Reddit mentions: The best computer internal sound cards

1. It will make a difference compared to a MacBook's line-out, or compared to most PC sound cards. If you have a very good sound card, it's possible it has a good DAC and good components/construction and you may not be able to tell, but many don't live up to the standards.
   

• Quick question - what kind of PC, what kind of sound card (if you know) and how are you connecting everything?
  
  

2. You absolutely can get a DAC that will improve your sound for around your budget. The step from default line-out to any DAC is huge, probably the biggest effect of all; the step from low-end DAC to high-end DAC is both more subtle and more costly. But make that first step!
   
   The major factor will be the quality of your other components—but with the B&W and the Rotels, if your ears are good you should be able to tell.
   
   Recommendations:
   
   

• nuForce - pretty much anything, the uDAC-II is their latest offering and is US$129 over here. It has a headphone amp built in, but the line outs are excellent as well.
  
  
• the HRT MusicStreamer - designed more for direct USB to Amp connectivity (basically what you're looking for) and gets good reviews. Has the extra advantage of being "asynch" if you believe in that sort of thing. US$149
  
  
• Firestone Fubar II Mk 2 - I had the first version of this little DAC and enjoyed it, but ultimately I like the nuForce uDAC better. The Mk 2 may be better, it advertises new components and a better signal path. US$169.
  
  
• This Creative X-Fi USB box looks pretty nice, and reviews give it high marks for fidelity, but looks like it might have some flaws in installation/setup. US$99.
  
  I currently listen to the nuForce uDAC-II, with both headphones and studio monitors, and I like it very much. As I said above, it beats my (first-revision) Fubar II mainly in the stereo imaging and musicality departments, especially when used as a desktop DAC with the line outs. The Fubar was accurate as anything, but was a little flat to listen to for my taste. The Mk 2 may have improved things and in any case it's a very good DAC for desktop use. The others I have not listened to, but I hear very good things about the HRT MusicStreamer, and the Creative X-Fi product is bound to sound great, barring any difficulties you might have with installation.
  
  Any of those DACs I am confident will give you an improvement in sound. Listen in the details; the tightness of the bass, the smoothness of voice, the sparkle of the treble, the placement of sound in the stereo image; all of those will be clearly and (hopefully) obviously improved with a good DAC if you're comparing from a default line-out. The first time you hear the difference it'll sorta knock your socks off...
  
  Then again, if you don't hear a difference with your Apogee Duet II... perhaps it won't be that big a deal, and you can save yourself the investment. Also, is there a reason you can't use the Apogee with the PC or do you just want a dedicated connection for it? Another factor will be the source material, so make sure you're putting through CDs or lossless audio files, or at the minimum very high quality mp3's. Low bit-rate mp3's will sound pretty much the same regardless of the DAC you put them through...
  
  tl;dr: In my experience a good DAC makes a huge difference, there are lots in your price range, make sure you'll be able to hear the difference in the investment, good luck, let us know how it turns out :)
  
  (P.S: if it's ok to say so I'd be happy to sell you (or anyone else ;) my Fubar II (original version) for US$100. PM me if you want it!)

I love the 650's myself. Did a lot of research on head-fi forums for the heaphones that have the type of sound I want. I read this whole thread and other post and from what I gathered the 650's are often described as very laid back and smooth for a very relaxing sound). The sound quality is better then anything iv'e ever had; I previous used the Audio-Technia A700 which I though were great but the 650's are on a whole different level.

The price (around $350) certainly isn't for everyone. On top of buying the headphones themselves, you have to have an amplifier and digital to analog converter to do them any justice. That's atleast another $200 right there for something that's entry level but will sound good. I use an Asus Xonar STX soundcard which does a fine job at amplifying them. One of the best things about the sennheiser HD 650's is that they really scale with better gear; sometime in the future I plan to upgrade to a better amplifier. If you just plug them straight into your ipod or out of your computers stock sound ports, they may sound simply "okay" but you'll be amazed once you hear them from a proper amp.

Also keep in mind that headphones will only sound as good as your source; 128kbs mp3's simply suck, 192kbs will sound kinda weak, but when you get up to 256-320kbps mp3's you're pretty much good to go. FLAC is great, but I personally have a hard time noticing a different between 320kbps mp3's and lossless FLAC files.

There's no doubt the setup is expensive, but absolutely worth it to me since I spend 3-6 hours a day with them on my head and simply love rediscovering how good songs I've listened to many times before sound all new thanks to how good the headphones are. If you want a decent set of can sthat don't break the bank, I'd go with the Audio-Technica M50

Hi, guys! I'm looking for help to clean up my setup. I'm not that big of an audiophile, but would love to have good quality sound and easy management.

At the moment I'm running Custom one Pro headphones with mic and some random 5.1 logitech speakers that have headphone jack. I run mic straight to the PC but the headphones to the logitech so I can easily physically disconnect them to switch sound between headphones and speakers.

However, I would like to toss out those logitechs and just get a good looking solid 2.0 speakers and would love to keep the easy ability between switching speakers and headphones.

I was thinking of getting Creative Sound Blaster X (https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4) so i can connect COP directly and then add 2 speakers over RCA.

My questions:

1. Is that soundblaster OK? Are there alternatives with headphone/mic connections? (Also, does the soundblaster connects only over USB?
   
2. Could anyone recommend a pair of good looking quality speakers to connect over RCA? Maybe there is a top list of speakers somewhere?
   
   Thanks!

Hello all. I've been using a pair of DT990 250ohms for a few months now. I've also been considering picking up an amp as it would seem the general consensus is that you need something to drive them.

However, I've come across some conflicting opinions from the various forums and posts that I've read and would appreciate some opinions of those more knowledgeable than myself before I spend any money.

Firstly I'm running the headset straight out of my motherboard. The motherboard in question is an EVGA Z270 Classified K which comes with the Creative Core3d solution. Out of a forum post by an EVGA dev I learned the technical specifications are as follows however much of it goes over my head and I would appreciate if someone translated it for me.

DAC: CA0132
AMP: MAX97220B
SNR: 109dB with RL=600Ω, 112.5dB with RL=1KΩ
Supports up to 192kHz Playback and Record
Dolby Live and DTS Connect Not Supported

Here is a link to the particular amp specifications

https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/analog/audio/MAX97220B.html

This is the same amp that is present in the Creative Sound Blaster Z based off of the information present on the linked Amazon page below. Many state that the the Sound Blaster Z is capable of driving 600ohm headphones and can drive the 990s with just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

The "Best Solution" post within the following forum link below claims that the Sound Blaster Z can drive the DT990s decently, to maybe 80% of their potential.It also claims that they are notoriously hard to drive. I would like to know if these are relatively agreeable statements.

http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2545260/amp-beyerdynamic-990.html

On the other side of the spectrum however I've seen it said various times that even the best motherboard sound doesn't even compare to a $30 discreet sound card. I don't know if this is hyperbole or if that claim is no longer true relative to motherboards today. What is your opinion on this?

My concern is value. Ideally I would like to have my 990s not be crippled. On the other hand purchasing an amp and dac would be dependent on how much they are being crippled as I don't know if I could be bothered for 10%

So my real question is is my motherboard proving adequate? I have a hard time answering this myself because of the conflicting opinions and my nigh complete lack of expertise within this field.

Would I to purchase a amp would I need to also purchase a dac to compliment it?

My primary considerations along the purchase route would be Magni 3/Modi 2 combo. Alternatively if it would be a better value and able to power the headphones 100% a Fulla 2.

My usage is generally gaming. When I'm not gaming I'm listening to Spotify Premium. Additionally, as further information I do not have an issue with my headset being too quiet while playing games or listening to music. I can very easily have it way too loud. I understand that amps/dacs do further things than just provide more power to the device (at least I think) and that they provide better audio in general by some other form of magic.

However this leads to another question from me.

Would a $2000 amp beat a $300 amp in audio quality if the $300 amp could provide ample enough power to the device? Why?

There is a lot of denial on this subreddit that a discrete sound card actually has any benefit to the user under normal usage. However, I would gladly argue that any time as I feel they are certainly beneficial.

Without knowing what your current setup is, or what kinds of benefits you want from your audio its tough to make a recommendation. First and foremost, do you have a set of speakers that are hooked up to your computer right now? Without a good set of speakers, a sound card will almost prove pointless. Most users here seem to use headphones and that's why they deny that sound cards are worthwhile, as the sound quality for those has a lot more to do with the actual headphones, than a sound card providing audio to them.

Also, what kind of usage does your computer get? Do you listen to a lot of music? Do you watch a lot of movies on your computer, either streaming or from movies stored on your hard drive? Do you just want a better listening experience for everything you do and want crisper sounds that have better range?

Now, speaking only on assumptions... If you do have a decent speaker setup, then a sound card will certainly be better than on board audio, even if its compared to the Gene or Hero. Although, skimping out on a cheapy sound card that costs $30 probably wont give you better performance than the onboard audio on the listed MB's. You will need to step up to the more "enthusiast" sound cards. Those go from ~$75-150. Id recommend the Creative brand as they make a good product that will last quite a long time. I still have and currently use one of their better cards from back in 2008, and yes, the difference between on board audio and this card is immense with good speakers.

A wonderful deal on a really good sound card -$88 - today only on Amazon. This card usually goes for $110-120 as seen here.

However, if you are wondering if this would help for headphones, then I agree with Metalio, a DAC and AMP would be the way to go, after getting a good pair of headphones, and not the 'in-ear' variety.

Thanks you for answering. Well that would be the cheap combo, but I also was thinking about going for the HD650 + a sound card instead of a DAC for emulated surround etc (overhall a better alternative ?).

This sound card in particular would fit my budget (Creative sound blaster Z > https://www.amazon.fr/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Performance-ProStudio/dp/B009RPQA2G) combo'd with the HD650

Would it be a good upgrade while staying in the style of music / comfort I like ? And is the Creative Sound Blaster Z gonna be too cheap of a sound card for the HD650 compared to a Creative ZxR or an Asus STX II ?

What do you think ?

Edit: Or and HD598 + Creative ZxR/Asus STX II for a better balance instead of HD650 + Creative Sound Blaster Z ?

Edit 2: Well I just found a really cheap DT 880 Pro... and will probably order this one https://www.amazon.fr/Beyerdynamic-Casque-Hi-Fi-880-32/dp/B000F2BLTM?th=1 , I guess I just need a better DAC than the fiio E10K for this one. What about a Schiit one? You'd recommend one in particular ?

honestly an external dac/amp would be better than a soundcard, but if you arent willing to spend 100-200 extra for the dac/amp it would be better to go with headphones such as the sennheiser hd558/598 or ath m50x (I think the beyerdynamic dt770 also had a 32 ohm variant), as they dont require as much power.

If you however dont have a problem with the added price I would recommend the obective2+dac or the schiit magni and modi. THe fiio e12 and e18 are also good if you want portable amplifiers.There are cheaper alternatives out there, but they arent as good. There are also more expensive dac/amps out there, but then its usually double the price for a few percent better quality, so I dont think its worth it

But If you really want a soundcard instead of external dac/amps I have heard good things about the asus xonar essence stx, and they should be good as long as the headphones arent 600ohm (they might work great for 600 ohm headphones too, but I havent really checked). If you choose to go the soundcard route it might be good if you check for other alternatives too, as I havent paid much attention to them. A good way would be googling something like ¨what soundcard for x headphones¨

Have you considered buying a good pair of headphones and buying a separate microphone like one from ModMic? I'm using a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 OHMS along with a ModMic and I love it! There were things I was not hearing before in games, movies, and music. I since moved on to a Blue Yeti microphone but the ModMic served me well. Once you have a great pair of headphones, I always recommend getting a good souncard to go a long. Normally, I don't recommend soundcards unless you have a good pair of headphones. I'm currently using the Creative Soundblaster Z and I have to say that I'm impressed with the quality of sound that they've been able to pull off from this soundcard. I'd say that the Soundblaster Z is more of a mid-range soundcard. If you want the best in terms or soundcards then a Soundblaster Zxr or a Asus Xonar Essence STX will be a better choice. I hope this helps!

Your first step should be to get off onboard sound. The two easiest routes here would either getting a dedicated sound card or a USB DAC/amp combo.

If you decide on upgrading your sound card, something like the Asus DG/DGX will do fine to start with; they'll clean up the sound nicely and will be good enough to drive an efficient set of headphones. Later when you upgrade your headphones, you can then upgrade to the ST/STX and get yourself a proper amp like the Matrix M-stage or 02. That would imo be the better option in the long run.

The USB DAC/amp combo like the Fiio E10 will be a better option if you plan on getting slightly harder to drive headphones from the get go, e.g. Senns, Beyer...

That leaves you with around $250-$300 for the headphones. For your uses(movies and rock), an open pair of headphones like the AD900 would be a great all rounder; great comfort and very efficient. Also have a look at the Beyer DT880, also a good choice within your budget. These would have a wide soundstage perfect for movies and be versatile enough for most music. An open set will generally sound more natural than a closed one.

If you really need closed, the Brainwavz HM5 would be a good choice and way under your budget, enough left over to get yourself a set of Grado SR80. Grados are known as the hardest rocking headphones around, with a fast energetic and upfront sound that goes great with rock/alternative/metal/anything fast paced.

As some others mentioned, the Beyer DT770 are a nice set but a bit too bassy for my liking. I much prefer the DT250-80, which have a great smooth midrange.

should probably check our /r/headphones

It depends what your onboard is and how terrible it is. I use this creative usb as the input for my modmic 4. I use a yulong u100 as my output dac/amp to my Senn HD598s for gaming, but use a Bifrost Uber and Lyr 2 to drive my hifiman HE500s.

