[Nicknoname]

Ummm...what audio connection? The motherboard audio connection are all on the I/O panel behind the processor. It doesn't look like the Prime motherboard also has the audio daughterboard that goes into a tiny slot like on the miniITX Maximus boards.

Sorry, looks like I didn't look careful enough yesterday evening. It says AAFP but then I noticed it's not even an PCI-e connection.. The one PCI-e slot I have easy access to, is pretty close to my GTX 1080 Ti. While gaming even now, my GPU rises up to 80 degrees celsius, CPU 60 degrees celsius, MB 55 and SSD close to 55 as well so its quite warm in my case. I guess the AE-5 can handle the heat. I did order AE-5, should take a week for me to receive it. I ordered it with an invoice so I haven't paid anything yet, but I need to check out my stores return policy more closely.

No. Set the games to 5.1 speaker, then go into the soundcard DSP suite and make sure it has Virtual Surround, Dolby Headphone, or whatever each soundcard manufacturer calls it.

Copy that.

If your games have an audio mode that specifically labelled as "Headphone" then you already have virtual surround, at least on those games. The question is whether it will be worth it to you to spend on the AE-5 to get virtual surround on your other games. Note that this is good for FPS and 3rd person perspective action games, but not strategy games for example except for Total War where sound is relative to the camera position to simulate how it sounds to a commander (and you can lock the cam to hover over your commander's unit for more realism, and just use the freemoving cam to issue orders).

Since you already have virtual surround on those (which is why I've been saying check your games first) then you're mostly paying for the amp circuit on the AE-5. If you think it's important to get virtual surround on your games that don't have a dedicated Headphone mode then go ahead; otherwise you might as well jsut use the built in virtual surround programs and make do with the DACMagic XS and get a really good DAC-HPamp. USB output from the motherboard can pass along surround headphone audio as long as it's in software, ie, native headphone mode in games.

Thank you for the explanation. I do believe everything you say but I really must test it myself personally, you know Might be an expensive experiment, but what the hell. Anyways, if I notice no improvement at all and AE-5 is like I am expecting it to be, I am very happy to sell away my DacMagic XS as it's quite small. I need a desktop model or something like soundcard inside my PC.
Today, I'm going to message Audio-GD about the shipping to Finland and some other questions. Looks like I'll still be buying the mentioned NFB 11.28. While I am at it, I do not know where you live, but there is this MagnaHifi that sells NFB-11.28 in the EU. Do you think it would be better to buy it from them or directly from Audio-GD? I don't know just yet if it'll be any cheaper. If it comes from China, I have to pay 24% VAT and whatever category NFB falls into, anywhere from 1 to 8 % customs fee.

If you have Spotify even the piano tracks there can be enough

I see. I did purchase myself Deezer HiFi for a year to experience this FLAC with my HD 650's (now with K712 pro as well) and I can tell already FLAC is much better than my Spotify Premium ever was even with my current gear.

Thank you for all your help so far. In summary, I have ordered the AE-5 which I haven't even paid yet and I want to test it out. But it looks like I still want to buy NFB-11.28. If I purchase that one, do I need to buy anything else? If I'm dissapointed anyhow anyway with AE-5, I'll return it and buy the Xonar instead and do what you proposed earlier.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Sorry, looks like I didn't look careful enough yesterday evening. It says AAFP but then I noticed it's not even an PCI-e connection.. The one PCI-e slot I have easy access to, is pretty close to my GTX 1080 Ti. While gaming even now, my GPU rises up to 80 degrees celsius, CPU 60 degrees celsius, MB 55 and SSD close to 55 as well so its quite warm in my case. I guess the AE-5 can handle the heat. I did order AE-5, should take a week for me to receive it. I ordered it with an invoice so I haven't paid anything yet, but I need to check out my stores return policy more closely.

I assume you have the GTX 1080 Ti on the first (actually second; most ATX motherboards don't have the first slot populated to accommodate clearance for large air coolers) PCI-E socket. What do you have on the second X16 socket? Because there's another short PCI-E right below that (yellow box).

Thank you for the explanation. I do believe everything you say but I really must test it myself personally, you know Might be an expensive experiment, but what the hell. Anyways, if I notice no improvement at all and AE-5 is like I am expecting it to be, I am very happy to sell away my DacMagic XS as it's quite small. I need a desktop model or something like soundcard inside my PC.

Well as long as you understand that there's nothing absolutely sure here, even when measurements can be stymied by perception.

