[Antilochos]

Hi,
 
I'm thinking of getting a sound card, but not sure if it really matters for my setup/use.
 
I have a on board soundcard (ASRock Z68 Pro3 board) with FiiO E10 dac/amp for my Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro (80ohm) and Philips Fidelio S2.
I use it to listen music and play games.
 
Thanks already for the reply.

 

[cel4145]

Since you already have the E10, what are you trying to improve over it and the on board sound? Also, what is your budget?

 

[Antilochos]

Like I said, I'm not sure if it will have any improving effect, but was thinking of improvement sound by music as well as more "surround" effect by games.
 
Must say, the sound off my Beyerdynamic with the E10 is lovely. But I thought it was good before I had the E10, so maybe I'm missing out on something even more. Although I'm a bit sceptic (therefor my question in this forum).
 
My budget is about € 150,-.

 

[cel4145]

For surround effects for games, definitely a sound card is the way to go. Look into models by Creative and Asus in your budget range (sorry, I'm not sure what's available at UK pricing).

Might not give you much (if any) improvement for SQ, though.

 

[Antilochos]

Thanks Cel4145.
One last quetion, or two actualy; is the improvement in games worth it (how much difference will be noticable using headphone, not 5:1 speakerset) and do I connect my FiiO E10 on the sound card?

 

[cel4145]

Thanks Cel4145.
One last quetion, or two actualy; is the improvement in games worth it (how much difference will be noticable using headphone, not 5:1 speakerset)

Only you can answer that. A lot of people think so.

do I connect my FiiO E10 on the sound card?

Your E10 will not be able to connect to the sound card. If you get a sound card with a decent DAC and headphone amp, you shouldn't need it any more. Sell it to a friend

 

[Antilochos]

Not sure yet. Will keep hanging with my beloved Fiio for a while.

 

[Xida]

Should I go for a DAC over a sound card? 

 

[Antilochos]

  Should I go for a DAC over a sound card? 

If you choose between those two, I would (and I did, obviously) go for a DAC. That not knowing what you want to do with it, or what your budget is.
 
Speaking for myself; I mainly listen music with headphone. Therefor choose a DAC/AMP via usb and this realy did a lot.
To my opinion, you should always get more in that section for the same money compared to cards.
 
But that's me.

 

[TimPrice]

IMO the surround effects are just crap, I mean, the HD800's soundstage can't be simulated by software.
I would definitely first upgrade your headphones to whatever you might like better than your current ones.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Nicer headphones and a nicer audiophile DAC won't do anything about games treating headphones as one-dimensional left/right panning devices with no depth whatsoever, and if my MMX 300 is any indication, that DT770 will benefit pretty nicely from a headphone virtual surround mix, even though something like an HD800 could benefit even more.
 
The question is whether the OP games enough to want the added immersion and competitive edge that virtual surround can bring.

 

[Antilochos]

Well, bought a soundcard to end the ever lasting questioning with myself. Choose the Asus Xonar DGX, because it offers quite some futures and still is cheap enough for trying.
 
It's better then the onboard Realtec, but no match for the FiiO.
The sound is good and the card offers surround in games, but it all feels phony compared to the great sounding FiiO.

 

[cel4145]

Well, bought a soundcard to end the ever lasting questioning with myself. Choose the Asus Xonar DGX, because it offers quite some futures and still is cheap enough for trying.

It's better then the onboard Realtec, but no match for the FiiO.
The sound is good and the card offers surround in games, but it all feels phony compared to the great sounding FiiO.

So sell your E10 and upgrade to the E17, which has an optical input. Then you can get Dolby headphone out of the DGX, but the better DAC/headphone amp of the E17. Best of both worlds

 

[Antilochos]

Thanks Cel4145, that's a tip worth concidering.

 

[eclap]

I am selling my Sound Blaster Z because I just got my Aune T1 and I simply don't need the SB Z anymore. the Aune T1 sounds better for music and in most games I don't need virtual surround, only ever used to use it in shooters (BF3/4). I will use razer surround for surround in those games from now on. it's just as good, if not better than Creative's Virtual Surround and better than Asus' Dolby Headphone.