I just tested my mod mic with onboard, my portable xonar U3, and the creative usb. Onboard without mic boost was inaudible, with mic boost it's ok, but not great. The U3 has no mic boost and fell half way between onboard without boost and with, but sounded much better. The creative USB with boost off was about the same as the U3, but with boost I have to turn the gain down to about 70% or it is overbearingly loud. I position the mic about 1" from the side of my mouth as it's supposed to be placed.

output impedance is pretty high on the STX, the usual 10Ω found in soundcards. The DAC in it is decent, but the output stage is pretty blah. You're better off with a real headphone amp.



If you're getting ready to piss $200 on an STX, skip it and buy a Magni 2/Modi 2 stack or O2+ODAC for the headphones, then a something like an X-fi go for mic input.

Headphones I've used the past 10 years.

• ATH-AD700 - Discontinued now, but cheap used, open back, under $50, one of the biggest soundstage, but lacks bass
  
• ATH-AD700X - updated revision of the ad700, under $100 on sale, tiny bit better bass. The stock pad made my ears sore since it touches the driver. I replaced it with memoryfoam BrainWavz pad, and they feel much better. Puts less pressure on my eyeglasses too.
  
• ATH-M50X - My go-to music headphone, but I use it for travel gaming too since they fold up nicely and closeback for noise isolation.
  
• ATH-AD900X - Better version of AD700X
  
• Philips Fidelio X2 - About $200 on sale, a little bit less soundstage than AD700X, but much better bass. If you can splurge, I highly recommend this. They are balanced type headphones. Basically replaced the the M50X for music listening and AD700X/AD900X for gaming. It feels really nice, pad fits much better than the AD700X. I forget I am actually wearing headphones. If this is too expensive, SHP9500, is a cheaper alternative at 1/3 the cost.
  
• All of the headphones listed above are low impedance meaning you don't need an amp to get good sound output.
  
• Most gaming specific headphones aren't that good for the price. You're paying mostly for the marketing. Get any decent audiophile headphone and it will be much better.
  
   
  
  Virtual surround sound I've used
  
  
• Xonar U3 - Got this to replace my broken mobo sound, but found out it does virtual surround sound. Basically simulates 5.1/7.1 sound on a 2 channel headphone. Used it for many years gaming. Sounds awesome with good headphone that has big soundstage. Nice to hear directional audio to know here footsteps are at in games. Also acts like an amp with boost mode for high impedance headphones.
  
• Razer Surround Sound - free, but the worst virtual surround sound I've heard. Things sound muffled.
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi - Upgraded to this, it has better virtual surround sound technology.
  
   
  
  Hate wired headphone?
  
  
• How to convert wired phones into wireless gaming one
  
   
  
  Microphone
  
  
• ModMic - Used this for many many years, but got tired of wires dangling around
  
• Blue Yeti - Audio quality is so much better than the modmic, but it is big. Use a mic stand or arm.

Hey people! Came across this subreddit in that "overpriced products" circlejerk thread in Askreddit. I just so happen to be looking to upgrade my headphones in the near future, so I hope you don't mind me coming in here with my vague-ass requirements. I'm by no means an expert, so I'll just put in anything that seems even remotely related.

• Budget - Somewhere around $200 or more. I'd like to keep it under $300, but I can go as high as $400 if I'm really sold on a good pair of headphones.
  
  
• Source - ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
  
  
• Requirements for Isolation - I would love a lot of isolation, but it's not a deal-breaker for me. I love my peace and quiet.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Full-sized, circumaural.
  
  
• Preferred Tonal Balance - Overall balanced. Bass isn't that important in headphones for me. I have speakers for that kind of stuff. I like my sound crisp and clear, if that helps (probably not).
  
  
• Past Headphones - I've mostly used gaming headsets, the last 2 being Razer stuff. It's been a while and they were my first pair of headphones, but I remember the Razer Carcharias being really good. Very comfortable and clean audio. After those broke, I "upgraded" to the Razer Megalodon expecting the same or greater quality... but they ended up being crap. The sound quality is muddy and they barely work after less than a year of use.
  
  
• Preferred Music - Mostly ska, punk, alternative... etc. etc. Nothing special that requires headphones specifically catered to it.
  
  
• Additional Information - I do play a lot of games on PC... dunno if that factors into it.

I'm completely new to this (basically have zero experience in the audio world) but I'm looking at getting a dedicated sound card. My use case is pretty much purely gaming, but I also listen to music a lot, just not hardcore like a lot of you folks do. I'm also a VR enthusiast and would be using this heavily for VR games. My setup would consist of 2.0 speakers, IEM's, and whatever sound card I get. What's important to me, in no particular order, is audio quality, immersiveness, surround sound, positional audio, ease of use/lack of hassle, build quality, and proper EMI shielding/lack of signal noise. The quality of audio through IEM's is more important than the quality of audio through the 2.0 speakers, since I wear IEM's while in VR. I'm not considering a DAC/amp at all, so please don't suggest that. My budget is $100 or less.

Here's what I've found so far, again in no particular order:

ASUS Xonar DSX

Creative Sound Blaster Z

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy RX 7.1

ASUS Strix SOAR

ASUS Xonar DGX

Out of these options, which do you think is best for my use case? Are there any better options in this price range I haven't considered yet? Will this even be a noticeable improvement over onboard audio? (Z270 motherboard)

Also, kinda unrelated but also kinda related: If I'm not horribly confused (which I am), the 2.0 speakers would require a left audio input and a right input, like this. However, I've noticed that none of these sound cards have left audio out/right audio out ports. Just front, rear, center, and woofer. (Plus a few more, like line in/mic in, but never left/right audio out.) So, uh... Where would I plug my speakers in? >.>

Also also, a lot of these sound cards advertise support for surround sound. Do I HAVE to have a 5.1/7.1 system in order to use surround sound, or would I be able to get surround sound with 2.0 speakers? Ditto for headphones - if I was using IEMs, would I be able to get surround sound? Or would it be the same as using onboard audio in that regard/make no difference because it's still only two speakers (one in each ear)?

Some suggestions for keyboard/mice:

Lenovo N5902. Goes on sale regularly.

Logitech K400

Generic keyboard/touchpad remote. There are many slight variants on this.

I've found that due to the size/shape/content of my living room, a wireless receiver plugged into my HTPC doesn't work 100% reliably. I've connected a USB extension cable to the back of my HTPC and run it behind things and under my couch to give me the best reception. Generally you can go up to 15 feet; any longer than that and you need a powered extension.

If you have a Logitech Harmony remote, I highly recommend the OVU4003/00 (RC6) USB IR reciever. Once set up with Windows and the Harmony remote, it works with XBMC/Kodi out of the box. This receiver was branded as HP/Dell/Gateway/Philips and probably many more. A Flirc is another option but it is ugly (IMO) and more expensive.

Regarding hardware, if you aren't gaming you don't need a lot. When using older gear the most important thing is video hardware acceleration. For Intel machines, you need something with at least GMA 4500 (Q45 chipset) graphics or later, and for AMD you need something with at least a 760G chipset. This hardware dates back to 2008/2009. Dedicated graphics cards should be at least a Radeon HD 2600 or a GeForce 8500. These cards date back to 2006/2007. CPUs are a grey area, but any mainstream dual core CPU (Athlon X2, Core 2 Duo) from 2007+ should be able to handle most everything. My first HTPC had an AMD Athlon X2 5000+ and it's still working just fine with W7 and Kodi.

If you want to game (and don't want to use a device like the DOKO), you'll need to find a quiet case that supports full length video cards. There are a bunch available, and I'm not sure if this has changed in the last 2-3 years, but the vast majority of HTPC cases large enough to support full size gear and M-ATX motherboards are simply too long to fit in a standard A/V rack or TV stand. The only exceptions I am aware of are the Silverstone GD05 and GD04. I'd be willing to bet that Silverstone has some other cases that will work also.

Additionally, you'll want to find a PSU, case fans and CPU cooler that are quiet and efficient. The best resource for this is http://www.silentpcreview.com/.

Lastly, if your A/V receiver has only S/PDIF audio inputs (no HDMI) and you want to play games in 5.1 surround sound, you're going to need to find either a sound card or motherboard with an S/PDIF output that supports DTS-Connect and/or Dolby Digital Live. Motherboards stopped coming with this around 2008 (AFAIK) and the cheapest option to get it in an add-on card is the Sound Blaster Z.

Getting a Soundcard really seems like a good idea for you. If you play on a laptop, get an USB soundcard like the creative Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro.
If you've got a full PC, then I'd recommend a PCIe soundcard like the Creative Sound Blaster Z.
I have owned both of these cards and in my experience they are worth the money and work really well. And they also got some really nice software (the Z a bit better than the USB one) with good noise and echo filters.

EDIT: looking for used ones is really worth it in my experience.

I hope I could help you :)

No worries.

I would recommend checking out this video and seeing if you think it makes a difference to you first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnpLUlD20z8 ... I use an Astro Mixamp for my console gaming and wanted to try out a soundcard for my first pc build so I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1415131668&sr=8-13&keywords=asus+xonar ... Got it for $70 on sale, btw. With that said, I personally enjoy having the soundcard. I like having 3d sound emulation from my stereo headsets and personally I can hear a difference between the different technologies. I like the THX (same as SBX I believe) for it's overall accuracy and immersion. With that said, the soundcard is also useful for playing around with equalizer settings, using a voice changer in game (just for fun) and for managing multiple audio sources on one pc: for example, I have my headphones plugged into the card as well as my 2.1 speakers and can choose which one I want outputting sound at any given moment. Additionally the soundcard has an on board amp which helps if you have hard to drive headphones. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary to get a soundcard as you could download and try out the razer sound software for free, but if you have the available funds and perhaps a Frys around you (or another retailer that has a great return policy on open products) I'd say give it a try. So in summary it's up to you and your budget but I'm enjoying mine.

On a side note, if you don't already have headphones/headset, check this out: http://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Cloud-Gaming-Headset-KHX-H3CL/dp/B00JJNQG98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415132242&sr=8-1&keywords=cloud+hyper

has favorable reviews and this is the cheapest I've seen it yet. Also, if you'd really like to delve into sound and gaming, check out this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-10-15-2014-beyerdynamic-t51i-added

let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers.

Not the guy you're asking, but you don't need to go apeshit and buy some $150-$200 headset. But two things help better audio quality... better set of headphones and a dedicated sound card or at least an on board that has a build in headphone amplifier.

Also, I would buy a separate desktop microphone + headphones. A lot of times it's tough finding a good headphone with a good sounding microphone. Furthermore, there are issues with headsets where you get a lot of popping, lip smacking, etc since it's close to your mouth or it can catch your breathing and be annoying for people you're playing with. When you separate the two, you get the best of both worlds with a good microphone and a good set of headphones that you can also use to listen to music in public without looking like an idiot wearing a headset.

I'm using this sound card with Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone. Although, the Sony headphones are really high in price right now for some reason, you can get them for $70-80 if you look around. The reason I went with the Sony headphones, they're studio quality professional monitors. I bought these at a suggestion of a Tested review with Patrick Norton about headphones. Basically, he said that so many people who care about accurate audio representation (that's the key, no over Bass, etc) use these headphones as reference. Before, I was using Koss PortaPro Headphones which are still probably the best headphones under $100 by a long shot. My only problem is that they were open and not closed ear, so you get ambient audio mixed in and harder to isolate sounds. If you have a noisy environment around you, look for a closed headphones. They also have a short cable, so you'll need a headphone cable extension if you want to use these on a PC. The Sony have something like an 8 foot cable.

Hello audiophiles!

Long post, so here's a TL;DR: What soundcard, DAC or AMP do I need that greatly enhances my virtual surround experience in Sennheiser Game One headset?

After a long research on gaming headsets, I went ahead and purchased Sennheiser Game One headset. I know I could have gone different routes but that one was the best I could have done with my budget. Going separate headphones and mic was a bit too expensive since I wanted claritiy in mic also (which would require investing in a good mic). This Sennie was kinda was the bang for my buck.

When I plugged the headset to my motherboard, the sound was a bit low (at which point I thought maybe I need an AMP). However some tweaking in Windows 10 (such tweaking being turning on "Loudness Equalization" in "Enhancements" tab in playback device settings) made the sound too high and introduced a background hiss (permanent noise). Fiddling around the equalizer did help a little bit but the sound felt super artificial and bloated, also considering the fact that I am not the best person to understand what each equalizer column actually does. The end result is drowned out footsteps which is totally undesirable.

Other than this, I noticed almost no difference to my directional audio (i.e. where the footsteps or gunshots are coming from) compared to my old Steelseries not-so-very-good headset. I feel like there absolutely needs to be some sort of hardware that does this virtual surround processing. I tried the software route first; dolby atmos, Windows sonic for headphones etc, did not change things one bit. I think those things are nothing but fancy gimmicks. Feel free to correct me here.

Today I plugged the headsets to my iPhone 7 via 3.5mm adapter and boy the sound was awesome. Which leads me to think that my on-board motherboard audio (RealTek) is not that great. I feel like I need a sound card, a DAC or an Amp of some sorts.

Which brings me to my question and TL;DR: What soundcard, DAC or AMP do I need that greatly enhances my virtual surround experience in Sennheiser Game One headset? Now that I have made the investment, I can save up for something and get it if will enhance my experience.

