[Asim Yusaf]

Hey peeps, im looking for an internal sound card for Gaming/Music/Movies (an all rounder) to be paired with my Fidelio x2 and HD 599. I can spend up to £200 as im looking for something ill keep for the next 3-5 years. so far i have looked at these cards

Sound Blaster Z (£80)
Sound Blaster Zx (£120)
Sound Blaster ZxR (£190)
Asus Xonar Phoebus Solo (£112)
Asus Essence STX II (£172)

Which do you think will be more worth while for me to purchase? i do more gaming and watch more movies than i do listening to music.The sound quality also has to be better than my Fiio E10K

 

[banco-sg]

Would you consider another external dac/amp? If not, i would suggest Xonar Essence STX II, or probably ZxR. If you still on gaming features, (which is gimmicky to me), i would recommend Creative X7.

 

[FumblingFoo]

I believe the Z line is having some problems with working properly or working at all or dying after a few months of use, and the company doesn't seem to be doing much, if anything, to fix these quality control problems. I used to own a sound blaster z and it died on me after a couple of months too, so I'd be wary of these cards. It seems like even the Asus cards have quality control issues as well. Might be better off getting the Schiit modi 2 / magni 2 stack and using something like Razer Surround Sound software to do the 3D audio part.

 

[Asim Yusaf]

I just want good quality sounds and decent amplification for my headphones, vritual surround sound could be interesting to use in movies but apart from that i doubt i would ever use it. I am looking at the Sound blaster Z and Asus xonar phoebus solo at the moment as both could be had around £100. What are your opinions on these two cards for good music playback and sound quality in games?

 

[cossix]

If you're dead set on a card, I've heard the Xonar mentioned more than the Creative. Otherwise, if you're not going to use the gimmicky gaming features of a soundcard, you'd be much better suited with something like the Modi 2/Magni 2 stack! You can upgrade either down the road, they're not too large for keeping on a desk, and they'll provide better performance than the internal soundcard amp

 

[FumblingFoo]

If you're dead set on a card, I've heard the Xonar mentioned more than the Creative. Otherwise, if you're not going to use the gimmicky gaming features of a soundcard, you'd be much better suited with something like the Modi 2/Magni 2 stack! You can upgrade either down the road, they're not too large for keeping on a desk, and they'll provide better performance than the internal soundcard amp

+1

 

[GREQ]

Don't waste your money on an internal soundcard that will be obsolete in the future when it is no longer compatible with future motherboard hardware or the latest operating system.
Especially since you won't be using ANY of the features (gimmicks) on the soundcard, but using it exclusive for stereo headphones.

Internal soundcards are ONLY useful if you're using 5.1 speakers or more, as the positional audio for games is not done by the soundcard but the game software.
An external USB DAC/AMP will follow you to the next system and give better overall sound quality.