[weirdek]

I've recently purchased the RP-HTF600's after reading reviews and recommendations for the best budget headphones. So far I really really like them (HUUGE improvement over my Creative Labs gaming headsets i used to have) and I'm in no way an audiophile. I'm just an average user and I was looking for good sounding headphones with a decent ammount of bass and for this price I think I bought the clear winner. 
Well basically, I need a suggestion on which sound card/amp should I get. I do have a budget, and considering the availability of them in my country I'm basically left with Asus Xonar DG. From the reviews it's a pretty nice sound card, definitely an improvement from the onboard realtek and since I do play some games I think that the Xonar DG will be more than enough. There's just one question that bothers me, since I've been researching I've stumbled upon the Xonar unified drivers which seem to be updated regularly. Im curious if the sound is better with that drivers (from what I've heard it's crisper and smoother) and what media player do you prefer? I've just started using the new AIMP3 (was using Foobar before) and it has built-in wasapi so I can automatically choose my Xonar DG. My music is all encoded in LAME 320kbps CBR.
 
So to sum it up: What's the advantage of the Unified drivers for the Xonar DG, and is AIMP3 a good media player? (seems good so far)
 
Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I've recently purchased the RP-HTF600's after reading reviews and recommendations for the best budget headphones. So far I really really like them (HUUGE improvement over my Creative Labs gaming headsets i used to have) and I'm in no way an audiophile. I'm just an average user and I was looking for good sounding headphones with a decent ammount of bass and for this price I think I bought the clear winner. 
Well basically, I need a suggestion on which sound card/amp should I get. I do have a budget, and considering the availability of them in my country I'm basically left with Asus Xonar DG. From the reviews it's a pretty nice sound card, definitely an improvement from the onboard realtek and since I do play some games I think that the Xonar DG will be more than enough. There's just one question that bothers me, since I've been researching I've stumbled upon the Xonar unified drivers which seem to be updated regularly. Im curious if the sound is better with that drivers (from what I've heard it's crisper and smoother) and what media player do you prefer? I've just started using the new AIMP3 (was using Foobar before) and it has built-in wasapi so I can automatically choose my Xonar DG. My music is all encoded in LAME 320kbps CBR.
So to sum it up: What's the advantage of the Unified drivers for the Xonar DG, and is AIMP3 a good media player? (seems good so far)
Thanks.

I can not really tell much of a difference between Asus & Unified drivers, but I usually install the Unified drivers when I install Asus sound cards anyway.
Asus Xonar DG is a great low cost sound card,
and with the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S, it's not really worth it to spend more for a sound card anyway.
 
 
 

 

[weirdek]

I was wondering how close are these to the Creative Aurvana Live's? I've heard that the CALs are really good for it's price, but in my country the CALs and the Panasonics are almost the same price (5$ difference) so I can return these Panasonics and pay another 5$ for the CAL's. I hear that they really shine when slightly amped which i was hoping to do with my Xonar DG

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

CALs should be more neutral while HTF600 is more engaging and fun (you'll just want to tap your foot to the music etc but it's not a detail monster, far from it). Depends what you're looking for.

 

[weirdek]

I'm looking for a more detailed sound between the two, and both have good bass. Also I really like that the CALs are more portable so I can use them with my MP3 player. I will be gaming but nothing competitive so the sound stage should be good on both from what I've read. Basically I think the CALs have more edge and detail but still remain warm and fun to listen to. Didn't have the opportunity to compare them head-on but from other reviewers the CALs are really close to M50's but don't have as much detail in their sound but have a deeper bass and a warmer sound signature. Since I've heard the M50's at my friends place I think the CALs would be more for me.