I have found Sennheiser GSX 1000 and Creative SoundBlaster Z which may quench my thirst. Anyone had any experiences with these?

I appreciate any input from you knowledgeable audio people.

Thanks!!

I was going to say, a sound card like that should be $3-6 (USD) so you are right in the range. Those things are great for testing but probably not so great as a permanent solution.

If you game or care about audio fidelity for any reason I would go out and buy a decent sound card, yes!

You could "go nuts" and buy something like this Creative Audigy but it probably isn't strictly necessary. Then again, it's only $40 USD.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG

Otherwise, just see what kind of port you have free on your motherboard and buy something for around $20 USD that fits. That price range should get you something respectable.
Example (PCI) sound card =
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Channel-Surround-Adapter-PCISOUND5CH2/dp/B00JLREDZG

Good luck!

My apologies. I posted very late yesterday and only one very helpful person replied. He suggested that I get the AKG K553


Budget - $100 push me and I might budge, but it really just has to fit what I'm looking for.


Source - My computer has a mediocre soundcard that I purchased to run my Sennheiser PC350 Special Editions (which I find awful)
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO6X4XG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Requirements for Isolation - I need isolation as I use a condenser mic and I have two very crazy dogs.


Location - These are going to be strictly for gaming at my computer. Preferred Type of Headphone - I need full sized that will go over my ears. I have rarely found headphones that are comfortable. I can wear the Logitech sets. G930s were incredibly comfortable.


Preferred tonal balance - I would like a balanced set but I would be A-OK with a deeper bass. When using the Sennheiser PC350 SEs I found it to be far too shrill unless I brought the highs down and the lows up.


Past headphones - (From Most Comfortable to Least) Logitech G930s, Logitech G230s, Sennheiser PC350 SE, Sony MDR-7506 (these last ones kill my ears after about 20 minutes)


Preferred Music - I am not worried about how these sound with music. I'm more concerned about how they sound with environments and being able to have an immersive experience.


What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I don't need a mic anymore and would like to just get a nice pair of cans that I would like a set that creates a good seal around my ears, can stay on for extended periods of time, has decently full sound with being neither heavily bass or heavily treble (but would lean towards the lower frequencies if I had to pick.)


Some of the sets I was looking at are the Audio-Technica M40x, Plugged Crown Over-Ear, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, Superlux HD668B, AKG K550, AKG K553, Superlux HD-681 EVO

I know you say the cords bother you, but hear me out.

I have a Sound Blaster Z, which comes with a mic that sits on top of my monitor. I never notice it, and I don't see any wires. I use the Sound Blaster Z to power my Sennheiser 598 headphones.

My setup is expensive, but it is also amazing. There are cheaper alternatives. The Sennheiser 558 headphones are 100 dollars, though you'd still need a small mic like the one that comes with the Sound Blaster Z.

Sennheiser does make headsets. This one is (if i recall correctly) the 558 headphones with a mic attached for you.

If that is also too expensive I can leave you with this advice. Get yourself a pair of open headphones and a mic like the one that comes with the Sound Blaster Z. Open headphones are better for gaming than closed headphones / noise canceling headphones. Open headsets have a much larger "Sound Stage" compared to closed. The "Sound Stage" is how big the area appears to be that the sounds are coming from. Open headsets with large sound stages allow you to better pin-point where a sound is coming from. This allows you to much more easily tell that the footsteps you hear you coming from your 5 o'clock and that player is 20 yards away, for example.

The only time a headset is better closed than open is if you live in a very loud house/apartment, you live in a college dorm and don't want your roommate to hear your games/music, or you plan to use the headset in public at a library or on a bus. If you are buying strictly for gaming, open is the way to go.

Most headsets you can buy at retail shops are closed. This is a trend that started maybe 5-6 years ago when eSports were getting bigger. The pros play in tournaments with closed headsets because they need to block out the sound of the crowd. People want the same gear their favorite pro uses, so suddenly open headsets disappeared from retail shops.

The three Sennheiser products I linked are all open headsets.

It can be good, but I've only seen the better chips in ATX motherboard, not MicroATX, and it can be very good if you get a top of the line motherboard. I've never seen audiophile grade integrated audio, people get a decent DAC or a good external sound card if the're richer, and high-end internal sound cards obviously exist as well.

Alternative: buy a motherboard that fits your specs minus the audio, and add a pcie sound card:

• very good: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Sound-Essence-STX-II/dp/B00ONSBF4K
  
• good: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-70SB174000000-BlasterX-Hi-Resolution-Gaming/dp/B077TWLQM5
  
• very decent: https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009XDWUCQ
  

Unless you want two monitors, you might as well bump up to a 1440p display. I have the VG248QE and love it btw, but the 1080 is just completely overkill for it.

You might also want to look at Windows 10 instead of 8. Preference aside, it supports DX12 and is generally more compatible with most programs you'll be running.

Audio wise, if you don't mind spending some extra cash, I'd recommend going for a "true" solution instead of a gaming headset. I used to use a Logitech G930 and I really liked it, but it ended up being completely nothing compared to a proper audio solution. My suggestion: AKG Q701 with a sound card: either an ASUS Xonar DG or a Xonar DGX. They're practically the same, they just use a different PCI slot.

The difference it makes: the gaming headset you chose has surround sound virtualization built in to the Logitech software, using Dolby surround. In reality, the "7.1 surround" headset you've chosen is just stereo with virtualization. The sound cards I've linked use the same Dolby surround software (under the title of "Dolby Headphone"), except it's done on the card instead of the program. The key difference is that you can plug in any stereo headset (from the cheapest shit to the best) to the sound card and it'll give you 10x better surround sound accuracy than any "gaming" headset will give you on its own. Audio is one of the most overlooked aspects when building a gaming rig and I implore you to consider spending the extra cash. It really makes a world of difference. Here's a recommendation guide by an audiophile for the best headsets for your money, if you don't want to spend too much on audio.

Thanks for listening.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this but let's try.

Hey guys, I'm really new to all this audio stuff and I need some advice to buy an amp for my new headset.

So I just bought a G4ME Zero headset and after I bought it I saw some reviews on youtube telling me that I'll need an amplifier (Ok so I didn't even know that existed for headphones).

Since I already dropped a big amount on the headset, I would like to get the best option as cheap as possible to go with my g4me zero.

As far as my research went, I came with these options:

-Fiio E10k: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fiio-e10k-usb-dac-and-headphone-amplifier (60$ CAD)

-Objective 2 : https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amplifier/ (130$ US)

-Asus Xonar DGX : http://www.amazon.ca/Asus-PCi-E-Engine-Xonar-DGX/dp/B007TMZ1BK (52$ CAD)

-Creative SoundBlaster Z : http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102048 (125$ CAD)

I really have no idea if it's better to get an external amp or a dedicated sound card ? (pros and cons?)

And also I don't really understand what they mean by ODAC and stuff ? what is this?

This amp is gonna be used for gaming and listening to music on my PC.
I would like to stay under 100$ CAD IF POSSIBLE.
Thank you for your help redditors !!

It's probably your source, not your headphones. I got a pair of ATH-M50s a few months back and they sounded good but not great on the onboard sound card of my computer. I ended up getting this <$100 amp and it made a huge difference. Like night and day difference. I originally bought it with the intention of upgrading to a better amp later but I've actually been very impressed.

Also get some FLAC or other lossless recordings and try that out. With good cans you absolutely can hear the difference between various bit-rates of recording. 128kbps MP3s sound flat and lifeless, 320kbps is better but lossless is what you should look for if you want the best sound.

There's probably not a way to make this work with the setup you have.

• You could use your computer's HDMI output to send audio but it looks like your HTIB doesn't have an HDMI input.
  
• You could use your computers analog 5.1 output (the 6 colored 3.5mm jacks) but your HTIB doesn't have analog 5.1 input, only 2.0
  
• Your HTIB does support optical audio in, but as far as I can see your computer doesn't have an optical audio jack (although sometimes one of the 3.5mm analog audio jacks can also serve as optical).
  
  If you are determined to get this to work while spending as little money as possible, you could get a new sound card for your PC that has an optical audio output. (a.k.a. S/PDIF). E.g. at random here is a $29 one.
  
  The other solution would be to get a new AVR setup that has at least one HDMI input. That is by far the preferable solution if you care about good sound but you would have to replace the speakers as well so this could get expensive. Probably only worth it if you are willing to spend at least $500.

The parts you picked are solid choices (I f*cking love this case), and come in at around ~$320, so I'll leave them out of the build. For the sound card, M-audio audiophile 2496 seems to be your best bet around the $100 price range. M-audio is a reputable brand in the DAW world, and features really good DAC/ADCs; I don't have any specifics about its ASIO latency (other than the fact that it does fully support ASIO drivers), so maybe you know some better ressources than me to find this kind of specific info.

So we have about $1180 left for the rest. I went with a Xeon E3 1241, basically a locked i7 with no integrated graphics (but you have a graphics card, so who cares). You will not be able to overclock it. 8GB of RAM will be enough to play music, unless you use a lot of high-quality samples, in multiple instruments at the same time. In this case, 16GB may be needed, we can probably adjust your build a bit for that if you need. The Mobo and RAM are black and blue, should go well with your leds. The GPU is indeed the GTX 970, really good card all around, and the Windforce has a good cooler, allowing it to run slightly faster and quieter than most. Make sure to plug the wi-fi adapter on the slot above the video card, and the sound card as low as you can, to optimize cooling. The monitor is only 60hz, but it is an IPS one, meaning you'll have good colors and viewing angles. 120hz+ monitors would add a good $100 to your total.

The build comes at $1190 before rebates, $1150 after. (so total of around $1570 after rebates)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Xeon E3-1241 V3 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $271.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI Z97 U3 Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $69.99 @ Newegg
Memory | Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $67.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $109.97 @ SuperBiiz
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $104.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card | $349.89 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Rosewill 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $54.99 @ Newegg
Monitor | Acer B236HLymdr 60Hz 23.0" Monitor | $126.00 @ Newegg
Wireless Network Adapter | Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter | $9.99 @ Amazon
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1149.81
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-20 17:02 EST-0500 |

Edit Switched you to a Xeon because I suck at math and went $100 over budget.
Edit again, if you're sure you're using 802.11ac, and not b/g or n, you'll have to go for a USB adapter like this one instead.

Okay, I am homing on on a couple sets of headphones. Right now, it is between ATH m50 and AKG K701

I think I want to settle with the k701's because they are open-backed and I have never had any headphones like that before but Bernie530 said they will fatigue your ears after a while. I don't know if that holds true because las0m said that he enjoys them and they are great but I want some more advice between those two.

Also, I think I will get This DAC but it is pushing my choice a little bit out of my price range. Is there a way for me to get that same amp (or very similar) for maybe $50-$75?

Also, what's the difference between the AKG K701's and K702's? I read around and people said they sounded the same but the K702's have a detachable wire unlike the K701's as well as also having better pads on them. Does this matter that much? They are virtually the same price so I will probably just buy the K702's because I like the color scheme more.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor | £215.81 @ Amazon UK
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | £22.85 @ CCL Computers
Motherboard | Asus H87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | £87.44 @ Scan.co.uk
Memory | Patriot Signature 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | £37.15 @ Amazon UK
Memory | Patriot Signature 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | £37.15 @ Amazon UK
Storage | Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | £71.99 @ Aria PC
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card | £215.95 @ CCL Computers
Case | Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case | £77.70 @ Aria PC
Power Supply | OCZ Fatal1ty 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | £57.66 @ Amazon UK
Optical Drive | Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer | £12.99 @ Amazon UK
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) | £69.59 @ Aria PC
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | £906.28
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-04 02:08 BST+0100 |

Thanks to Intel's hyper threading technology the CPU is a eight core. You won't have any trouble video / audio editing.
You don't need an aftermarket CPU, but it is quieter and keeps the CPU cooler than the stock one.
A quality motherboard.
16GB RAM are plenty for audio / video creation.
SSD for OS and main programs.
HDD for media.
GTX 760 helps in video editing and can play any game at max settings atb1080p.
A silence optimized case.
A good power supply with more than enough headroom.
A cheap optical drive, because who uses those?
If you want the start menu back in WIN8, try Classic Shell or StartIsBack out.
I don't know about your audio gear, but if you need a sound card: Asus Xonar Essence STX, Creative Sound Blaster ZxR, Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR, CREATIVE Sound Blaster Z. You should definitely do more research on these cards.

First, try a different HDMI cable. Also be sure you're using HDMI port 1 or 2 on the TV, per your manual those are HDCP 2.2.

Next, I checked out your receiver's manual and this was interesting, maybe play with this or similar A/V HDMI or "passthru" settings:

"When the HDMI option in Setting the Audio options on page 25 is set to THRU, the sound will be heard through your TV, not from this receiver."

If your receiver doesn't end up liking the PC HDMI video signal and refuses to pass along to the TV (my old Sony receiver was like this), you could instead grab an internal or external PC sound card that allows you to run an optical cable from PC to receiver to get digital surround sound.

I can personally recommend this internal one:

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG

Here's others from Creative brand - check prices vs Amazon, New Egg, Google Shopping, etc...and check Amazon price history on any model using camelcamelcamel.com before you buy...be sure it has an Optical Audio Out:

https://us.creative.com/p/sound-cards

If these are too expensive you can go cheaper from Amazon's top 100 lists (results may vary):

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Computer-Internal-Sound-Cards/zgbs/electronics/284823

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-External-Sound-Cards/zgbs/electronics/3015427011

Hope this helps, good luck!!! :D

EDIT:

1. If you grab a sound card w/optical but need to use the coaxial audio input on your receiver instead of optical, you'll have to convert the output...an example device to do this:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/C2G-40019-Optical-Coaxial-Converter/dp/B0002GV876
   
   
2. You could avoid a sound card altogether and get a device that strips the audio out of the HDMI cable going from PC to receiver. Something like this...but FYI there's about a billion models of these on Amazon so browse for good ratings and lots of reviews...some also split the audio to coaxial rather than optical as mentioned above...and you may need "HDCP 2.2" which supports 4K/HDR.
   
