Pls help: soundcard + amp + headphones - noob asking

[pockerface90]

Hey, this is a great forum and I leaned already quite a lot.

before joining here, i did not even know there is something like a dedicated headphones AMP.

And it took a while until i figured it out, that DAC means digital analog converter

I listen to everything, from hip hop to rock and sometimes even classical and jazz. Source is either losless or high quality mp3s.

I have a audigy 2 zs platinum pro. I went for the pro , because it should be the best out there , and i read how the sensible electronics were brought in the external box.
NOW i am reading about the internal resamplings and know i threw my $ out of the window, because for music the audigy is a bad decision anyways.....

Now, if you are playing a dts source , and the dts logo appears on the screen, is the soundcard resampling too ?

How about dvd-audio and how about files with 48kHz?

I ordered the Senn 595 , and now i will need a second music soundcard , right ?
I read about the e-mu 1212 and 0404. So this are NOT doing any resampling and have hq DACs ? Is the price difference worth it , and can i hear it with a Senn 595 ?
Do they have 7.1 analog output so i can connect my creative gigaworks 7.1 to them ? How about EAX-hd ? I also play games, so i need that, too. Cant i just sell the platinum pro and buy another one, which has it all, music + games?

(probably not...)
Any other good music soundcards out there ?

Alright, now for the headphones, you will probably say i will need a phone amp, right? Is an AMP necessary to make the 595 sound good? (I also notice i have not enough volume with my current , low end (?) phillips sbc hp 090 headphones, even at max volume). Can you recomend a good amp, maybe something i can find in Germany ? (i can buy the rega ear, but at 200€ it's a bit pricy, but i WILL buy it , if you say it brings the very best out of my system).

thanks for reading this , sorry for bugging you with all this questions, maybe somebody can help me with some info

greets
pockerface

 

[Asmo]

Quick reply for you...

the E-MU cards only do 2 channel, no 7.1 or 5.1 or anything.

No EAX-HD support, but they play games fine, you may want to keep the audigy for the pc speakers. You could sell the platinum pro, and buy a regular OEM audigy 2/zs.

Yes, you need a headphone amplifier, the rega ear is a great amp, and matches sennheisers pretty good, also look at headsave amps and do a lil research in the amp forums here.

Also remember, the E-MU cards only have 1/4" analog mono inputs/outputs, so you will need to have the right type of connectors, for how you choose to set it up. They also have digital in/outs too, but you will be using the analog outputs.

 

[pockerface90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asmo Quick reply for you... the E-MU cards only do 2 channel, no 7.1 or 5.1 or anything. No EAX-HD support, but they play games fine, you may want to keep the audigy for the pc speakers. You could sell the platinum pro, and buy a regular OEM audigy 2/zs. Yes, you need a headphone amplifier, the rega ear is a great amp, and matches sennheisers pretty good, also look at headsave amps and do a lil research in the amp forums here. Also remember, the E-MU cards only have 1/4" analog mono inputs/outputs, so you will need to have the right type of connectors, for how you choose to set it up. They also have digital in/outs too, but you will be using the analog outputs.

Alright, so for dvd movies and no external receiver, i would need something like the audigy.

But how about playing multi channel music like dts on the speakers with the audigy ? Is the quality ok , or is it resampling again ?

How should i go tehnically about installing a second card and play music trough it? Just plug in into a pci and reinstall it's driver ? No problems between the 2 ? Do i have to disable one while playing the other ?

thanks again!

 

[cosmopragma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pockerface90 Alright, so for dvd movies and no external receiver, i would need something like the audigy. But how about playing multi channel music like dts on the speakers with the audigy ? Is the quality ok , or is it resampling again ? How should i go tehnically about installing a second card and play music trough it? Just plug in into a pci and reinstall it's driver ? No problems between the 2 ? Do i have to disable one while playing the other ? thanks again!

You can configure a player like foobar2000 to use the EMU for stereo music, anything else like system beeps or movie soundtracks will go through the Audigy.You don't have to enable the EMU everytime you want to hear music.

 

[pockerface90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmopragma You can configure a player like foobar2000 to use the EMU for stereo music, anything else like system beeps or movie soundtracks will go through the Audigy.You don't have to enable the EMU everytime you want to hear music.

oh that's great. i also learned here about foobar and went quick to download it.

I still would like to know what's the deal with DTS music and DVD audio / SACD ... 5 channel music , how does the audigy play it ? How is the quality ? Can i use the audigy for that one ?

 

[Mr.Radar]

DTS is compressed audio like Dolby Digital (except DTS is better quality). DTS can be decoded by your DVD playback software, so you don't need to worry about it very much. SACD isn't supported by computers at all, though you can play back the CD layer (at standard CD quality). Creative's Audigy 2 ZS is the only soundcard that currently supports full resoution DVD-Audio playback from protected discs, but the digital out is disabled to prevent copying. Most DVD-A discs contain DVD-V "layers" (I put that in quotes because the discs aren't physically layered, like hybrid SACDs) that will still play back fine in regular DVD players, though at stanard DVD resolution. WinDVD 6 will also playback unprotected DVD-A discs at full resolution on any soundcard.

 

[pockerface90]

Thanks for that !

In the meantime i got the 595 and the rega ear, and it sounds good , but i am still waiting for the e-mu 0404...

I hope there will be no problems when running the cards at the same time in windows xp.

you guys told me it will be no problem ... hope you are right