[Davesbeard]

Hey guys, just joined this place on the recommendation of a friend. Bought this pc about 3 years ago (reasonably high spec self build) and purchased some Aego M speakers along with some Sennheiser HD555's to go with it. I've just been running it off the onboard audio as it never really occured to me that there would be soundcards out there worth the time of day. Then i came across the Asus Xonar Essence STX which has come with rave reviews.

I'm essentially looking for something which would provide a dramatic improvement in sound quality for both my speakers and headphones. Though i don't know how much more to expect from my speakers. I've plugged my headphones into my parents amp at home and immediately regretted not doing this sooner. However, as of next september i'll be a working graduate with a bit more cash so i'd love something fairly future proofed that i could use as the heart of a bigger sound system. Something i could run proper passive speakers off and eventually use to run a home cinema system of some description too. Video excluded obviously.

Whats the best way of achieving this?

 

[ipumuk]

I recommend an external USB soundcard. that way you can use it with your next PC upgrade too.

to run passive cinema speakers you need an extra 7.1 receiver. make sure your soundcard has a digital out.

when you used your parents amp, did you use a different source and media, like a cd player or did you connect your onboard soundcard to that amp?

 

[Davesbeard]

It was from a CD player, which i'm sure had some bearing but i've never heard anything even close from these headphones connected to the pc. Even playing extremely high quality digital files.

Would the Asus Xonar Essence ST with the H6 DAC board as shown here provide what i want?

I doubt pci is going to go away any time soon so it should handle being moved with any future pc upgrades. Was that why you suggested an external soundcard or are there other benefits?

 

[ipumuk]

there are a lot of people using internal soundcards. but they usually have no choice as most gaming soundcards dont have an external equivalent.

the main benefit of external dacs is the low noise level. with better equipment you can hear your HDD and USB ports interfering with the base noise level of your system.

of course external devices are usually also portable. so you can use them with your notebook or second pc too.

but the asus xonar products are considered to perform quite well. go with it.

the H6 DAC board looks aweful. do not buy an INTERNAL amp with 6 outputs! amps need a "clean" interference free surrounding much more than a source. amps are very delicate.

if you are not satisfied with the standard output of asus xonar then get an external amp. you will be able to use that amp even in 20 years when you upgraded your soundcard and pc 40 times. it is a lifetime investment.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipumuk /img/forum/go_quote.gif there are a lot of people using internal soundcards. but they usually have no choice as most gaming soundcards dont have an external equivalent. the main benefit of external dacs is the low noise level. with better equipment you can hear your HDD and USB ports interfering with the base noise level of your system. of course external devices are usually also portable. so you can use them with your notebook or second pc too. but the asus xonar products are considered to perform quite well. go with it. the H6 DAC board looks aweful. do not buy an INTERNAL amp with 6 outputs! amps need a "clean" interference free surrounding much more than a source. amps are very delicate. if you are not satisfied with the standard output of asus xonar then get an external amp. you will be able to use that amp even in 20 years when you upgraded your soundcard and pc 40 times. it is a lifetime investment.

Internal noise such as EMI/RFI are not such an issue that some make it out to be. There are many soundcards out there that can easily measure better then many external units.
What kind of system do you have that you can hear your HDD and USB ports interfering with your sound?
So if these units measure incredibly low for noise and distortion, where is this noise your talking about? Have you actually heard these unit your speaking about or just guessing?
There is good internal gear and good external gear. There is also bad internal gear and bad external gear.

 

[ROBSCIX]

To the OP, if your looking for a gaming card, Check the Auzentech line up.

 

[ipumuk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Internal noise such as EMI/RFI are not such an issue that some make it out to be. There are many soundcards out there that can easily measure better then many external units. What kind of system do you have that you can hear your HDD and USB ports interfering with your sound? So if these units measure incredibly low for noise and distortion, where is this noise your talking about? Have you actually heard these unit your speaking about or just guessing? There is good internal gear and good external gear. There is also bad internal gear and bad external gear.

I do not know what EMI/RFI is.

I upgraded to an external DAC just because of the noise. I was able to hear my hdd working when starting a game. I could also hear the base noise changing into a hiss when moving my mouse around.

it is a known issue and was solved perfectly after switching to a dac.

I am not saying this occurs with every internal soundcard, but because of my own bad experience with it, i would never ever buy an internal soundcard again.