   Here's a top selling one:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Extractor-Splitter-Output-Optical-Digital/dp/B01I9JG70A
   
   Here's a 4K/HDR/HDCP 2.2 one:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/ViewHD-NEWEST-Extractor-Support-18Gpbs/dp/B06XRT9VGL
   
   EDIT 2: Sorry for the long reply. Too much coffee this AM. :D

this only relates to general use and gaming for me because i dont know the kind of equipment people who create music or work with audio actually need.

my answer would be it depends on your situation and what you need from your sound card. i had a logitech z5500 system forever now i've switched to their newer z906 setup. both of these sound systems can accept dolby true surround and thats usually a crapshoot with onboard audio. if you have a more simple or non dolby based sound system you would probably be fine with on board audio. also if you use a headset for the most part, especially a USB headset, you will likely be fine with on board audio.

i bought a sound blaster z for my new build because i didnt want to fiddle with on board attempting to output dolby true surround and probably end up with upscaled stereo anyways, but more importantly i needed something with optical in and out so i can hook up my consoles to my PC line in and still hopefully get dolby surround from those. i will say the dolby integration with this sound card is better and easier to use than any on board audio i've had in the past, but these two things are specific requirements that you might not need.

i also wouldve been perfectly fine using on board audio and aux cables for everything but i'd be listening to simulated surround and my consoles would be stereo only, to me and with this system it made a difference to buy one.

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There may be some questions still unanswered! Below are a selection of questions with no replies. See if you can help them out.

If you don't want to see this comment click the little [-] to the left of my username to collapse this comment.

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> I have $70 on steam that is burning a hole in my pocket. What single player games would you recommend?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq24v1h/

----

> I'm trying to figure out whether I need to buy a sound card.
>
> I want to be able to play a twitch stream, spotify through my 3.5 speakers and have my my game and mic through my headset.
>
> If I do is this https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E a good option?
>

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq2cd43/

----

> is there an updated guide for windows 10 like this?
> https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/3f10k0/things_to_removedisable_in_windows_10/
> Things to disable or turn off?

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq2hjy7/

----

> Can anyone recommend a good remote desktop application for playing games? My plan is to keep my desktop at home and play from a laptop in dorms.

/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7e0sbm/daily_simple_questions_thread_nov_19_2017/dq337ih/

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You're looking for a USB DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter), also called an external soundcard, or some combination of those.

Ones that are a desktop "box" rather than a large dongle tend to be more expensive, however here's one from Asus that a quick Amazon search turned up. Creative is also a name worth looking out for, there's this one and this smaller one There are also higher end ones more suitable if you're doing music or video production, which have high-quality inputs for microphones and instruments.

Don't worry if you find ones that take a 6.25mm (1/4") headphone cable as you can get converters easily. You can certainly get more expensive.

Edit: The Razer box probably does some simulated surround sound processing, I believe the Asus and Creative products should have simulated surround sound (and probably do a better job of it) in addition to enough speaker outputs to have true surround sound. Simulated surround isn't for everyone, and can be turned off.
Worth mentioning is the Sennheiser GSX 1000, which got a great review from HardwareCanucks, especially the simulated surround sound. Very expensive though.

TL;DR
It's a type of USB Soundcard, the Razer one has the wires fixed in. Only some of them are boxes with volume controls on them, so shop around.

Can anyone ELI5 "Dolby Headphone"?

I've never used headphones for gaming, but I'm looking to start. As I understand it from reading on /r/headphones, the virtual surround technology du jour is called "Dolby Headphone"

Does an onboard soundcard like on my asrock z97 pro4 support Dolby Headphone?

Do the headphones need to support it, or does it only depend on the hardware? Do I need to run any additional software, or does the driver take care of it?

Do I need to select any special setting in each game to somehow "enable" Dolby Headphone, or is it just recognized automatically?

I've seen sound cards like ASUS Xonar recommended frequently, can I leave my headphones plugged into this, and leave my speakers plugged into my onboard, and somehow automatically switch to the addon card/headphones when I launch a game?

>but all of the responses are "get a good pair of headphones and a clip on mic"

Because this is the best option.

I personally use the clip on Zalman but I've heard great things about the ModMic. If you got a great pair of headphones(many use the AD700, HD558/HD598, etc) and attached this it would essentially be the same as a gaming headset but with significantly better sound quality and better build quality.

If you're going to be stubborn and not accept this, I reccommend going for the Sennheiser PC360. It's typically around the same price as the HD598 but not quite as good...

EDIT: Added links to some products, note that I only looked them up on Amazon, you can probably find everything cheaper if you shop around...

---

EDIT 2: DarkWingPig mentioned virtual surround sound, which is what draws many people towards gaming headsets. You can add this functionality to any pair of headphones using a sound card such as the Asus Xonar DG, Asus Xonar DS, or the Asus Xonar DX.

I have an Asus Xonar DX and, in my opinion, it can work well in certain games such as Counterstike, where knowing the position of a sound is essential, but I don't use it for the majority of games...

A user over at Head Fi called Mad Lust Envy has created a thread reviewing many different pairs of headphones in relation to how well they work with Dolby Headphone(virtual surround sound).

> The advantage is basically in volume. On average adding an extra woofer adds 3 decibels to the sensitivity per watt and increases power handling.

OK, if that's all it adds then I have no need for 2 woofers lol, I listen at pretty low volumes (I have Asperger's and get ear fatigue easily)

> If you want to produce music in 5.1

no, I just want a stereo setup for production and a surround setup for gaming/movies, hopefully both using the JBL LSR305's. As far as I know, surround sound mixing is really only for film work. There's no practical reason to make music in 3.1, 4.1, etc since almost no listening environment is designed for surround sound music. I don't want to mess with my perception of L/R when producing

what do you think about something like this? It seems like the most cost-effective way to connect a bunch of powered monitors to a PC. For professional use it would be lackluster but for hobbyist use like mine I think it seems ideal. I have a hard time justifying $500 on what is essentially an audio cable adapter when I could spend that $500 on a center + sub (I have a small bedroom / dorm room when on campus and don't need a big sub)

I wonder if there is a clever way to use a Sys to effectively switch between stereo for music production (Focusrite > stereo speakers) and entertainment (soundcard > surround setup).

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526348534&sr=8-1&keywords=7.1+sound+card

Actually yes, I did. My motherboard used the Realtek built-in sound or whatever it is, which was alright, but once I got the soundcard (I got this one on sale for like $75) the sound was much clearer, and insanely louder with better control over everything. You do need decent headphones, so like a $30 headset isn't going to be affected as much as something like the ATH M50x's I got a year or so ago (Also very good purchase). I used to listen to music at 75-95% usually which was pretty loud, and now the equivalent is around 25-30%, and its quality is enough to very noticeably tell the difference between stuff like spotify premium and YouTube audio.

This guy is actually right to some degree, man. You know how we all preffer, when talking about gaming, a dedicated graphics card? Well, the same thing happens with sound cards. GPU sound outputs aren't usually great and have a lot of interference, but that doesn't mean that all GPUs will have crappy outputs.

If you are comfortable with the sound that you have, well, keep it that way, because it's your setup and well, the point of having a setup is that you like it and are comfortable with it, though, I think you should give a dedicated sound card a try.

I use this one which works quite well (I don't see the need to run audio through HDMI, but perhaps that's just one of the perks of not being able to totally embrace the digital era that I will eventually deal with) and installation is a rather tricky business, but the card does deliver (at least in my case it did).

I made a separate post for this first before a kind user pointed me here so bear with me if you already saw this.

I've been hovering on the edge of deciding whether to invest in good headphones for awhile now and I need the final word in whether or not to do it. I own a pretty powerful desktop and do a lot of gaming; I also have hundereds of gigs of music and enjoy listening to all kinds daily. Quality is pretty important to me and I love it when a song can fully immerse me. I listen to many different genres ranging from alternative/rock to electronic/ambient. I currently own a pair of Grado SR 60i's right now and they do the trick for casual listening but I feel like I could be getting more. I did some reading and based on some reviews I picked out some new headphones along with some peripherals to enhance my listening experience. I would really appreciate it if you fellas would weigh in on my choices and let me know if I am making the right decision with my purchase.

Headphones- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A8CW2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Sound card- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Amp/DAC- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VO7LG6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A13BNE3P7C8THK

Is there anything I am missing? Something I am skimping on? Will the headphones suit my needs(in a head-fi article I read that 598's were great for gaming as well)?

This is a hardware thing. Cheap DACs and amps in consumer grade hardware are usually pretty crap, unshielded, and prone to interference. Luckily for you, there are a lot of options. Cheap PCIe sound cards like this are easy to install and work great if you have a spare PCIe slot. If not, there are USB options as well. I personally like the FiiO E10k but the Schiit Fulla is popular as well. You can find either of these pretty cheaply on somewhere like /r/AVexchange/ if new is too expensive for you.

So I'm currently using Sennheiser HD598's with attached Antlion Mod Mic 4.0. I'm not sure if it's always been this static-prone or just over time has gotten worse, but the mic produces a lot of static at max volume (no gain). I can't turn the volume down, because my voice is extremely quiet over this microphone especially in specific games. I've tried them on my onboard audio board (Realtek) and an external I bought (Creative Audigy FX 5.1).

I've done some research and microphone static can be due to the internal sound card having interference from other parts in the PC. Would it be worth it to try a USB solution such as this? I'm just worried that it might not increase the overall volume of the microphone, and am having trouble finding a microphone amplifier otherwise.

I also found this external card which is a bit more expensive but would that make a bit more difference in terms of mic volume + clarity?

Or would I honestly just be better off with a USB mic like a Blue Yeti/Snowball or similar in terms of quality, volume, clarity etc.?
 
I've done a bit of research but it all seems so vague. Most people recommend ModMic + "Audiophile" headset, but if the quality is so bad that people can barely hear me without a ton of static, why is it recommended at all? Surely I must be missing something here.

I could recommend a 7.1 card, and if you must have a 7.1 sourround headset, this is a fairly swell soundcard it: Asus Xonar DS

Having done as you ask, let me ask something. Do you really need a gimmicky 7.1 Headset? Because that's what it is: a gimmick. The individual drivers in the headset will not only be smaller (and thus lose any quality in bass, and be incredibly tinny in higher trebles), but the incredibly limited space for driver placement (opposed to how with a home theater, you have the entire room to place the speakers for surround) in the headphones, meaning that you'll find it incredibly difficult to actually discern the direction of a given sound in the 3d environment of a game, making the feature ever so slightly pointless.

Infact, in my experience (I've owned both a Turtlebeach 5.1 headset, and a 7.1 Razer Megalodon), even software virtualization techniques (for example, Dolby's Pro Logic software) beat a given 7.1 equipped headset in ability to make clear the direction of a given sound.

As many no doubt will recommend you do in this thread, I must recommend you pick up a quality set of headphones, and this is a good place to start looking for one. Along with that, I'd recommend you get a quality DAC (Digital-to-Analog converter, they function kind of like soundcard, but offer alot of benefits over a sound card, at the price of being outside the computer) such as this.

Of course, it's all subjective, and there's no way for me to convince you of the lovemaking-sounds a high quality set of headphones (with a DAC) can provide, without your experiencing it yourself. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck to you.

I've got a Creative Sound Blaster Z card (or something like that) which simulates surround sound even on stereo headphones. Works brilliantly. Can pinpoint vehicles and infantry exactly.

Great fun going infiltrator hunting with it.

Had no issues and works great with every game I've tried.

Creative Sound Blaster Z PCI Express Sound Card https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009S1NTUU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tqTWzb32YG1H6

With my

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009XDWUCQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519395122&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sound+card&dpPl=1&dpID=41A5R2qbKSL&ref=plSrch

And my Sennheiser stereo headphones, I hear everything pretty perfectly.. if you're using a similar system make sure that you go to Playback Devices -> Speaker Configuration -> Change it from stereo to 5.1. I frequently get wallbangs just from hearing someone walking or reloading, I can hear that people are above or below me. I am pretty convinced it's probably the best sound setup there is. I've been using a similar setup since playing Americas Army, a game that having a good sound setup was much more important in. Also, after trying several "surround headphones", they just are not good. Get a dedicated sound card. Use a good pair of stereo headphones with them. It's expensive but you'll never go back to anything else.

With this said, the sound does need work. I think sometimes I hear people run in a house, but the footstep sound fails to change from gravel to wood, which can be pretty confusing. If I'm not playing with the 5.1 option set it's pretty aweful. Even tryed using a couple virtual surround sound processors that I guess are built into windows? They were better than stock but still pretty garbage.

I've been doing some research on headphones with my primary use being gaming and movies. I think I may have narrowed it down to the HD 598, but I've also been looking at the Q 701 and sort of stumped on what might be best for me as I'm fairly new to this.

Another thing I've also been looking into is amps, mainly because I do plan on probably upgrading the headphones years down the line when I have more income. One of the amps in particular that I've seen talked about a lot was the FiiO E09K and I'm wondering if I even need something like that right now or am I better holding off on that because of the sound card I have.

