[RedJokr]

I'm thinking about getting a new sound card because this X-Fi titanium HD cant have both my speakers(Klipsch 2.1 promedia) and headphones(HD598) plugged in at the same time without needing 2 splitters and manually unplugging/replugging one of them for the other to work.
 
I mainly used the sound card for competitive gaming and videos. What would be a equal or better comparison?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I'm thinking about getting a new sound card because this X-Fi titanium HD cant have both my speakers(Klipsch 2.1 promedia) and headphones(HD598) plugged in at the same time without needing 2 splitters and manually unplugging/replugging one of them for the other to work.
 
I mainly used the sound card for competitive gaming and videos. What would be a equal or better comparison?

Sound Blaster Zx sound card.
Wait until it goes on sale.

 

[kinubic]

Quote:

Sound Blaster Zx sound card.
Wait until it goes on sale.

 
or wait for the zxr's around march . ohm amps swappable

 

[genclaymore]

If you can't wait then the Z model would work for you, Since the Zx suppose to be the Z model with that added external headphone box thing. But I doubt the op would wanna play 100 more after exchanging his X-Fi HD for the ZXR model.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Auzentech X-Fi Forte, if you can find one used.
 
Dedicated headphone-out, and switchable between speakers and headphones at the driver level.

 

[RedJokr]

Any other great sound cards that would work in my situation?

 

[Anarion]

Quote:

Auzentech X-Fi Forte, if you can find one used.
 
Dedicated headphone-out, and switchable between speakers and headphones at the driver level.

IMO, Forte's headphone amp is unusable with HD 595 and HD 598. Tested with both, it's just too loud without some kind of external volume controller. Also it doesn't work like that, they both output sound at the same time. There's no switch. Auto mute thingy only works for front panel connector and I wouldn't use it, much more likely to get inerference. Zx has handy switch in driver though.

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

The Xonar STX, I love mine.

 

[cel4145]

Get an external USB DAC to run your speakers off of. Then you can switch back and forth between it and the Creative card in the control panel. No plugging and unplugging.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

IMO, Forte's headphone amp is unusable with HD 595 and HD 598. Tested with both, it's just too loud without some kind of external volume controller. Also it doesn't work like that, they both output sound at the same time. There's no switch. Auto mute thingy only works for front panel connector and I wouldn't use it, much more likely to get inerference. Zx has handy switch in driver though.

 
Never had any Sennheisers to test, just an AD700 (which can be driven by anything) and my Stax Lambda setup (which needs external amplification anyway, like all electrostatics). If nothing else, it was LOUD, to the point where the usable volume range was more like 5% (anything less is mute) to 7% without having my ears blown out. (Volume isn't necessarily an indicator of amplification quality, though, and I just didn't have the right headphones to test for that.)
 
I distinctly recall the X-Fi Forte having a checkbox to either let both speaker front left/right out of the breakout dongle and the dedicated headphone-out both play at the same time, or mute the speaker line-out if the headphone-out has something plugged into it. Maybe I should've tested it a bit more at the time.
 
Unfortunately, as you say, front-panel audio jacks are generally useless because they have ground loop issues in most computer cases, among other things...

 

[Anarion]

Quote:

 
Never had any Sennheisers to test, just an AD700 (which can be driven by anything) and my Stax Lambda setup (which needs external amplification anyway, like all electrostatics). If nothing else, it was LOUD, to the point where the usable volume range was more like 5% (anything less is mute) to 7% without having my ears blown out. (Volume isn't necessarily an indicator of amplification quality, though, and I just didn't have the right headphones to test for that.)
 
I distinctly recall the X-Fi Forte having a checkbox to either let both speaker front left/right out of the breakout dongle and the dedicated headphone-out both play at the same time, or mute the speaker line-out if the headphone-out has something plugged into it. Maybe I should've tested it a bit more at the time.
 
Unfortunately, as you say, front-panel audio jacks are generally useless because they have ground loop issues in most computer cases, among other things...

Yeah, it has that limitation. By the way, even the line-out on Zx is louder than headphone out in Forte so the ACM really is necessary. Those with plain Z are in difficult situation though.

 

[RedJokr]

idk much about DAC's. If its USB that means the speakers wouldnt be using the soundcard at all right? would a amp work too?

 

[cel4145]

idk much about DAC's. If its USB that means the speakers wouldnt be using the soundcard at all right? would a amp work too?

Right. And you can run that output from the DAC either to a headphone amp, a speaker amp, or powered speakers.