[kpxgq]

i just bought my sennheiser hd495 primarily for use with my computer... now right now i am using the onboard audio card but i want to upgrade.... any suggestions... one thing that i wonder about is that it is reccomended for my headphones to have an amplifier.... are there any pc sound cards that have a pre-amp out for the headphone or do i just need to buy a seperate headphone amp??? what sound cards do u guys use??? i dont want to pay $150 for a sound blaster platinum when im not even gonna be using the 5.1 speaker connectors (i have no speakers)

 

[Snufkin]

I can highly recommend the Turtle Beach SantaCruz.

One of the best features is the Versajack connection, I can have speakers plugged in as well as headphones, and with a simple setting in the soundcards control panel I can switch from speakers to headphones without shuffling cables.

That and the quality of the output is very nice - clean and clear.

 

[jodokast]

might want to check out stereo-link 1200 or audophile 2496 as well.

 

[andrzejpw]

Fortissimo II

 

[jodokast]

that's the card I got in my system right now.

Hehe. Usually the general consenus is that any sound card /w the Senasura chip (i probably spelled that wrong) would be good for you.

All those would be a good bet if you want to spend some moola. But if you do want to upgrade to some "higher-end" headphones - I think you might also want to consider a few high end sound cards as well.

Note: I don't mean the GTXP nor the Audigy

 

[dhwilkin]

Audiophile 2496, seconded.

 

[Audio-Me]

Terratec DMX XFire 1024 (Sensaura processor = game support)
Two headphone outs with built in 60mW amp.

 

[Snufkin]

Hahah, anyone else want to suggest another card not so far listed, just for added confusion?

Perhaps the Philips Acoustic Edge?

 

[CalvinQ]

An amp can make a big differance in sound quality, but better to focus on the basic output quality first. Onboard AC97 audio seriously bites, so a decent sound card should be your first move. And preferably install it in a slot where it won't have to share an IRQ. Then go from there. If you're on a budget the Rythmic Edge is a good choice.

Computer - Dell, 1.4 Athlon@1.5
Sound card - Philips Acoustic Edge (5.1 sound support)
Phones - Sennheiser HD590
Phone Amp - Audio Design PM100 Preamp

 

[Gluegun]

Well, what is most important to you?

Headphone computer gaming?

Pure music quality?

I personally would have gone with the Philips HP890's and the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz for headphone computer gaming, headphone dvd watching, and headphone music listening on a PC.

 

[jodokast]

but if you're more concerned /w music quality you might want to shell out for the stereo-link 1200. Course please remember you won't have any nifty EAX effects in your games no more if you do buy this thing.

Heh.......good luck man.

 

[kpxgq]

i dont really want to shell out $100+ for really high end audiophile sound card (i mean i do have just a 495 not an orpheous or anything)... EAX would be cool... so yeah i think i will check out the santa cruz, or acoustic edge.. how much is the audiophile 2???

do u guys reccomend me to get a heaphone amp as well?

o yeah , bte, you guys that dont use headphone amps, how do u control the volume? do u just use the built in windows software volume control?

 

[Snufkin]

I use my X-Cans off my soundcard and it's perfect - no noise or hiss at all to speak of.

Most of my headphones are 250ohm though, so I need the amp for best results.

I can run my Beyer 250-80s straight off the soundcard, but I like the sound from the amplifier more.

 

[Audio-Me]

* most bang for buck* The Terratec XFire is under $100 if you can find it (card is hard to come by).

The Midiman M-Audio Audiophile 2496 is $230. Recommend the DiO 2448 instead ($150). (these cards are strictly for music only)

Philips Acoustic Edge is decent, widely available, and is $100 (has all kinds of features you might like).

 

[dlow]

I second the Santa Cruz. It's just shy of $100, supports Sensura, A3D, EAX, etc.... Also has SPDIF in (for CD-ROM) and SPDIF out (via versa jack). Apparaently also has good output quality as far as sound cards go.