[techen]

Hi guys, Just been to the store and bought a Soundblaster Z, Since am a PC gamer and love my games (With awesome sound) I tought this would be a upgrade to the FIIO I used to use.
 
Keeping in mind I use a Sennheiser 558 headphones. So do you guys think its a upgrade? Cause I can already hear a huge difference
 

 

[Dragonzeanse]

You should just stick with an external solution since it's less prone to interference from the PC. If you think it sounds different for the better, though, then I don't see what the problem is. I wouldn't buy sound cards since most of the time, they just make your PC sound worse. They're only good for amping and when your onboard audio is pitiful, which is fairly situational. External equipment will pretty much always beat a sound card.

 

[techen]

  You should just stick with an external solution since it's less prone to interference from the PC. If you think it sounds different for the better, though, then I don't see what the problem is. I wouldn't buy sound cards since most of the time, they just make your PC sound worse. They're only good for amping and when your onboard audio is pitiful, which is fairly situational. External equipment will pretty much always beat a sound card.

 
I can tell you now that I've had no issues with interference with my soundcard, The FIIO Amp used to mess with my mobile phone and everytime you turned the volume on it. Also the soundcard gives me access to a EQ, Which is what I wanted, I can increase the bass on these headphones!
 
Also, I paid 50 for the FIIO which I will be reselling meaning I gain a lot of money back buying the soundcard. I can honestly say there's a 150% difference in sound from the FIIO amp to the soundcard and it's good.

 

[Notus]

 You should just stick with an external solution since it's less prone to interference from the PC. If you think it sounds different for the better, though, then I don't see what the problem is. I wouldn't buy sound cards since most of the time, they just make your PC sound worse. They're only good for amping and when your onboard audio is pitiful, which is fairly situational. External equipment will pretty much always beat a sound card.

 
How many sound cards have you tried or is this just irrational "hate" towards gear that is marketed for gaming?
There is no reason external would sound any better, EMI shielding is cheap and it will eliminate all interference at least all audible interference as far as i know.
Actually the Creative Sound Blaster Z has very nice EMI shielding covering all of the circuit.
Also Price to Price comparison, most Internal cards wins in my opinion. Some internal sound cards are even recognized by audiophiles like the Asus Xonar Essence STX card.
I feel internal sound cards are often overlooked because they are geared towards gaming most of the time. But the only "gaming" part about them is the software giving you virtual surround and so on.
 
USB solutions usually cost more.
They often have exactly the same hardware as internal sound card but price can be as high as twice as much.
Only real difference is that USB does not need shielding like internal devices.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

   
How many sound cards have you tried or is this just irrational "hate" towards gear that is marketed for gaming?
There is no reason external would sound any better, EMI shielding is cheap and it will eliminate all interference at least all audible interference as far as i know.
Actually the Creative Sound Blaster Z has very nice EMI shielding covering all of the circuit.
Also Price to Price comparison, most Internal cards wins in my opinion. Some internal sound cards are even recognized by audiophiles like the Asus Xonar Essence STX card.
I feel internal sound cards are often overlooked because they are geared towards gaming most of the time. But the only "gaming" part about them is the software giving you virtual surround and so on.
 
USB solutions usually cost more.
They often have exactly the same hardware as internal sound card but price can be as high as twice as much.
Only real difference is that USB does not need shielding like internal devices.

It's not a genuine hate towards sound cards. I own an Asus Xonar DG and personally, I don't have a problem with them. I just don't feel they're necessary at the best of times. I think external solutions are - in most situations - slightly better because you get the source away from the computer (which is a noisy environment). That said, I don't think either is really necessary in most cases. If someone feels a sound card would benefit them, that's fine. Speaking as someone who PC games, I have no problem with things being marketed towards me.

 

[Notus]

Well its true that computer is very noisy environment but i think majority of internal sound cards are fairly well shielded and some have very good shielding against interference.
It is true that external eliminates the problem with interference.  I slightly misunderstood you earlier, and i have to agree in a way that AMP will usually affect the sound much more than DAC, at least in most cases.

 

[techen]

But the soundcard "has" a built in amp and has more power than my headphones need, So I don't get how getting a AMP would do anything different?

 

[Dragonzeanse]

  But the soundcard "has" a built in amp and has more power than my headphones need, So I don't get how getting a AMP would do anything different?

Don't worry about it since you already own the sound card. It's a matter of preference. If it sounds good to you, keep it. Your choice doesn't offend me.

 

[cel4145]

Hi guys, Just been to the store and bought a Soundblaster Z, Since am a PC gamer and love my games (With awesome sound) I tought this would be a upgrade to the FIIO I used to use.

Keeping in mind I use a Sennheiser 558 headphones. So do you guys think its a upgrade? Cause I can already hear a huge difference

Doesn't matter what we think. If it sounds good to you, then all good

That being said, many people on Head-Fi would agree that the Soundblaster Z is an effective choice for gaming at its price point, and certainly a good match for the 558s.

So enjoy them, until you are ready to spend more money on your next upgrade

 

[techen]

Doesn't matter what we think. If it sounds good to you, then all good

That being said, many people on Head-Fi would agree that the Soundblaster Z is an effective choice for gaming at its price point, and certainly a good match for the 558s.

So enjoy them, until you are ready to spend more money on your next upgrade

 Now that's something I wanted to hear, Thank you Cel4145. I understand that a lot of people on this forum enjoy music and a select few prefer gaming which makes people slightly bias to AMP/DAC beats all. Which am sure it does as the price doubles on what I paid for my soundcard

 

[cel4145]

 Now that's something I wanted to hear, Thank you Cel4145. I understand that a lot of people on this forum enjoy music and a select few prefer gaming which makes people slightly bias to AMP/DAC beats all. Which am sure it does as the price doubles on what I paid for my soundcard

Exactly. I don't really game much anymore, so I would have gotten something different for pure audio listening. But for gaming? The Soundblaster Z and HD558s, well, there's probably no better setup for your money. It ought to sound awesome