itsme9003
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Posts
- 13
- Likes
- 10
Hey everyone. As you can see, this will be my first post (of hopefully many) on Head-Fi. I am a relative newbie to high-end audio, but I know this is a passion I want to pursue for the rest of my life. That being said, I would like to present my first big issue dealing with audio, specifically dealing with my PC audio setup.
So right now, I listen to most of my entertainment on my home computer. In order of priority, I use it for FPS gaming (60%), movies (30%), and music (10%). My computer is very high end, but the one part I skimped out on was a good sound card (I currently use the Realtek onboard sound from my GIGABYTE x58a-ud3r motherboard). However, this was before I discovered my passion for high-quality audio and Head-Fi, and after doing much research, I have decided to upgrade the audio setup for my PC.
With a fairly generous budget, the first step was deciding to get my very first pair of quality headphones (!). Being a gamer primarily, I took the advice of many on this website and am currently in the process of purchasing some Audio Technica ATH-AD700 phones. I figured this would be a great starter set of cans, especially for my gaming and movie-watching. However, after doing more research, I have come to the decision to also update my source (most likely a new soundcard), in order to get the 5.1 surround effect with my headphones that I currently get with my 5.1 speakers. Like I said, I play mostly FPS games where a good 3D virtualization would be nice, not to mention that I love to get immersed in surround sound for movies.
Anyways, this is where I run into a problem. You see, there are certain things I'm looking for in a new sound card (or new setup) that I'm having trouble finding in just one nice package. Coincidentally, probably the main thing I'm looking for has to do with my current speakers. Right now, I'm using a set of Logitech x-540 5.1 speakers off my onboard Realtek card. Now, before you all shake your heads and tell me that using this set of speakers is my first mistake...I know. I realize that based on the pure specs of this set, there are much better 5.1 and 2.1 speakers that provide much better sound. And eventually, yes, I will upgrade my speakers. However, right now I plan on keeping them (as I just got them), and I'm looking to spend my money on upgrading other parts of my system. With that said, back to the issue: the x-540s connect to my current onboard card using those 3 analog plugs (lime, orange, and black, for front, center/sub, and rear respectively). Thus, I would need a soundcard that provides these "surround" outputs. This immediately eliminates the Xonar Essence STX from contention, a highly-praised card that I had initially looked into until I found out that it only has those analog RCA outputs for stereo sound configurations (darn). Some people mentioned the alternative of buying a Xonar Essence ST (not STX) with the H6 extension card, but this is 1) more money than I would like to spend, 2) probably taking up too much room in my case, and 3) there are probably simpler alternatives.
So, after reading some more threads, I discovered the Auzentech line of cards (Forte, Brevura, Prelude), and I realized some more things that I wanted in a card. One was this CMSS-3D technology, which creates a 5.1 surround virtualization for headphones, much like the Dolby Headphones technology. This would be great for my gaming as well as for movie watching when wearing my headphones. The Auzentech cards also feature X-Fi and EAX technology, which I think would be useful. Finally, like the Xonar Essence STX, it has a dedicated headphone amp. Whoo! I hit the jackpot right? Well, there are a couple problems. For one, the Forte seems to have received very negative reviews, especially regarding a hissing/popping/buzzing noise emitted from the card. Secondly, it seems to be out of stock everywhere. Now, I like to think that it's out of stock because they're doing some upgrading to fix the buzzing problem, but one can never be sure. In that case, I don't know how long I would have to wait for the next version. And for all I know, it could have been discontinued completely! It seems that Auzentech is very behind on its drivers, which leads me to believe that it is a failing company...
So, in a very long explanation, you can see my situation. I need some expert recommendations on how I can satisfactorily upgrade my audio setup. As you can see, in terms of a card, I strongly desire: 1) the ability to hook up my x-540s with the 3 "surround" plugs, 2) a dedicated headphone amp outlet, 3) CMSS-3D technology, 4) just better overall sound coming from my PC, from both my headphones AND speakers (I guess this rules out Mixamp). Of course, my options aren't just limited to buying a new sound card. If there is some kind of DAC/amp setup that meets these conditions, please let me know! It's just that I am looking for a simple upgrade, and one that won't kill my wallet.
