HD598+xonarDG/RXV463?

[ofcmetehbset]

Hi,
 
I'm purchasing a Sennheiser HD598 soon to use on my computer.
But I'm unsure if I'll also be getting the Asus Xonar DG soundcard, namely because I own a Yamaha RX-V463 AV Receiver.
From some research I've found that the receiver has a Burr-Brown PCM-1680 DAC, is this a better DAC compared to the DAC in Xonar DG (Cirrus Logic CS4245)?
I want the best audio quality (I'll only use the HD598 for audio, so I don't use the 7.1 surround speakers ports etc.), will I get better sound quality on the Xonar DG (using the 3.5mm jack) or the Yamaha receiver (using hdmi or spdif)? Or are they equal? Because if they indeed are equal, I will purchase the soundcard.
 
If Yamaha is superior, is it better to connect the receiver and the computer with a optical spdif toslink cable (optical-out port on Asus P8P67 motherboard) or with HDMI cable (hdmi port on gpu: HD6870) or purchase the Xonar DG and use its optical out?
 
*I'm not planning to purchase an external amp with the Xonar DG, so just Xonar DG vs Yamaha RX-V463.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Edit: If you have no experience with the receiver, how do you find the audio quality between soundcards and receivers in general?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I'm purchasing a Sennheiser HD598 soon to use on my computer.
But I'm unsure if I'll also be getting the Asus Xonar DG soundcard, namely because I own a Yamaha RX-V463 AV Receiver.
From some research I've found that the receiver has a Burr-Brown PCM-1680 DAC, is this a better DAC compared to the DAC in Xonar DG (Cirrus Logic CS4245)?
I want the best audio quality (I'll only use the HD598 for audio, so I don't use the 7.1 surround speakers ports etc.), will I get better sound quality on the Xonar DG (using the 3.5mm jack) or the Yamaha receiver (using hdmi or spdif)? Or are they equal? Because if they indeed are equal, I will purchase the sound card.
If Yamaha is superior, is it better to connect the receiver and the computer with a optical spdif toslink cable (optical-out port on Asus P8P67 motherboard) or with HDMI cable (hdmi port on gpu: HD6870) or purchase the Xonar DG and use its optical out?
I'm not planning to purchase an external amp with the Xonar DG, so just Xonar DG vs Yamaha RX-V463.
Edit: If you have no experience with the receiver, how do you find the audio quality between sound cards and receivers in general?

I just plugged my HD558s into my Yamaha RX-V671, sounds nice.
HDMI can carry 8-channels (7.1) of PCM (uncompressed) digital audio 24-bit/192KHz.
Optical can pass 2-channels of PCM (uncompressed) audio or 6-channels of compressed digital audio.
I would say just spend the $22.95 for the Xonar DG and compare it to the receiver.

 

[ofcmetehbset]

Quote:

I just plugged my HD558s into my Yamaha RX-V671, sounds nice.
HDMI can carry 8-channels (7.1) of PCM (uncompressed) digital audio 24-bit/192KHz.
Optical can pass 2-channels of PCM (uncompressed) audio or 6-channels of compressed digital audio.
I would say just spend the $22.95 for the Xonar DG and compare it to the receiver.

Thanks for the input.
I have some old headphones connected to the front 6.5mm jack of my receiver atm. The sound quality is so-so, but these headphones aren't high quality either.
 
The receiver doesn't seem to have a lot of options when plugged in with headphones

. The program buttons don't change the effects etc. All I can do is Direct or Straight(ability to adjust treble and bass). Is this the way it is or am I doing something wrong?
 
My computer seems to always be sending PCM audio to the receiver (gaming,music,movies etc.). If I understand correctly, the flow is as follows:
Computer->HDMI cable(PCM audio, 2ch when playing music,8ch when playing games etc)->receiver(here 2+channels audio data are downmixed to the headphone jack with silentcinema technology and 2ch audio is untouched)?
 
If so, is Silent Cinema just as good as for instance Dolby and DTS? And also, will I ever be able to receive Dolby/DTS on my headphones? Or is that simply unnecessary as Silent Cinema does the same job?
 
Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Thanks for the input.
I have some old headphones connected to the front 6.5mm jack of my receiver atm. The sound quality is so-so, but these headphones aren't high quality either.
The receiver doesn't seem to have a lot of options when plugged in with headphones

. The program buttons don't change the effects etc. All I can do is Direct or Straight(ability to adjust treble and bass). Is this the way it is or am I doing something wrong?
My computer seems to always be sending PCM audio to the receiver (gaming,music,movies etc.). If I understand correctly, the flow is as follows:
Computer->HDMI cable(PCM audio, 2ch when playing music,8ch when playing games etc)->receiver(here 2+channels audio data are downmixed to the headphone jack with silentcinema technology and 2ch audio is untouched)?
If so, is Silent Cinema just as good as for instance Dolby and DTS? And also, will I ever be able to receive Dolby/DTS on my headphones? Or is that simply unnecessary as Silent Cinema does the same job?

I believe Silent Cinema is the only Headphone surround sound tech. in the Yamaha receiver.
The Yamaha will still use Dolby & DTS for speaker audio.

 

[ofcmetehbset]

I just purchased the HD598 and Xonar DG and compared the soundcard with the Yamaha receiver.
In case someone is interested, I find that with some songs the Yamaha puts out a kind of bass that's not pleasing to my ears,
it's like when my neighbour starts his Ferrari engine; that kind of sound.
 
Having listened to some songs; not even the bass heavy ones, more of those vocal pop songs, the annoying bass overlapped the vocals by a large amount!
But the receiver did give me the impression of a larger soundstage with richer sound overall. Not sure if placebo, the bass sure isn't.
Hopefully burn-in will fix this...
 
I'm still hesitating which to use. Anyway, can someone recommend me his settings for music and gaming on the Xonar DG card (and windows sound settings).
Google did deliver some results, but I'm just asking anyway.
 
*Okay, I've tried comparing them again, the receiver sounds way too ugly. It's like the vocal/highs get reduced in volume while the bass increases. If anyone is also hesitating whether to buy a Xonar DG card or use a Yamaha RX-V463 receiver for the HD598, I strongly suggest the soundcard.
 
Thanks PurpleAngel for your help! Bye.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I just purchased the HD598 and Xonar DG and compared the sound card with the Yamaha receiver.
In case someone is interested, I find that with some songs the Yamaha puts out a kind of bass that's not pleasing to my ears,
it's like when my neighbour starts his Ferrari engine; that kind of sound.
 
Having listened to some songs; not even the bass heavy ones, more of those vocal pop songs, the annoying bass overlapped the vocals by a large amount!
But the receiver did give me the impression of a larger sound stage with richer sound overall. Not sure if placebo, the bass sure isn't.
Hopefully burn-in will fix this...
 
I'm still hesitating which to use. Anyway, can someone recommend me his settings for music and gaming on the Xonar DG card (and windows sound settings).
Google did deliver some results, but I'm just asking anyway.
 
*Okay, I've tried comparing them again, the receiver sounds way too ugly. It's like the vocal/highs get reduced in volume while the bass increases. If anyone is also hesitating whether to buy a Xonar DG card or use a Yamaha RX-V463 receiver for the HD598, I strongly suggest the sound card.
 
Thanks PurpleAngel for your help! Bye.

I usually leave sample rate at 24-bit/96KHz.
I'm guessing the Yamaha's headphone jack has a high impedance, which is causing the bass problem.