Today, I'm going to message Audio-GD about the shipping to Finland and some other questions. Looks like I'll still be buying the mentioned NFB 11.28. While I am at it, I do not know where you live, but there is this MagnaHifi that sells NFB-11.28 in the EU. Do you think it would be better to buy it from them or directly from Audio-GD? I don't know just yet if it'll be any cheaper. If it comes from China, I have to pay 24% VAT and whatever category NFB falls into, anywhere from 1 to 8 % customs fee.

If they will offer a warranty for it then it's easier to deal with a local dealer (even if not official, as long as they offer a warranty that you can have trade/consumer relations regulators enforce over there) than having to go through translators and shipping it directly to AudioGD yourself.

Thank you for all your help so far. In summary, I have ordered the AE-5 which I haven't even paid yet and I want to test it out. But it looks like I still want to buy NFB-11.28. If I purchase that one, do I need to buy anything else? If I'm dissapointed anyhow anyway with AE-5, I'll return it and buy the Xonar instead and do what you proposed earlier.

Just any SPDIF optical cable.

 

[Nicknoname]

I assume you have the GTX 1080 Ti on the first (actually second; most ATX motherboards don't have the first slot populated to accommodate clearance for large air coolers) PCI-E socket. What do you have on the second X16 socket? Because there's another short PCI-E right below that (yellow box).

I hear people say a picture says more than 1000 words. https://imgur.com/nFGUmDE I do not know where are the two other smaller PCi-e slots but judging by your picture my gpu must be hiding them. If I place AE-5 there, will it obstruct any airflow into 1080ti?

If they will offer a warranty for it then it's easier to deal with a local dealer (even if not official, as long as they offer a warranty that you can have trade/consumer relations regulators enforce over there) than having to go through translators and shipping it directly to AudioGD yourself.

I hate how Audio-GD own website looks like. But I found that MagnaHifi is one of their official retailers so I guess it's safe to purchase there, that's my "local" dealer. I need to ask about warranty as well. Yes, I read my countrys custom page and oh dear, if I had to send the device back to Audio-GB in China for replacement or something like that, I'd have to fill out bunch of forms.

Just any SPDIF optical cable.

Great!

On Magna Hifi order page of Audio-GD NFB 11.28 they offer me these options,
Audio-GD - Digital SPDIF coax interlink RCA (1m)
Audio-GD - Analogue RCA interlink stereo pair (1m)
Audio-GD - Optical Digital Toslink Cable (1M)

Do I want them or need them? I'm really not familiar with all of the connections. Quite expensive, Digital SPDIF coax and Analogue RCA cost both 39 euros each! I have an extra optical digital toslink cable but thats about it.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I hear people say a picture says more than 1000 words. https://imgur.com/nFGUmDE I do not know where are the two other smaller PCi-e slots but judging by your picture my gpu must be hiding them. If I place AE-5 there, will it obstruct any airflow into 1080ti?

Here's the pic I posted side by side with the pics you posted. Two short slots are blocked by the GPU, marked in pink. Third short slot that you can use for teh soundcard is marked in yellow. You still have 1.5slots between it and the aircooler on the 1080 Ti. Unless you barely have any intake fans blowing air into the case it won't be a problem.

I hate how Audio-GD own website looks like. But I found that MagnaHifi is one of their official retailers so I guess it's safe to purchase there, that's my "local" dealer. I need to ask about warranty as well. Yes, I read my countrys custom page and oh dear, if I had to send the device back to Audio-GB in China for replacement or something like that, I'd have to fill out bunch of forms.

At least you can fill out forms and they'll acknowledge warranty replacements and not tax you twice over, unlike down here where it's left to the discretion of the Customs agents, which comes down to either padding their quota or lining their pockets.

On Magna Hifi order page of Audio-GD NFB 11.28 they offer me these options,
Audio-GD - Digital SPDIF coax interlink RCA (1m)
Audio-GD - Analogue RCA interlink stereo pair (1m)
Audio-GD - Optical Digital Toslink Cable (1M)

Do I want them or need them? I'm really not familiar with all of the connections. Quite expensive, Digital SPDIF coax and Analogue RCA cost both 39 euros each! I have an extra optical digital toslink cable but thats about it.

SPDIF coax is needed if you have a digital source that outputs only in SPDIF coax. Your motherboard and the AE-5 both use SPDIF optical.

Analogue RCA is for connecting the AudioGD's preamp output to powered speakers or power amps with no preamps) driving passive speakers, or configuring it to output direct from the DAC and feeding a more powerful headphone or electrostatic headphone amp or an integrated amp (has a built in preamp circuit) driving passive speakers.

You can just use your own optical cable and save $39 unless you want some spares given optical tends to have more fragile glass fibers, although if you don't move the optical cable nor the other cables around it, it shouldn't just break.