Budget: Under $200

Source: ASUS Xonar DS

Isolation Requirements: Doesn't matter, it's fairly quiet in my room

Tonality: I have speakers for anything music/bass heavy, so as long as it's good for games (most importantly FPS: such as CSGO)

Past Headphones: G930, Siberia V2

Music: Rock, pop, rap mainly; a little bit of everything, actually (but I mainly use speakers for that, so I assume this shouldn't matter). But I do plan on using it for a lot of gaming and occasionally movies.

I prefer Sound Blaster Z/ZxR's surround to Dolby. Dolby tends to sound like a tin can where the Z/ZxR sounds more natural in a gaming situation. Altho since I've gotten better gear and developed a more sensitive ear I might just look into some type of crossover system that basically combines the Left and Right channels by a small percent to remove the hard left/right panning when gaming. That is basically all Dolby Headphone and Sound Blaster Surround does is just combine the two channels and throw the effects in a way that sounds more spacious.


If you're going with such a nice pair of cans like the K702's I'd go this route:

Sound Blaster Z

Schiit Modi Optical

Shiit Magni


You're going to spend $200 on the ZxR why not just get the Z a amp/dac that will last you for decades. A Schiit stack looks amazing, sounds amazing, is made in the US and has a 5 year warranty + 15 day satisfaction. The Modi Optical isn't in stock but I asked their CS the other day and they are shipped some to Amazon so they should be in stock very soon.


Your setup will look like this with the Z and Schiit amp/dac:



Sound Blaster Z > Optical cable > Modi > RCA's > Magni > Headphones.


If you go that route you get all of the benefits of the Z sound card (surround, EQ, etc) but get to bypass their lower quality amp/dac and use your own which will last much longer and sound much better.

Thanks for your help, I purchased the 250 ohms 880 from Amazon. I'm a total noob at the matter, I tried reading the wiki and the amplifiers recommended on a budget looked like regular sound cards from motherboard. This one, for example, would it really improve the quality over my motherboard(Asus Z87 Pro) integrated sound card?

Would you recommend any other amp? I have no idea what should I get, I just heard about amps today, and I would be willing to spend another 50€ if the performance is really improved.

Thanks in advance!!

Yeah. The Superluxx Solution with an external Mic is absolutely awesome and beats any Complete HS far 150 USD.
You can go the "New" Variant what costs a bit more:
HS: HD 681 Evo
Mic: Reloop

With this Combination youve got a real Headset Style, cause the Microfone will sit Right were other Mics are on the regular Headsets.

Now to the "Classic" Combination, cheaper but no loss in Quality:
HS: HD 681
Mic: Zalman Mic1

With both Solutions youre ready to go.
Only thing to Mention. You WILL need Soundcard with Headset Amplifier such as:
for PCI Slot: Xonar DG
for PCI-Ex Slot: Xonar DgX

Both are Equal in Sound Quality, take the one who fits in your computer, and then:

Enjoy awesome Sound :)

Almost any sound card will be an upgrade compared to your onboard Realtek audio. The main benefits will be slightly cleaner sounding audio stream and additional features like the Dolby enhancements (which are nice for headphones and stereo systems).

Let me give you a few options that would be farily decent:

• ~$100: Asus Xonar U7 - Fairly new so may be a bit hard to find. Offers some decent features, especially for headphones. Also has an optical out for Home Theatre systems. Plus it's a USB device so you can take it with you if you have a laptop.
  
  
• ~$60: Asus Xonar DSX - PCI-E based card, basically the entry level card I would go for if you want an internal sound card. Has a decent set of features and has 7.1 analog output (for the cheaper surround sound systems).
  
  
• ~$180: Asus Xonar Essence STX - Probably the best solution for headphones as far as PCI-E sound cards go. Decent DAC, reasonable integrated headphone amp, and all the other typical Dolby features. Note that this, like the U7, does not have multiple 3.5mm analog outs like the DSX.
  
  Now the above DAC's/sound cards are suggested if you are looking for something that has support for a surround sound speaker system and also has the virtual surround software (Dolby headphone/Dolby home theater). If you don't care about those and are only going to have either a stereo (2 channel) setup then I would probably recommend something different.

I gotta say, this was a significant challenge to keep the power and price it under $1000 with two monitors.

Ok, here we go:

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor | $199.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | MSI 880GM-E43 Micro ATX AM3 Motherboard | $79.99 @ Newegg
Memory | Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $74.99 @ Newegg
Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $41.98 @ Newegg
Hard Drive | Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.99 @ Newegg
Case | Rosewill R101-P-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $39.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Antec 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | $49.99 @ Newegg
|| Total
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $541.91
Additional Items | --Items not available in parts picker-- | ---
Video Card | PNY VCGGT4301XPB GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB | $49.99 @ Newegg
Sound Card | M-Audio Audiophile 2496 MIDI Digital Recording Interface | $86.56 @ Amazon
Monitor | ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms | $168.98 @ Newegg
Monitor | ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms | $168.98 @ Newegg
|| Grand Total
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1016.42

If you really, truly, want it under $1000 then use this EVGA 01G-P3-1312-LR GeForce 210 1GB for your video card which after mail-in rebate and shipping comes to $31.98 which saves you $18.01 bringing your total to $998.41. The machine would still be able to handle 1080p playback and two monitors. However, you would not want to use Mercury playback with that card (even if the hack in works which it may not). The GT430 costs less then $20 more so I definitely recommend it.

Brief:

dropped the IPS panels: they were a bit out of the price range but these monitors are still great options.

dropped to a GT430: if you won't be doing a ton of video editing then this is less important. However, this model should still work with the Mercury playback hack in Adobe Premier.

dropped to a lower tier M-Audio card: still one of the highly recommended cards for audio recording. However, it is highly advised you get the computer running, install the drivers from their website AND THEN install the card. DO NOT follow in box directions or use in box CDs, apparently they're all shit in windows 7.

kept the important parts: Small case, big CPU and RAM power.

* EDITED TWICE: I did not include OS in the pricing because some college campuses provide it for free or at a significant discount. If you need a $100 hole you can drop the Western Digital 500gb hard drive (save $41.98) and drop to a lower tier CPU AMD Phenom II x6 1055T (save $20) and drop the graphics card down to the alternative option above (save $18.01) which in total saves you an oddly round $79.99. It's pretty damn close and should cover the price of a school discounted Windows 7. If you need more money off there are some other options to look at which I can help you with any time; just PM me :)

Here's a Windows 7 OEM pack link for convenience if you were to buy retail

-- EDIT 2 - IMPORTANT!!! --

Do not get the GT430 i listed in this post. It is not worth it because it's underpowered and may not actually work with Mercury.

A better option would to either get the GT210 or drop the 500gb hard drive and get this ASUS GT240

Thanks for the response.

So everything is basically going to run through the iD. Is it worth it to buy a seperate sound card? or does it matter really if its all over usb. and if so, are the 100ish creative cards worth it, or should I be looking at something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ONSBF4K/

The other question he had was having multiple headphones for monitoring, potentially with different mixes. Whats the best way to do this? I saw the headphone amps to split it 4-8 ways, so if I had one with individual inputs, how do I send 4 or more mixes out to different headphones?

Thanks again

Hey fuzeebear,

First off thank you so much for replying! I've looked at different audio interfaces, and I prefer the mixing boards. Originally I was going to get a Scarlett 2i2, which seems to be pretty standard for people who make Youtube videos. However, my goal is to get my EQ and compression set so that I don't have to do it in post. That is why I was looking at the Mackie ProFX8 because it has inserts and AUX so that I could experiment around with different setups.

I think there was a miscommunication, probably stemming from me trying to type this on my phone. Anyways, my question is: Is it better to use the USB output or to go through an internal sound card. The sound card I have on my mother board I linked. I would be looking at about $100 for an internal sound card such as the ASUS Xonar DX or Sound Blaster Z. Is it worth it to get a dedicated sound card or just use the one on my mother board? Obviously I will spending more on the rest of my setup.

The Akai EIE Pro looks more promising. I'm not sure the Komplete Audio 6 fits with the setup that I am trying to accomplish because I would have to do my EQ and compression in post.

What I am looking at right now is my mic going into the Mackie ProFx8 with a compressor in the Insert. Then either a USB to my computer or directly into an internal sound card. will this work?

Cool! Thank you for the helpful replies. They're greatly appreciated!

I do have 1 more question -
I'd like to add a dedicated sound card to this build. Would something like this ASUS Xonar DGX be compatible?

The Asus Xonar DX should fit your price range. This is a probably the best sound card if you're under a budget and want great sound. The high sample rate will complement well with FLAC/high bit-rate MP3's and movies.

Another option is the Creative Sound Blaster Z The sample rate isn't AS high as the Xonar, but it's still a good card. The only reason I might suggest this is if you're a die-hard gamer. Creative is EAX certified and some people swear that the positional-audio is better. However, I still suggest the Xonar as Asus has been able to replicate the same quality of 3D sound with their drivers over the years.

I've been using a pair of Sennheiser HD650's for a few years now, and the sound is simply incredible. I was upgrading from some pretty cheap headphones at the time, so I did a lot of research, and tried a few high-end pairs. The Sennheisers were the most expensive I tried, but the quality was so notably better that I just went with them.

I listen mostly to classical, but also a fair amount of rock / pop / etc as well. Radiohead has never sounded so good.

The only other thing I might mention is I also got myself a good soundcard for my PC, as that's my music source. The card I have is the Asus Xonar Essence. That's also fairly high-end, but just be aware that if you have a cheap (or on-board) soundcard, the headphones won't reach their potential. I speak from some experience, as when I upgraded to a proper sound-card for the first time, my pretty cheap headphones at the time suddenly sounded 10X better. It was a revelation!

Many recomend the ASUS Xonar cards, but I had too much problems with drivers for other ASUS products to even consider them anymore. I'm using Creative Labs ZXR and Im very satisfied with it. As far as I can tell they are equally good. If you are on a budget chose Sound Blaster Z or ASUS Xonar DGX. Sound cards below these perform as well as the built in solutions of the high end motherboards.

Also dont forget that for good sound quality beside a soundcard you need an equally good headphone.

OK. first thing is you dont need to buy anything except some adapter cables (3.5mm stereo to RCA). your Pioneer receiver has a 6ch ANALOG input. using the analog output of the sound card in 5.1 mode you can achieve excatly the same thing as HDMI, except with an analog connection instead of HDMI.

secondly, if you WANT to use digital, the Xonar STX is WAY overkill.

what you want is a sound card that can take LPCM and encode it into a Dolby Digital or DTS so that it can fit in the bandwidth of an optical cable.

the STX can do that, but the real reason it costs so much is because of its DAC and analog output stage, neither of which you would be using.

DSX has DTS support:

http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DSX-Engine-Playback-Support/dp/B007TMZ1MY

the Creative Sound Blaster Z does both Dolby Digital and DTS:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Beamforming-Microphone-SB1500/dp/B009ISU33E/

just note that analog might sound better because there with digital optical you are limited to a 1.5mbps bitrate, where as with analog or HDMI you are not.

a decent quality analog card should sound equally as good as HDMI.

Good luck. You're gonna need a mess of adapters to accomplish that.

What you're going to need to ultimately do is get PS4 audio sent as an input into your PC and connect your headphones directly to your PC so you can hear both at the same time.

So firstly you're gonna need to make sure you have an Audio IN port on your PC. Next is transferring the Audio over to your PC. The easiest way to do this is pick yourself up a sound card with optical input. Something like this could work.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1511642837&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A4091980011%2C2889460011

Then you could run the optical cable from the PS4 to the Optical IN on the card and have it do live playback.

The second cheaper option would be to get one of these devices.

https://www.amazon.com/PROZOR-Digital-Converter-Toslink-Adapter/dp/B00KNNSKV0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511642983&sr=1-3&keywords=optical+to+3.5mm

Then run a 3.5mm into your PC. It likely won't sound as good but in theory it should work.

You would of course need to make sure you 3.5mm MIC/AUX Input on your PC.

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Converter-Adapter-Desktops/dp/B06XP5R449/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511643145&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+3.5mm+aux+input

Something like this could work on your PC if you didn't have a 3.5mm aux input.

Obviously you'd need the 3.5mm cable like this.

https://www.amazon.com/FosPower-Stereo-Auxiliary-iPhone-Samsung/dp/B00LBJ77ZK/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511643286&sr=1-3&keywords=3.5mm+audio+cable+25ft

And you'd need an optical cable that would plug into the adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Digital-Optical-Audio-Toslink/dp/B00NH11H38/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511643360&sr=1-3&keywords=Optical+cable

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is yes, but you will have to use a Y-Adapter from your audio out port and you will need to use an additional Y adapter if you plan on using headphones or speakers.

Subpac:

http://thesubpac.com/for-gaming-vr/

• Using a simple audio out connection, the SubPac adds the physical dimension to any set up.
  