EDIT:

I uploaded the noise I have when using the internal dac: (output -> amp -> input -> audiorecorder)

noise mp3

the first 10 seconds is the base noise. it is very monoton, audible but does not bother. the next 20 seconds is just a mixture of scrolling up and down in this forum and moving firefox around. both have their very own signature.

send me your computer noise and I will tell you what you are doing. I am an expert on it haha.

 

[ROBSCIX]

If you have such noise, then you have issues that need to be fixed. Not all people can hear their HDD's or USB ports over their soudncards. In fact mine are dead quiet...
I have never had any such noise in any of my soundcards.

Usually when people report "hearing" their system over their soundcard it is usually just incorrect setup. Leaving Mic and line inputs enabled and floating with no device connected. However, it does not happen with every system.

I have no computer noise to send you.

 

[germanium]

The only noise I have ever heard on my system is video card noise which I do believe is RFI noise but that is so low that you have to boost the ever living snot out of the gain (I have an external high gain preamp) in order to hear it. Only excetion is when I had accidently left the mic monitor open. Then I heard a lot of everything.

Upgrading my video card reduce that even to the point of being mostly inaudible even at max gain from my preamp (an Onkyo P304 you see in my signature).

 

[momomo6789]

stx i could never hear it but with forte geez that thing is bad but i did keep the forte and not the stx

 

[Davesbeard]

Just to clarify.

I want to use my PC as the heart of my sound system.

For now i will just use headphones and PC speakers so i want a noticeable sound improvement for these two immediately.

I want the option in the future to run good quality passive speakers and a home cinema system.

What would be the best bit of gear to meet these requirements? Would a soundcard alone do the job or is it best used as a link from the pc to an external amp/home cinema system?



Cheers for the input so far guys but maybe i wasn't clear in my original post.

 

[ipumuk]

cheap solution, around $100:

get an external DAC / AMP combo.

- hotaudio bit perfect
- ZERO DAC

those products will not help you with a home cinema system with more than 2 speakers.

expensive audiophile solution around $300:

- Auzentech or ASUS soundcard + standalone headphone AMP

you can connect the digital output of the soundcard to your 7.1 cinema receiver once you buy it in the future.

best solution $500:

buy a Auzentech or ASUS soundcard + 7.1 digital surround receiver with a decent headphone output.

this way you can use the digital surround receiver as an amp for your headphones now and as a dac + amp for your passive speakers in the future.

connect your Aego M speakers directly to the new soundcard. they do not need amping.

 

[Davesbeard]

Fantastic thanks Ipumuk!

The middle option seems like the best solution for me right now, what Soundcard + headphone amp would you recommend?


EDIT: Though thinking about it maybe a DAC + Headphone amp might be a better solution. I kinda assumed i wanted the home cinema option but maybe i don't. I'm worried about ease of use (remotes etc) and things like pc location compared to the home cinema system. Though if i shell out for some great speakers i'd like to be able to use them for my pc too. Too many options!

I would need a DAC with a one channel output for the Aego M right?

 

[ipumuk]

buy this dac/amp:

HOTAUDIO BIT-PERFECT USB DAC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AMP - eBay (item 280391697488 end time Dec-29-09 08:43:47 PST)

you can connect your headphones and speakers at the sime time.

if your speakers use a mini plug. then get a rca to mini plug converter:

3.5mm 1/8 stereo female mini jack to 2 male RCA adapter - eBay (item 250539011576 end time Dec-01-09 10:41:53 PST)

I have never read a negative review about any hotaudio product. he uses wolfson and burr brown dac-chips in all his products. you are buying them from the engineer and manufacturer himself. his support is great.

first and foremost, hotaudio prices are unmatched.

edit:

the problem with your problem is, that stereo headphones need a different DAC and amp than cinema speakers. a modern dac for a cinema setup needs to process and mix 8 signals (7.1). the amp needs to amplify 8 signals also. headphones are a different story. there is no satisfactory answer.

 

[bordins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipumuk /img/forum/go_quote.gif best solution $500: buy a Auzentech or ASUS soundcard + 7.1 digital surround receiver with a decent headphone output.

x2

You'll be surprised when hearing the analog output from these cards. Asus Xonar Essence STX also sounds very good, using the TPA6120A2 decent headamp line driver.