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My motherboard has onboard sound of Lossless 24-bit/192khz audio which looking around for a sound card looks to be really good compared to other dedicated sound cards.

Should I even get a new sound card like a Xonar STX? I have a pair of AKG q701's that need more amplification. Should I just get something like a fiio e9 ? get the e7/e9 combo? or what?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

My motherboard has onboard sound of Lossless 24-bit/192khz audio which looking around for a sound card looks to be really good compared to other dedicated sound cards.
Should I even get a new sound card like a Xonar STX? I have a pair of AKG q701's that need more amplification. Should I just get something like a fiio e9 ? get the e7/e9 combo? or what?

 
I do like my Essence STX.
The E17 is newer then the E7, so maybe go E17/E9.
Or save a few dollars and go Fiio D5 (USB/DAC) and E9.
 
 

 

[kriskalish]

Quote:

My motherboard has onboard sound of Lossless 24-bit/192khz audio which looking around for a sound card looks to be really good compared to other dedicated sound cards.

My motherboard audio claims the same thing. We probably even have the same audio chipset, the Realtek ALC892. I just got an external audio interface and I used it with Rightmark to measure my onboard sound and it was pretty unimpressive.  The noise is about 25dB higher and the frequency response rolls off pretty hard on both ends. I wouldn't worry much about the sampling rate, that seems to be mostly rubbish (who has music sampled at more than 48khz).
 
I would shy away from internal sound cards, the inside of your computer case is a pretty nasty environment. There are mechanical fans and digital circuits sharing the same power bus so there's all kinds of RF and electromagnetic junk flying around. External interfaces have another advantage, they are easy to move from computer to computer. That way if you go on vacation you can bring your interface with you and use it on your laptop.
 
With that said, PurpleAngel is steering you in the right direction with the Fiio DACs.
 
-Kris
 
 
 
 

 

[recepky]

hi friends
 
I upgraded my desktop pc and get a new gigabyte 970a ud3 rev. 1.2 mainboard, this board uses 108dB VIA Hd audio chip, rev 1.0 uses Realtek chip.
 
I was using FiiO E10 usb dac amp but yesterday I do an A/B test with VIA hd audio and FiiO e10 dac, using my stereo amplifier, bose401s and def. tech. subwoofer.
 
I can honestly say that VIA hd audio sounds good to me, mids are more detailed and forward than e10, and overall sound is more detailed than fiio e10. Only the bass region sounds lighter. 
 
Now, I am selling my Fiio E10 dac.