  Buttkicker:
  
  http://www.thebuttkicker.com/downloads/manuals/ButtKicker%20mini%20LFE%20Instruction%20Guide.pdf
  
  
• The ButtKicker operates on low frequency audio signals, just like a subwoofer. A “Y” adaptor can
  be inserted to the subwoofer or LFE output on your surround processor to allow use of subwoofers
  and ButtKickers in harmony.
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  The even longer answer is that you could build your own bass shaker system for less money and have more power and better configuration(4 bass shakers instead of 2(buttkicker + subpac)):
  
  
  This is my DIY bass shaker setup:
  
  
• Amp: http://www.parts-express.com/4x100w-at-4-ohm-tk2050-class-t-digital-audio-amplifier-board--320-335
  
  
• Power Supply: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERNIGHT-24V-DC-14-6A-350W-Regulated-Switching-Power-Supply-Transformer-/331060676334?hash=item4d14c106ee:g:hV0AAMXQjWtRKt4z
  
  
• Bass Shakers: http://www.amazon.com/Reckhorn-Bs-200-Tactile-Transducer-Theater/dp/B00AMH17GC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1425568544&sr=8-5&keywords=bass+shaker
  
  
• Second Sound card to drive amp: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Audigy-SB1550/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1402934998&sr=8-8&keywords=sound+card
  
  
  Bass Shakers: 4 x $40
  
  Power Supply: 1 x $24
  
  Amp: 1 x $50
  
  Sound card: 1 x $30
  
  DIY Total: $264
  
  Examples:
  
  
• http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/724042-My-DIY-SimVibe-racing-rig
  
• http://www.overclock.net/t/1354257/project-log-my-diy-simvibe-racing-rig
  
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Compare that to:
  
  Buttkicker:$150 - $200
  
  Subpac Total: $379-$399
  
  Total: $529 - $600

Creative Sound blaster is really great for the price
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463969270&sr=1-2&keywords=sound+blaster
I also recommend Sennehiser's HD 558 or 598 coupled with a cheap 10 dollar mic or something over the Game One/or Game Zer0's
The sound stage and clarity is wholly worth the minuscule extra effort.
Sound cards are primarily to drive high impedance rated speakers, most modern onboard audio is, correct me if I'm wrong, can power 80-100 ohms or so?
Also, if you don't plan on using surround sound you can use a USB sound card for your headphones again I recommend the Creative brand.

I use the but kicker gamer2 and simvibe mostly with assetto, Iracing and live for speed. The simvibe software supports these games. In addition to buying simvibe, you also need to run it on its own 5.1 sound card. So yes, your computer needs two sound cards. I picked up one on Amazon and it works great.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO6X4XG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Apologies for repeating myself, but would a dedicated sound card (like this one perhaps) just output 5.1 over optical by default? Obviously some programs, games, etc. will not take advantage of that, but at least it would automatically output in 5.1 whenever possible. Or, would I need an HDMI receiver or something like that? Thank you for your help!

I have the Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB, for my laptop and while Skyrim hasn't opened up for me yet it has solved past audio problems.

Example: Crysis made weird electronic distortiony sounds but after I installed the card it worked great! It bypasses the onboard soundcard and frees up more resources, also supports 5.1 out as well as spdif and other fancy stuff.

It has PCIe 3.0 and it's considered to be a better board overall.

Forgot the SSD, better get this:

http://www.amazon.de/Crucial-CT128M4SSD2-128GB-interne-SSD-Festplatte/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1323954768&sr=1-1

http://www.alternate.de/html/product/Crucial/RealSSD_M4_2,5_SSD_128_GB/954190/?


That Creative is old, better this one

http://www.amazon.de/interne-Soundkarte-Digital-Technik-Profile/dp/B00198DM2K/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1323955026&sr=1-1



Here's a nice case

http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p619050_Lancool-PC-K62-Midi-Tower-ohne-Netzteil-schwarz.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4XCT9yibwQ

> You're overlooking one factor. There are some people who will come to this thread, misguided in the fact that adding a new soundcard will make a magical difference on their system no matter what. That's where I have the issue.
>
>
>
> It needs to be stated, quite clearly, that a dedicated sound card isn't always going to make a difference. It's not a fix-all. It won't make your crappy speaker systems sound nice, and it won't make you magically able to hear the faintest of footsteps on crappy headphones.
>
>
>
> I'm all for discussing higher-end solutions, as long as it's made apparent that only higher-end sound setups will notice the difference.
>
>
>
> I've personally been burned by the psychotic hipster audiophiles in the past, and don't want to see other people throwing away money fruitlessly.
>
>
>
> EDIT: Oh, I forgot to factor in another thing, as well. Some people literally cannot hear the difference, even with all the high-end bells and whistles. It could be due to partially damaged hearing (which is a very common thing, thank you loud rock music over extended periods of time), or other similar factors. Pitching several-hundred-dollar solutions like they're a godlike gaming fix for everyone is just ignorant, and it's just begging people to waste money when they genuinely might not be able to hear any difference.
>
>
>
> Like I said above, when I see posts like this, I just think of all of those people that spent a ton of money, just trying to justify their costs, even though it's entirely possible that they can't genuinely tell a bit of difference.

It seems like you did not actually read any of my posts, or listen to the demo.

This is not an "audiophile" change where someone is claiming that a new DAC or a new amp will significantly improve your sound quality, when there was nothing wrong with what you had before. (no hiss or interference, and things played loud enough)

This is the difference between stereo audio and surround audio - which should be noticeable on all but the crappiest of headphones.

If anything it goes against what "audiophiles" recommend, since that's usually along the lines of: ditch the sound card and spend $200 on a Schiit Stack. (Magni+Modi)

A Sound Blaster Z is $77 on Amazon right now and has been as low as $55.

If you're happy with how your on-board audio sounds, and it's using a supported codec, X-Fi MB3 for $30 is also a potential option.

Additionally, a sound card can do exactly what you say above: "it won't make you magically able to hear the faintest of footsteps on crappy headphones."

That's what Creative's "recon mode" option does - though it's not a feature that I use.

It really depends on what you want, and most of the time a lot of these things can be done with bay add ons or are already common.

> You know how you only need to touch the xbox one's power button to turn it on? and it gives sound feedback

Most PCs POST (the little beep you hear when you turn it on).

> or the blu ray drive that doesnt come out but you only need to slide the disk in

Slimdrives are farily common in SFF cases like this one (slot on the front side).

There are also cases that do stuff like regulate exhaust vents being open/closed automatically (Zalman H1).

And front bay devices that do everything from regulate fans, act as sound cards, or manage overclocks exist and are pretty easy to come by.

I got this for $30 including tax. I had hoped to improve two things. One, my mic can be quiet, and two I have nice headphones that could use some extra juice. Would this sound card be the thing that could do both for a relatively good price? Any thing I should be aware of, as this is my first time venturing away from my motherboards built in audio whatever.


Thanks!

I have a decent sound card but I thought my current headphones were 7.1 or 5.1.

Apparently not lol

The new HyperX models seem to be nice. There was a Seinnheiser around $200 that was supposed to be amazing but current reviews don't seem to agree.

This page lists the new HyperX as a top one. I don't mind spending the money I just want to hear from those who have the 7.1 headphones on how they like it

Probably, yes. You might need to get a new part and do some soldering though.

Photos of the actual broken part could help us giving better answers, both sides of the motherboard.

If you need help soldering or replacing parts, consider asking in /r/AskElectronics

If you feel that's too much of a hassle, just buy and install a sound card like this and call it a day. Plus, your audio will sound better.

i got the dt 990 pros last night. they are just a little under the volume i need them to be at for gaming sadly... so i was going to grab the e10k after work today but my friend has an unused soundblaster sound card which hes offered for free. it has a built in amp, do you think that will do the trick and give me more volume and potentially better sound compared to my on-board audio?

its a [sound blaster z pcie] (https://www.amazon.com/d/Internal-Sound-Cards/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1540908988&sr=1-3&keywords=Sound+Blaster+Z+Pcie)

Thanks for the quick response!

I looked a little deeper on the socket type of my board (In retrospect, I should have done this earlier) and it says I have an FM1.

Am I stuck on FM1 processors or can I use FM2 or FM3? If I am stuck on FM1, I'll just upgrade my motherboard as well as my CPU. Would you have any recommendations for this?

Right now all I have is an AMD 7850 with a 600w power supply and this sound card. While I want to say price doesn't matter, I want to keep it under $300 if at all possible.

I want my computer to run games a bit better and be ready for a graphics card upgrade within the next few years. Thanks for any/all help!

It depends on whether or not you're an audiophile.

This one will do just fine for people like me who aren't that picky about sound.

But if you really want to go balls to the wall something like this would be better.

The problem you might run into is the people that review sound cards. Half of them just want something super simple and half of them are audiophiles that are super picky about their sound.

Awesome, thanks again. I have one last question for you if you're up to it...

Would I find a substantial increase in quality(or whatever anything) by picking up something like a Sound Blaster Z or a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi?

I've never amplified anything before besides guitars haha, so this is a very big learning experience for me. I cannot say I've heard high fidelity audio before so I'm not sure what I've actually been missing out on by just running my cans through the default input.

My main concern is getting a headset that takes advantage of my motherboard's audio capabilities. I currently have a USB headset with its own sound card and I really feel like I'm wasting my motherboards potential.

I notice that this connects through USB, but I am assuming it is a completely different process than my current headset. Also, what are the benefits of a DAC/Amp combo as opposed to just a headphone amp?

Thanks a ton, again I am an infant audiophile.

EDIT: To clarify, my question is: what is the cheapest way to amplify my mobo output but keep expensive mobo audio quality? Could I install something like [this]https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1483566806&sr=1-1&keywords=headphone+amp+pci but have it only amplify and not handle all audio?

I noticed it uses a usb volume control. Maybe one of your usb ports has a poor voltage regulator and is emitting interference through the power bus? It's worth checking by plugging into other sources.Anyway that sound card was on razer's recommended list but I've never heard that headset myself so I can't comment on weather it would benefit from that sound card. If that's too expensive I'd go for this. I've had good experience with Asus sound cards and I tend to stay far away from creative due to my experience with them.

If you have a desktop, I'd highly recommend the Asus Xonar DX. It's better for music than it is for gaming, where the Creative cards pull ahead just slightly.

If you have a notebook, I'd look recommend looking into the NuForce uDac

If you do most of your listening on an iPod, I'd recommend the NuForce Icon Mobile

If you're on a budget, I'd recommend the Fiio e5, but to be honest, it's a still a little underpowered for those cans.

Looks like it could be an external sound card for PC. I think X-fi is a technology from Creative? There should be a model number or something on the back. If not, plug it into your PC and hope it's not some terrible hacked device that will blow up your computer.
Seriously though, I'm like 90% sure it's something similar to this.

Budget - $300, $350 max

Source - Most likely an internal sound card.

Requirements for Isolation - None.

Preferred tonal balance - I'm not sure, so I'm going to go with balanced.

Past headphones - Logitech G930, Corsair Vengences 1400

Preferred Music - Rock, folky music with a lot of acoustic guitars and banjos etc.

Miscellaneous - I game a lot. I play a little of everything (except for MOBAs and RTS). I love my G930's 7.1 surround sound (they use Dolby Headphone 7.1 Virtual Surround) and I pretty much need 7.1 surround when I game.

Right now I'm looking at Sennheiser HD 598 (omg so sexy) and an Asus Xonar DSX, + a modmic

Any help or advice would be much appriciated!

http://smile.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG?sa-no-redirect=1

The Audigy RX 7.1 is what I'm using for my ModMic currently, and it's absolutely solid for the price. Amazon Warehouse Deals has them for ~$45, and you can always return it if the 'cosmetic scratches' affect the usability of the product at all.

I currently have it on +20db boost and level set at 40/100 and I've gotten quite a few comments on how I sound better than I did before from the people I hang out with on Skype, etc. Best $50 for mic input I've spent, and I've tried a bunch of stuff to try to get the best audio experience.

Also, it has dual microphone inputs, which is useful if you stream games played with friends or if you want to keep your ModMic and your G4ME One plugged in at the same time but switch between the two.

Yeah either would allow you to you headphones or speakers. I have a headphone amp and DAC on my desk for the same reason. A sound card is probably the more elegant solution though. If you're looking for a low budget solution, I've heard good things about this and this card.

I'm also saudi.

@Jeddah

___

Specs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item

----|:----|
CPU | Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor @4.8GHz | $329.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $135.99 @ SuperBiiz
Thermal Compound | Gelid Solutions GC-Supreme 7g Thermal Paste | $9.87 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard |-
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $97.22 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $87.95 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $154.95 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card @+300/550 | $649.99 @ B&H
Case | Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case | $149.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $103.98 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer | $52.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) | $87.95 @ OutletPC
Wireless Network Adapter | Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter | $29.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 158.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $26.98 @ OutletPC
Monitor | Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor | $408.00 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $169.99 @ B&H
Mouse | Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse | $67.38 @ Amazon
Headphones | Kingston HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset | $95.99 @ NCIX US
Headphones| JVC Kenwood Victer HA-SZ2000| $216.00
Sound Card| Asus Essence STX II| $259.99
Other| Belkin Anti-Static Wristband| $4.78
Other| Arctic Silver Arcticlean Thermal Cooling Material Remover and Surface Purifier | $6.89
Other| SYBA Plastic Stand for ATX Case with Adjustable Width and 5 Caster Wheels| $14.21

Here is the best deal on the internet - the external USB sound card - make your music sound 50 times better. It's called the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1290. Amazing low price of $29.99 on sale (Amazon). Before this device my volume was max and it sounded poor. Now my volume is at 20% and it sounds like an expensive stereo.

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_147_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=31tudwHNXgL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR102%2C160_&refRID=09CXN5MXW71FGBHP448C

Most likely you don't need a amp unless the amp from your motherboard is somehow super awful. 80Ohm shouldn't be too hard to drive but if you do need a soundcard, I would recommend the Xonar DG.

https://www.amazon.de/interne-Soundkarte-Digital-Headphone-Profile/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519406906&sr=8-1&keywords=xonar+DG

There is also the DGX if you need the PCI Express slot.