So yea, there you have it guys. Sorry if I made this much longer than it needs to be, I just wanted to be as clear as possible for my first post. Anyways, I hope to receive some great solutions; I'm sure there are at least a few of you out there that have run across similar problems. For now, I'm just happy to be a contributing member of Head-Fi!
-J
So right now, I listen to most of my entertainment on my home computer. In order of priority, I use it for FPS gaming (60%), movies (30%), and music (10%). My computer is very high end, but the one part I skimped out on was a good sound card (I currently use the Realtek onboard sound from my GIGABYTE x58a-ud3r motherboard). However, this was before I discovered my passion for high-quality audio and Head-Fi, and after doing much research, I have decided to upgrade the audio setup for my PC.
With a fairly generous budget, the first step was deciding to get my very first pair of quality headphones (!). Being a gamer primarily, I took the advice of many on this website and am currently in the process of purchasing some Audio Technica ATH-AD700 phones. I figured this would be a great starter set of cans, especially for my gaming and movie-watching. However, after doing more research, I have come to the decision to also update my source (most likely a new soundcard), in order to get the 5.1 surround effect with my headphones that I currently get with my 5.1 speakers. Like I said, I play mostly FPS games where a good 3D virtualization would be nice, not to mention that I love to get immersed in surround sound for movies.
Anyways, this is where I run into a problem. You see, there are certain things I'm looking for in a new sound card (or new setup) that I'm having trouble finding in just one nice package. Coincidentally, probably the main thing I'm looking for has to do with my current speakers. Right now, I'm using a set of Logitech x-540 5.1 speakers off my onboard Realtek card. Now, before you all shake your heads and tell me that using this set of speakers is my first mistake...I know. I realize that based on the pure specs of this set, there are much better 5.1 and 2.1 speakers that provide much better sound. And eventually, yes, I will upgrade my speakers. However, right now I plan on keeping them (as I just got them), and I'm looking to spend my money on upgrading other parts of my system. With that said, back to the issue: the x-540s connect to my current onboard card using those 3 analog plugs (lime, orange, and black, for front, center/sub, and rear respectively). Thus, I would need a soundcard that provides these "surround" outputs. This immediately eliminates the Xonar Essence STX from contention, a highly-praised card that I had initially looked into until I found out that it only has those analog RCA outputs for stereo sound configurations (darn). Some people mentioned the alternative of buying a Xonar Essence ST (not STX) with the H6 extension card, but this is 1) more money than I would like to spend, 2) probably taking up too much room in my case, and 3) there are probably simpler alternatives.
So, after reading some more threads, I discovered the Auzentech line of cards (Forte, Brevura, Prelude), and I realized some more things that I wanted in a card. One was this CMSS-3D technology, which creates a 5.1 surround virtualization for headphones, much like the Dolby Headphones technology. This would be great for my gaming as well as for movie watching when wearing my headphones. The Auzentech cards also feature X-Fi and EAX technology, which I think would be useful. Finally, like the Xonar Essence STX, it has a dedicated headphone amp. Whoo! I hit the jackpot right? Well, there are a couple problems. For one, the Forte seems to have received very negative reviews, especially regarding a hissing/popping/buzzing noise emitted from the card. Secondly, it seems to be out of stock everywhere. Now, I like to think that it's out of stock because they're doing some upgrading to fix the buzzing problem, but one can never be sure. In that case, I don't know how long I would have to wait for the next version. And for all I know, it could have been discontinued completely! It seems that Auzentech is very behind on its drivers, which leads me to believe that it is a failing company...
So, in a very long explanation, you can see my situation. I need some expert recommendations on how I can satisfactorily upgrade my audio setup. As you can see, in terms of a card, I strongly desire: 1) the ability to hook up my x-540s with the 3 "surround" plugs, 2) a dedicated headphone amp outlet, 3) CMSS-3D technology, 4) just better overall sound coming from my PC, from both my headphones AND speakers (I guess this rules out Mixamp). Of course, my options aren't just limited to buying a new sound card. If there is some kind of DAC/amp setup that meets these conditions, please let me know! It's just that I am looking for a simple upgrade, and one that won't kill my wallet.
So yea, there you have it guys. Sorry if I made this much longer than it needs to be, I just wanted to be as clear as possible for my first post. Anyways, I hope to receive some great solutions; I'm sure there are at least a few of you out there that have run across similar problems. For now, I'm just happy to be a contributing member of Head-Fi!
-J
