[wonderwall]

And I'm unemployed so nothing fancy. No USB DACs for this boy.

Right now, I have this thing, which I got on the cheap this spring. It worked fine, as well as can be expected until recently. The s/pdif out still works most of the time but the headphone port gives me nothing. Not sure what the issue is since it says it's working fine.

Right now I'm feeding the digital out to these. They have a 1/4th jack but... somehow it makes all my phones sound the same. The speakers are monitors so they have a flat sound unless you tweak the bass/treble nobs. But somehow they force that sound onto the phones. To be honest, it's not very pleasant or highly musical.

So basically what I need is an affordable sound card (or device if you will) that offers both s/pdif out as well as a headphone jack with decent output (but not the kind of excessive volume that really only gives me 10 levels of volume to choose from without killing my ears).

I should probably say right up front that I am not a hardcore audiophile. I'm pickier than the average joe for sure but I certainly have my limits. I appreciate any and all help but suggesting I buy 2 or 3 $100+ items for a decent rig won't be helping me as I'm considering changing my name to Oliver Twist.

 

[cladisch]

Quote:

The speakers are monitors so they have a flat sound unless you tweak the bass/treble nobs. But somehow they force that sound onto the phones.

A flat frequency response is considered a feature for HP amps; it's more the phones themselves that affect the sound. In other words, a new sound card probably won't help you much.

Quote:

So basically what I need is an affordable sound card … that offers both s/pdif out as well as a headphone jack with decent output

There are very few cards with a headphone jack.

The Asus Xonar Essence ST/STX and HT-Omega Claro halo are top-of-the-line cards.

The Xonar DS would fit your requirements, but its headphone output is only on the front panel connector, so you need to have a case with one.

 

[wonderwall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cladisch /img/forum/go_quote.gif A flat frequency response is considered a feature for HP amps; it's more the phones themselves that affect the sound. In other words, a new sound card probably won't help you much. There are very few cards with a headphone jack. The Asus Xonar Essence ST/STX and HT-Omega Claro halo are top-of-the-line cards. The Xonar DS would fit your requirements, but its headphone output is only on the front panel connector, so you need to have a case with one.

....almost every sound card I have ever seen, on-board and otherwise, have all had a headphone jack. Unless we have a different definition of sound card or something.

And I understand that flat freq response is supposed to be a good thing but maybe I'm not explaining this well... basically, they take away all unique attributes of the phones. Warm phones sound like the speakers, bright phones sound like the speakers, etc. It's very odd. And while it may sound like a good thing, losing depth in the sound for a very analytical presentation is not a plus in my book. I think if you heard what I was hearing, you would agree since I feel like I'm not explaining it quite well.

 

[Hookem]

Cheap...Sounds good...And you can get the sickness know as "OpAmp Rolling" Incurable I might add.

Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 -*High-End 192 kHz Reference HiFi Audio Interface for audiophiles and music enthusiasts.

Another option.

Ego Systems Juli@*- High quality 24bit 192kHz stereo Audio/MIDI interface with swappable I/O socket

 

[MikeW]

most sound cards have a front speaker out mini jack that you can use for headphones. Most sound cards do not have a dedicated amplified headphone output. Emu 0404 PCI is only 90 bucks shipped.

 

[wonderwall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeW /img/forum/go_quote.gif most sound cards have a front speaker out mini jack that you can use for headphones. Most sound cards do not have a dedicated amplified headphone output. Emu 0404 PCI is only 90 bucks shipped.

Aaah ok, thanks for the clarification. A lot of PC makers have started putting a little headphone symbol by that jack so it's a tad misleading but I see what you mean. Which site is the 0404 for that price? I see it for $99 on Amazon.

Quote:

Cheap...Sounds good...And you can get the sickness know as "OpAmp Rolling" Incurable I might add.

Not sure what that is.. enlighten me, please.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Newer soundcards allow you to swap out the opamps. Some get into this hobby and are always trying new units in their cards or devices.

 

[wonderwall]

Ooh! Don't worry, I am lazy and very low on the audiophile ladder. As much I love good sound, I hate effort and spending money more.

In that case, that Audiotrak card looks very nice for the price...

 

[leeperry]

if you go HD2, get it on ebay and buy the Advance Deluxe version...far better caps, and prolly cheaper too.

I'd say the op-amp rolling fever is very easy to cure = LT1364 is the antidote

and I'm not the only one saying it: Prodigy 7.1 / LT / HiFi / HD2 Fan Club

 

[ROBSCIX]

There is no one perfect opamp for everybody. I tested the LT1364 and found it not quite ordinary, boring. There are much better opamps out there.
However, if it works good with your gear, more power to you.
Did you even read that thread you linked to?