DT 770 + Xonar DG sounds like a pretty decent setup, especially since you don't have many choices in Netherland.

Circuitry is pretty small these days, you'd be surprised :P

I'd try to just find drivers over buying a USB sound card. I am not a huge proponent of USB sound devices in the slightest.

If you end up needing a new sound card, i'd recommend something like this, which is around your price range. Supports front audio header connection as well, and your motherboard (if it is indeed the same one) has a pci-e x1 slot.


Edit: I'm actually not sure if that motherboard is the same as whats in that PC. The image they have is entirely different, and what they have listed as the motherboard (760G), looks to be in reference to the chipset used, lol. And the manufacturer has gone out of business.

I highly recommend dropping the scam of a headset (7.1 surround sound headsets are a marketing ploy, you don't have 7 speakers pointing at you from appropriate angles), and picking up a pair of Sennheiser HD 280s or similar, and something like this and you will get much better results. Gaming headsets are a terrible value as far as audio quality goes.

Combine those with one of these, and you will get a superb audio experience and the ability to hook up a real surround sound system if you desire.

Edit: Also, if you really want a bunch of macro keys, get a Corsair K95 keyboard. Mechanical keys will last you much longer. Go to a store, or order a switch tester and determine what switches you prefer.

Yah it's whatever for me. I bought the motherboard for gaming specifically, I was going to get a sound card or DAC regardless of the audio, but I thought I could wait a little longer because audio quality wouldnt be as bad.. The amount doesnt surprise my, my headphones are 400 ohm and that means they will be quiet with almost anything, my cellphone especially (note 7and note 4). I was looking for the chipset in my HP Pavilion Dv6 with Beats Audio, maybe you would know how to find what audio chip is used? It just honestly blows me away, I've had this for 6 years, and although it's on the Fritz I still bust bust it out for music). Very very little static (better than my brothers Sound blaster using the onboard amp) and the audio quality in my ears is clearer, closer, and voices sound even more defined (amped).I also user foobar2000 btw, idk what else there is, or if it will of change sound, but just for reference.

Edit: Also both my desktop and laptop might not need an amp, it's just for the volume I enjoy (a little on the louder side)I need and and amp. If i was walking around in public with either of these computers I would not amp it, and I bet people could still hear it (ignoring my open back headphones). comparing at 90% on my laptop, and matching volume on my amp, it definitely gets a little tighter with the amp. I didn't notice anything with the desktop.

Hey Zeos, I'm looking to run a SMSL SD-793ii as a DAC/AMP but my motherboard doesn't have a S/PDIF output. I know that you linked the fanmusic USB to S/PDIF as an alternative but I was wondering if something like this would also work. If it does, do you suggest I go with this route or the fanmusic route?

EDIT: Would something like this also be an alternative?

Thank you!

Somewhere above $1000. But really, you'd be better off buying an external sound card. I use this one, which works quite well and is pretty cheap. Depending on what hardware it will be driving, you might want something better.

I looked up your motherboard model number. Yeah, bottom of the barrel budget stuff there. Definitely no premium audio built in.

It really depends on what you want. If all you're looking for is louder, clearer audio, then something like the internal PCIe based Asus Xonar DGX is relatively cheap and "good enough":

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TMZ1BK/



If you want a bit higher end experience, the a USB DAC with built in headphone amp would be nice:

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2

Beyond this, the sky is the limit, you can end up spending a lot of money on pro/audiophile equipment.

Those options seem gimmicky to me. I'm all for trying a different solution, but id honestly recommend just buying a sound card for $20 that works with PCIE and KNOW its going to work.

(EDIT:) After revisiting your post, i noticed the steelseries is a 7.1 surround headset. you'll need something a little more beefy then. This , I believe will do the trick. But i can't be for sure its exactly what you will want.

Maybe go to your local microstation and ask them what card they'd recommend?

I have the same issue..

About a month ago i picked up a pair of mackie mr8's and had a very noticeable hum/static sound coming from them..

I purchased This external usb soundcard in hopes of fixing the sound and the static/sound is still there (though slightly reduced).

Plugging my monitors into a laptop vs my desktop removed the humming noise. Perhaps OP should check to see if he has the same issue, which would at least narrow it down to an issue with his power supply or grounding?

Good luck finding a solution!

Okay awesome, I'll grab a PCI sound card.

Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 Sound Card (PCI Express 1.0, Smart Volume Normalizer, Xear 3D Virtual Speaker Shifter, Magic Voice) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007RMMYFI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FiNLxb41JNRWW

So I'll grab one of those receivers a set of bookshelf speakers and some cable and i should be good to go

Hey folks. I'm looking for some input for a headphone upgrade. This is used for both music and gaming.

I'm presently using Audio Technica ATH-a700s. They're very comfortable for extended sessions, and the soundstage is fantastic (which is especially useful when gaming)

The soundcard is the Asus Xonar Essence STX, so higher impedance headphones wouldn't be a problem.

I have kind of a big head, too. I had a pair of Sennheiser HD280s and those felt like a clamp on my noggin and were uncomfortable after like 10 minutes.

A decent balance of isolation and wide soundstage is what I'm looking for, primarily.

I am looking to buy a DAC (budget around $30) for my laptop as the sound quality is inferior to my iPhone. I am mainly going to use my RHA ma750i for listening.

I've looked at several of them on Amazon and most are too expensive for me. I just want to have the same music quality experience as my iPhone.

Here's the Link for both of them:
Sound Blaster PLAY!
, Sound Blaster X-Fi Go!

They seem convenient, portable and quite easy to carry.

If you guys know of better DACs in the same price range, please let me know. Thanks.

BTW just bought one of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEDCA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 works like a charm! It seems to be the Dolby Digital Live encoder that E:D uses that my realtek card didnt support. Now I am getting flawless surround sound for 50$. Hope this helps!

One thing to note with this method is that unless you have a fairly nice discrete sound card or really nice on-board, you're probably going to have latency issues while monitoring.

That said, you could probably split the signal so that one side goes to an amp and the other goes to the line-in so that you can just monitor through the amp, but I didn't try that method and just opted to get this puppy here and it's worked like a champ.

First double check that your PC doesn't have a combo jack (3.5mm analog and 3.5mm optical in the same port). a lot of modern PCs (especially macs) have this and if that's the case this is your best bet for audio. This is what you'd want.

​

If you're using HDMI output (especially if you're using a receiver or multiple HDMI inputs), something like this is a good choice.

​

If not, your next best bet is a internal soundcard with optical output (like this one) if it's a desktop, or an external USB soundcard with an optical output if it's a laptop (like this one).

​

If neither of these work, and/or you're on a device that only has a 3.5mm analog output and nothing else, you can use one of these with one of these adapters. It's known as an analog to digital converter (ADC) and will take in analog (RCA/3.5mm) and convert it to a digital format like optical. This isn't super recommended, as it add extra conversion steps to the process and will reduce the sound quality of your soundbar somewhat unless you pay out extra money for a high quality professional ADC.

I got a pair of Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 80 ohms yesterday, and I currently have THIS sound card. My previous headphones (JVC Harx900) were loud as absolute fuck with the sound card, to the point of being able to use them as speakers. So the quietness of the beyerdynamics is a little startling. I want to probably get an amp, but how big of a difference would that make? The creative audigy sound card claims to have a 600 ohm headphone amp, is that just shenanigans or will an amp really make a huge difference?

TLDR - is a real amp better than a sound card that claims to have an amp

I just posted this as a separate post and it was recommended I post it here. Thanks!

So today I received my new Sennheiser PC 350 Special Edition 2015 headset (thank you Prime Day). It came with an adapter to go from the two 3.5mm plugs (headphones and mic) into one 3.5mm. When I plug directly into my computer through 3.5mm, it does not sound good: absolutely no low end, however the mic still sounds pretty good. Am I in need of some other piece of hardware?

I saw with another Sennheiser headset that this item was recommended: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Adaptor-Gaming-Headsets-3DM1/dp/B01ER49SCA/ref=pd_sim_147_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41CWckDmylL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=TR022ZTKCYMQSXMDB7RC

Headset I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-350-Special-2015/dp/B015ZKJIYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1468443684&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+pc+350

Forgot to mention I'm using a Macbook Pro I got in early 2014.

EDIT: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/product-reviews/B0044DEDCA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_paging_btm_next_2?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=2 this seems to be something I need. Any input?

Nice writeup OP! For those looking to save a bit more.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAG1ZG0

https://smile.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ

with a zalman gives amazing sound/audio for under $100 for everything. i cant go back to "gaming" headsets.

I personally use Creative Aurana Live! 2 with Asus Xonar DGX. That combo is very cheap and has insane quality and surround if properly configured. When it comes to audio never buy anything marked as "gaming".

Creative Aurvana Live! 2 (Around $60-$65): https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Aurvana-Headset-Drivers-Line/dp/B00FC2R7ZC/

Asus Xonar DGX (Around $40): https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/

I don't recommend buying anything other than DG (PCI) or DGX (PCIe) since the software will be different and it might lack some options.

Better Cable (highly recommended): https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Replacement-Upgrade-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B00KAKGQCQ/

The default cable is thin and only coated in rubber while the Sennheiser one is sleeved and very solid. It also delivers a better quality of sound.

Those products might look old and not gamer like but I have personally tried even $150 sound blaster ae-5 card and this $40 innocent looking card beat it hands down.

Can't tell you how many times I got called out for wallhack in CS:GO due to amazing surround depth and sound separation.

If you will decide on that I can even give you instructions on how to configure it. I'm using this combo for few years already.

Honestly I'd recommend an AV Receiver.

That said, check that your current PC doesn't have onboard 5.1 surround. If it doesn't you could pick up:

• Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card
  
• Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z506
  
  Obviously you can spend whatever you want on the speakers. The above would be great on a budget. Spend anymore and IMHO you should just get a receiver:
  
  
• Denon 5.2 Channel AV Receiver With 4K Capability and Bluetooth - $199
  

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Cheap and works great with simvibe.
Sounds fantastic as well.

I have used this for about 6 years, very happy with it

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB Audio System with Phono Preamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_50GjxbGPCQFDN


Here is the newer version of it:

Creative Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1 USB Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp and Integrated Beam Forming Microphone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZT7RE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_a2GjxbYXRZF08

I have the DT990 Pro 250 Ohm and I use a dedicated sound card. The motherboard will definitely not be enough to power them properly.

A few suggestions:

• Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX is cheap and will get the job done but you won't get a 100% out of the headphones tho.
  
• Sound Blaster Z costs a bit more but will fully power the headphones (please note that it comes with an annoying red LED but it's possible to wrap electrical tape around the LED to make it stop (I use this personally and the sound is amazing).
  
  
  Those are the sound card suggestions. There are also Amps and DACs that sit outside the PC and power the headphones:
  
  
• FiiO E10K is the cheapest you can probably find for a Amp/DAC.
  
• Schiit-Magni costs a bit more but you do get more.
  
  There's obviously even better/more expensives one but you get the idea. Just google DT990 Pro soundcard/amp/dac and there will be loads to read.
  
  Good luck and enjoy the headphones.

If you're unable to find one, another solution could be to get a USB Sound Card like this. Creative makes a lot of USB Sound solutions. I've personally used the one linked in the past, and it was great for my needs at the time.

What would be a desirable voltage? Could you recommend a PCI amp? I was looking at this other card, its the best seller, 10 bucks cheaper, and can do up to 600 ohm.

No you don't need more power for it. I personally use the Sound Blaster Z from creative because it works really well.

The Sound Blaster Z from Creative who have been leading the PC audio from pretty much the beginning

Here Is a youtube video with one of the head guys there and you can learn a lot about PC audio and why it's taken a back seat.

If you do and need any help getting the audio to set up let me know. Here is a link to the card that I have but the model below it. Its about $30 cheaper but has the same inputs and decibel output.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498845975&sr=8-2&keywords=creative+sound+blaster+zx

I honestly wish that I had gone with this one because I have never used that volume controller and I don't have studio headphones so I have no need for it.

If you plan on upgrading dac, yea it might be worth considering getting standalone amp.

If you just plan on keeping pc as a source and want best amp/dac combo for money, I’d consider soundcard.

Like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Xonar-PCI-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6

Check your motherboard if you have pci slot, get dgx that support pci-ex if there no pci slots.

Oh! Oh! A chance for me to ask someone else about sound stuffs!

I've been using Sony MDR V6's for awhile now. I'm not so extensively knowledgeable to be able to discern good from bad in headphones. So I bought a pair that I liked for a variety of other reasons. So TL;DR are Sony MDR V6 headphones good enough for a game such as CS:GO?

One more question. Is onboard audio usually fine or is it worth investing in a sound card? I really don't know what a PCI-e card could do for me sound wise. However as a bit of a computer nerd. I am under the impression that it could take some of the load off of my CPU. Or so I've read. However that was a few years ago so I don't know if it applies anymore. I was looking at cards like this and this but I really don't know enough about what I'm looking at.

The easiest solution to this might just be a $30 USB DAC, like the Soundblaster X-Fi Go or Behringer UCA202. They'll easily let you record two channels of audio, and monitor it with standard headphones.

Thanks for the answer, greatly appreciated !

Funny thing is I have a Marantz amplifier ( M-CR511 ) powering the 530s and providing the sub out. And yes, I think the weakest link is the sound card, a Creative Labs ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEDCA/ ), but it's 5.1 and it has a volume knob, which is really a plus for me. Oh well, the quest continues !

