[Soymilk]

what's the current consensus on sound cards for fps gaming? my old x-fi elite pro just kicked the bucket a couple weeks ago (some visibly busted caps, tried replacing them but didnt work ) and i'm looking for a replacement. through some quick searching i've been seeing some stuff about the titanium hd, but that seems to not be in production anymore?

 

[genclaymore]

The Titanium HD is not in production any more and because of that, it took a price hike and hard to find. So you might be paying alot just to get it. The other options you have is the Sound blaster Z or a used Sound blaster ZXR that i have seen go for 150-180 on ebay.

 

[JamesBr]

  The Titanium HD is not in production any more and because of that, it took a price hike and hard to find. So you might be paying alot just to get it. The other options you have is the Sound blaster Z or a used Sound blaster ZXR that i have seen go for 150-180 on ebay.

It really sux for the Titanium HD, for me it was a deal breaker at that price. the ZXR is a good alternative and the price is reasonable!

 

[Luckbad]

  It really sux for the Titanium HD, for me it was a deal breaker at that price. the ZXR is a good alternative and the price is reasonable!

 
I have both cards, and the ZxR performs as well as the Titanium HD. I might consider selling the Titanium HD if someone has a good offer, otherwise I'm just giving to a buddy of mine.

 

[Soymilk]

is there a fundamental difference between the z and zxr, or is it more of an incremental upgrade? for the price, the z is looking pretty good to me at its price, zxr is a bit steep. might just live off onboard sound for now until black friday rolls around and hope they go on sale

 

[genclaymore]

THe ZXR has op-amp sockets and a TPA6120A2 headphone amp which is stronger then the one that is on the Z, while the sound blaster z doesn't and just have the maximum hp amp chip which isn't adjustable.

 

[Luckbad]

  is there a fundamental difference between the z and zxr, or is it more of an incremental upgrade? for the price, the z is looking pretty good to me at its price, zxr is a bit steep. might just live off onboard sound for now until black friday rolls around and hope they go on sale

 
There are big enough differences that, if you're a gamer/audiophile, you'll want to wait for the ZxR to go on sale. I got mine for $170 on sale a while ago. If you mostly care about gaming, the Z will do fine, but music is going to sound better on the ZxR.

 

[genclaymore]

Usually ebay some times have deals on used ZXRs if your lucky and if you trust ebay, Some times amazon.

 

[Soymilk]

thanks for the feedback guys, i'll try and wait to see if there's a good enough sale that i can justify expanding my budget

 

[alv4426]

If you are willing to go used ill sell you mine.

 

[jincuteguy]

If you have more money, get the X7, it's way better than the ZxR, even though most ppl will tell you ZxR is just as good as X7.  
I listened to both in my PC, and the X7 is the clear winner.
 
Buy the ZxR if you are on a budget.
 
And buy the Z if you just want to have sound.

 

[paulguru]

Excuse me can i change the gain value of my ZXR changing the op-amp ?
my zxr gain is too strong for my HD598, how can i fix it ?

 

[Luckbad]

  Excuse me can i change the gain value of my ZXR changing the op-amp ?
my zxr gain is too strong for my HD598, how can i fix it ?

 
Um... it shouldn't be. Turn your volume down on the computer and/or the volume control unit and make sure you have it set to Normal Gain. I have a 598 and it works great. I also have 16 Ohm headphones that are fine on it as well.
 

 

[Luckbad]

  If you have more money, get the X7, it's way better than the ZxR, even though most ppl will tell you ZxR is just as good as X7.  
I listened to both in my PC, and the X7 is the clear winner.
 
Buy the ZxR if you are on a budget.
 
And buy the Z if you just want to have sound.

 
I tried an X7 as well and it's better than the ZxR for music IF your computer creates noise or interferes with the ZxR in any way. I decided to get the ZxR for gaming and I have better amps for music than the X7.

 

[kenammo]

I finally got around to updating the ZXR driver that was released back in December 2014 (SBZxR_CD_L13_1_00_28). I was surprised to see the increase to 24/192 as an available configuration for 2.0 stereo sound:
 

 
I also finally bought the Senn HD650s I've been lusting over. IMO, these cans are a perfect match for the ZXR. I was planning to get the X7 sometime this year, but I think I'll wait, as my current setup is quite awesome!