Setup Review for gaming (External vs soundcard)

[IrishRangers]

Hi Al,
 
I've read some articles but still need your help. I apologize in advance if this has been discussed over and over.
 
I have a pair of beyerdynamics dt990 pro 250Ohm
I used a FiiO E10K external amp/dac to drive these to a certain extent (works great imo)
 
Now, I am an avid FPS gamer and would like to have great positional sound. At the moment I LOVE the sound my setup produces.
 
My question is this. Would I be better off buying a quality sound card and ditch the external amp/dac.
 
1) Will there be a noticeable difference in quality
2) Has anyone used both and have they noticed a change?
3) What will a quality sound card such as essence STX offer me over my current setup.
 
 
I guess I want the best quality as well as having the most immersive experience in game.. and I just want to ask you guys if I should just stick with what I currently have, or go ahead and buy a quality sound card..
 
But is the difference THAT noticeable?
 
Thanks a lot all,
 
Regards,
Random guy on the internet

 

[Giupy]

Hey, Random Guy on the internet!

You may get either less or more, depending on what you want to buy. Now, since I haven't tested the Fiio E10k I don't know very much about, but I have attempted the Fiio X5 gives great results when used as a DAC. There are a bunch of sound cards with utilities that help a lot with the sound positioning. I know Creative has something like that with the Sound Blaster Zx.

I know the audio quality went through the roof for me when I changed from the Creative SB Zx to the Asus Xonar Essence STU, but I didn't find much of an increase in soundstage (and I was using it with Hifiman HE-400, which has quite the admirable soundstage).

The best way would be to go to a audio store and test out something with your current headphones. A lot of people use the Fiio K5 as a desktop amp.

I personally have a DAC/Amp combo which provides a great soundstage, but I use the Audio Technica ATH-A1000X, which has a great soundstage for a closed headphone.

I could dish out some recommendations based on the sound cards I have here at work if you want to tell me how much you're willing to spend for an upgrade

 

 

[IrishRangers]

Awesome response thanks Guipy!
 
 
 
"I know the audio quality went through the roof for me when I changed from the Creative SB Zx to the Asus Xonar Essence STU,"
 
Interesting, see my problem is I have never used a proper sound card, so I'm clueless of the gains here. Here in Ireland, we don't really have any good audio store for me to go to to test things out.
 
So would you think I would have noticeable increase in audio quality if I purchased  Essense over my current fii0 e10k?
 
I know its a hard question without actually using the two ...
 
 
 

 

[IrishRangers]

Jesus christ man, mother OF GOD.. just checked the price of that STU... I would definitely assume to get better sound quality 

 

[Giupy]

In theory? Yes.

Looking at the specs we have

SNR: 108Db vs 124Db on the STX
Sample rate and resolution: 24-bit/96k vs 24-bit/192k
Frequency response: 20hz - 20k hz vs 10hz - 90k hz
DAC: PCM5102 vs. PCM1792A

Pretty much everything points to the STX. Also it uses the Dolby Headphone technology. You can read more on that here.
 

 

[Giupy]

  Jesus christ man, mother OF GOD.. just checked the price of that STU... I would definitely assume to get better sound quality 

Oh, don't mind that. They don't make it anymore and prices went weird. It was about 400$ a few years ago and now it's like 250$ depending on where you buy it.

The STX, though, is about 200$, so that isn't so much, but you do get quite a bit out of it.

 

[IrishRangers]

Thanks man, going to check that link out

 

[IrishRangers]

So, if I go with an STX or similar model/quality, I assume there's no need for an amp, their on-board is strong enough?
 
Bear in mind im a complete noob here, so I assume just having the sound card connected to my dt990 is enough..
 
Unless, I can add an amp in the middle, but seems pointless.. Am I right?

 

[Giupy]

They can handle headphones up to 600Ohm, so yeah, you should be good

Just be sure to check the specs too, I don't know every model out there.

 

[IrishRangers]

  They can handle headphones up to 600Ohm, so yeah, you should be good

Just be sure to check the specs too, I don't know every model out there.

Thanks for your advice and inputs. I appreciate it!

 

[SeaWo|f]

Imo the best way to get great music and positional audio for games is to get the sound blaster z. Then for music use the pass thorough so your external dac can do its job and there is no processing from the card. Then when you want to game click the option to out put with virtual 3d for gaming.