers and headphones to notice the difference.
 
Soundcards suck. Not necessarily because they are crap, but rather because the environment they live in is crap. The inside of a computer is a horrendously electrically noisy environment. That's not good for audio. 
 
I've owned a myriad of soundcards and speakers, and two DACs- a $240 Arcam rPAC and a $550 TEAC UD-301. The difference from a soundcard to a good DAC is night and day. Even high end soundcards like Xonar STX cant touch an entry level DAC like the $150 Audioquest Dragonfly. 
 
I suggest very strongly that if you want to get into proper headphones, you should get yourself a proper DAC/AMP combo. You can do this with one unit, or you can buy seperates. Schiit is a company who's products you should look at, as they may be just right for you. Made in 'Murica with good QC and good bang for the buck. Plus they have an awesome name.
 
I suggest you move away from Creative Speakers. They have always been garbage. A good entry level computer speaker is the Klipsch Promedia 2.1. That's a spectacular system for $150 US. It's quality belies it's price. 

If you want to move up from there, there are powered speakers from PSB and KEF (for about $350 and 750 respectively) that are quite fantastic. Below that are entry level powered studio monitors. If you can get your hands on a pair of Yorkville YSM5 studio monitors, or a pair of Yamaha 5 inchers, that would be very good. 
 
Most of what is popular for computer audio is crap, because most computer users don't know what good sound is. Take the popularity of the Audioengine D1 DAC and A2/A5 speakers. Garbage. But it sells like crack. Why? People are ignorant.
 
Don't fall for the hype.