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GPV7AH4/ref=s9_dcbhz_bw_d0_g23_i1_sh

This is a super basic amp and portable. You may also want a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) as well assuming it's for a desktop computer setup.

This should be a decent intro level DAC/Amp combo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QLPJM/ref=s9_hps_bw_g23_i2

I went with a Creative Sound Blaster. It replaced my broken headphone jack and improved audio. Just don't use the software. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004275EO4/ref=s9_hps_bw_g147_i16
And I also have this Fiio for using my Sennheiser HD280s at work. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RPD7KP8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

I bought this a couple years back thinking it would imprive my sound quality, but all it did was allow me to create custom EQ settings.

Since then, I discovered Peace and use that going straight from the mobo. Sounds a bit better this way.

I've never tried a DAC, but I'm seriously considering one for my SHP-9500s cans. Specifically the FiiO E10k.

Thanks! So do you have another soundcard besides the one you linked to, or you take the audio straight from your motherboard and run it to that amp? Looks like my motherboard may not have digital out, so I guess I'd need a sound card like this to use that DAC:
http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=wl_mb_wl_huc_mrai_1_dp

Are USB sound cards cheap? I'm looking on Amazon and seeing some small cool looking ones for $30, wondering if that's a good price

Like this one

A USB one would be nice cuz I have plenty of USB space on my new tower and motherboard

Do you know if something like this would do what I need? Plug my current headphones into the usb and then stick the 3.5 into the sound card slot for headphones in? This is the sound card btw, and thanks for the help.

Get a pci soundcard. Any good soundcard shouldn't be giving noise from your pc.


This would do perfectly: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX 5.1 Sound Card SB1570 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_aXE.tb1CPPQSS


Also keep in mind that you don't want to buy a headset that isn't truly 5.1. Anything that says "virtual surround" doesn't have more than 2 channels and uses software to provide a virtual environment of surround sound.

JVC Harx700 + Zalman mic. Runs about $45, and much better quality than any "gaming headset".
There is a more expensive ($60) JVC Harx900 headset if you want to get something a little more pricey.

If you want to get fancy you can get some snakeskin cabling, some heatshrink, and a lighter and semi-permanently combine the mic cable to the headphone cable.

https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ
https://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX700-Precision-Sound-Headphones/dp/B0013OWPV4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013P3ZOE/ref=psdc_12097479011_t1_B0013OWPV4

While you are at it a decent soundcard will do wonders if you are using an onboard card. You can get a decent entry level card for about $40. Just like a standalone mic is better than a headset mic. A standalone sound card is miles ahead of an onboard card in the vast majority of cases.

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK

Something like this is more geared towards gaming but I believe that something like this has a better headphone AMP.

In regards to lightening the CPU load, this is not the case.

You can shift most of the workload to a sound card or an interface and gain a ton of slack for your CPU. You can make this upgrade *relatively* inexpensive, but you can easily get into more bells and whistles with external interfaces.

​

Here's a few links for some examples:

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-GENERATION-USB-Recording/dp/B005OZE9SA/

https://www.amazon.com/Steinberg-UR12-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B00QY4RLRQ/

https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-96-Interface/dp/B06ZZCR6P4/

Check out this page to get a little more info on how to reduce latency issues while using Ableton for a little more help: https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209072289-How-to-reduce-latency

I think for most pc enthusiasts, they don't care much about audio quality.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some hardcore audio enthusiast where I'm dropping thousands on sennheisers. However, I love tech, so knowing I can drop a little bit of cash to drastically improve the quality of something is in my ballpark.

For example, I didn't have the cash for an SM7B, cloud lifter, and a Scarlett 2i2, so I went with an AT2020 and a Behringer UMC22. Not the best, but a lot better than a headset mic.

Here's the card

Couldn't be happier. In order to get the bass drum to feel acoustic I had to put a kevlar patch on it and use my speed cobra felt beaters (you're not supposed to use felt beaters on a mesh head, too much friction).

I have 5 toms, 2 snares, 3 crashes, a ride, hats, and one aux cymbal (usually used as a china). I'm running everything through Superior Drummer and its various addons running in either Reaper or Cantabile. The extra drums that can't be plugged in to the TD-12 module I have going through a trigger to midi converter which then plugs in to the midi in on the TD-12 module. The midi out on the TD-12 module then goes to my computer where I have an Audiophile 2496. If you go with a setup similar to mine (running midi through a drum sampler) make sure you use a really good sound card. If you don't, you're going to be dealing with massive latency.

Edit: Keep in mind that I am happy with my electric kit, but I got it because I'm moving into an apartment soon. But once I get out of there (after college) I plan on getting myself a nice Starclassic Birch / Bubinga Kit.

Sounds like interference if the mic is muted and sound still comes through. Using a USB interface might solve it, but there's no way to know for sure. There are several cheap USB soundcards for <$10 on amazon, but the sound quality may be questionable. For around $30 you can try the Creative Labs X-Fi Go, which I would trust a bit more.

The 9500's have pretty low impedance at 32 ohms and have high sensitivity at 101dB/mW, so an external amp is not really necessary.

DG (PCI)

DGX (PCIe)

I have a DG and it's great. Use the UniXonar drivers as they're more flexible and faster. The DG is all you need unless you want to spend $100+ on a USB DAC, which is only reasonable if you have $300+ headphones. The only issue I have with the DG is that Linux (ALSA) doesn't have great support for it.

If anybody knows a cheap PCIe sound card with decent quality that works well with Linux, please let me know.

Not sure if you have pci-e x1 slot but I am using Sound Blaster Z to output optical PCM to my Dolby Digital receiver. You would probably be better served putting money toward a better receiver with hdmi inputs. All of the new Dolby codecs are going to require hdmi; coax and toslink are a dying breed.

http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E

I have this card for Dolby Digital (EDIT: It's Dolby Headphone) and it's fantastic:

ASUS Xonar

There's also custom drivers for it as well which are nice.

Oh man, I so want this product now but extras like the software and the extra sound card keep creeping up.

My main soundcard is this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Does that mean I need another one?

Thanks,

> Getting outside the PC case 9x out of 10 will yield better results.

Does that mean you would recommend something like this or this instead of an internal card?

A sound card would be the best option; then you wouldnt have to deal with the possibility of reinstalling Windows and going through all that stuff.

Soundblaster Audigy

Does this mean your front panel audio works though? If your audio was out, then neither would work.

Also, something like this would work, looks simple enough:

USB Sound Card

Will the USB one I linked not suffice?

Do I need something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-Preamp/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1450319509&sr=1-3&keywords=USB+Audio+System

Was hoping for something cheaper.

EDIT: Sorry, I'm not too savvy in this area. The only time I bought anything and got help from here is when I got my Sennheiser 558's awhile ago. Needed an amp because everything was so quiet, and I got a Fiio E10.

I recommend that you buy a USB X-Fi Go! Creative Audio sound card and a small mixer with phantom power. All the USB mics I've used have been terrible. Some pre and an external sound card will do you good. Especially if you later decide to expand your recordings. It'll cost you $200 max.


http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Soundblaster-Audio-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0

http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Audio-ST51-Diaphragm-Microphone/dp/B003OA1BUQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331437866&sr=1-1


http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Premium-8-Input-Compact-Silver/dp/B004O2P6EU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331437846&sr=1-1

Lately i've been thinking if I could run Xbox audio through an external soundcard and my laptop via optical line-in. Point of this is having better audio quality and having xbox and pc Audio on the same headset. Party can be run on the xbox pc app. I know it works with this one, having tried it myself on a diffrent setup. So there shouldn't be a problem doing the same with this external card and a laptop? Am I right?

Hey man, why cant you just get a cheaper sound card like http://amzn.to/1sB3lYC im sure it would save you some money

Oh man, i mean... Those would DEFINITELY solve my problem. But those seem like above and beyond fixing some line noise. I was thinking more like a thumb-drive-sized audio card. I see creative and turtle beach both have them. They seem pretty cheap, but a little pricier than the random non-name-brand companies and promise high quality.

Some reviews on the creative seem to imply that there is noise and feedback on the creative, and someone went as far as digging into it claiming Creative acknowledges the issues and blames the issue on inadequate shielding. This basically makes it useless for me!

People claim the turtle beach has poor sound as well.

Am I just looking for a product that doesn't exist?

I do not understand the differences between DAC, AMP, Pre-Amp, and Sound Card for powering/driving audio at good quality. Would this sound card do the job or do I absolutely need an amp? If I do need an amp can I run that and the sound card? The sound card is important to me for gaming because they have "scout mode" that allows me to hear footsteps way easier in some games.

I'm going to have to disagree with the people saying not to get a sound card. If you're going to embrace the dragon, then get something like this shit. I mean, look at that! It's red, it's black, it's huge, and it comes with a front panel component! There's no logical reason for you to want to pay $160 or whatever on it, but how sexy is that front panel going to look?

I cant decide what I need, this FiiO E10K which from my knowledge is a DAC/AMP in one or just a soundcard, was thinking about this one Soundblaster. I dont know a whole lot about this so the best thing for me is what I want. I have a good gaming PC and a pair of Sennheiser 598's I dont like how they sound directly into my mobo so I want to try something else. What is the difference between those two products? Do they do the same thing? Thans in advance :)



EDIT: I have a msi gd65 gaming mobo

For the curious:

Sold separately on amazon:

• $96 Sound Blaster Z https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ISU33E/
  
• $70 Inspire T6300 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009T9YU4K
  

Hey all,

I've owned a FiiO E17 for a few years now, and am thinking of finally completing the set by picking up the K5. I only use HD650s with the E17 right now. What are your opinions on the K5 if I already own the E17? Other comparable price-to-performance?
___

In my pc (built years ago) I have this soundcard, though I do not use it as an output since I run my E17 via USB into the pc.

• Since I have the soundcard, should I currently be going line-in to the E17 instead of USB to get the best use & quality of my hardware? I feel like this subverts the DAC by not going USB.
  
  In this case, I would not purchase the K5.
  
  
• If I do purchase the K5, should I go line-in or keep ignoring the soundcard and use USB?
  
  
  Sorry for any confusion. Basically I want to know if I have some good hardware (soundcard) that is underutilized and possibly don't really need to purchase more.

An entire generation of Soundblaster internal and external sound cards support Dolby Digital Live decoding. Here's a super cheap example: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Performance-Headphone-Integrated-Microphone/dp/B00EZT7RE4

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA

Oh it's an old board with only a single 3.5mm jack? That may change things, won't allow you to use microphone input. Mic input is usually pink. Most likely any sound card will be better than your integrated in this case, will at the least allow microphone input AND audio output, may also have better sound quality as well. I use one similar to this which will probably work well for you. Not super expensive and will provide you with more inputs and outputs.

This is a good budget card. If you want to swing the full 80 That will be a bit better and is amped.

Hmm, I must have looked at the wrong one. This is what I saw at Amazon.

You must have the small one, here.

I'm far less sure this one is worth using. I suppose you can try it, then try straight from the computer. Yes, you can increase the volume in Windows to about 95% or so, though some advocate maxing it out, then control the volume on the Magni 2.

We likely need some more information. What type of audio outputs does your PC offer? Do you have room for expansion cards, and what inputs does the sound system accept.

Something g like this may be possible as a solution.


https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-SE-Channel-Compatibility/dp/B07HCX1NY9

Good evening everyone, My onboard audio just broke (or so I thought, anyways) I'm looking for a budget soundcard around 40 euros, do you guys have any recommendations? I'm thinking of this one: https://www.amazon.de/Creative-PCIe-Soundkarte-5-1-Surround-Sound-leistungsstarker-Kopfh%C3%B6rerverst%C3%A4rker/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522770923&sr=8-3&keywords=Soundkarte
Newer than the ASUS variant so better windows support (I hope) Thanks.

not sure I fully follow all y'all but it sounds like I can try using the digital audio from TV to Receiver and enable bitstream.

Can I get around this problem by using a separate internal sound card like this one :

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG/ref=pd_ybh_a_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GW53JDZJBVM9Y9V4V410

Are you using the audio jack on the tower, the Mobo, or a dedicated sound card. My tower jack won't do 5.1, but my motherboard audio jack will. If you're doesn't, you could get a pci or USB audio card that handles Dolby with a toslink output for pretty cheap and use that for pc-tv/pc-denon.

ASUS XONAR SE 5.1 Channel 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Res 116dB SNR PCIe Gaming Sound Card with Windows 10 Compatibility https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCX1NY9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BhBRDbKA9C8CJ

The issue with connecting it directly to the PC is the amount of noise. A $20 sound card would help in that regard. An amp isn't really needed, but that noise generated by the PC is a bit much. Especially if there's a dedicated GPU running.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Headphone-Audio-Card/dp/B003ZXDOL6/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=sound+card&qid=1559320114&s=gateway&sr=8-7

This should be more than enough to get what you need out of the HD6xx

Thank you for this long answer.

Today i found a Soundblaster Z (this) for 30€, ofc is a second-hand product.

Now i have this dubt:

Sennheiser HD 598SR + Soundblaster Z (160€ in Italy)

or

Beyerdynamic DT 990 + Soundblaster Z (170€ in Italy)

EDIT: i know that a DAC woud be better but i was wondering if this Soundblaster would help me, mostly at this price

Do I need an amplifier for these?

I have a BIOSTAR Group TZ68K+ mobo and I'm planning on buying

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp



which says it's good up to 600 Ohms

For PC Audio, I use a Asus Xonar STX. It has incredible sound and clarity, and is the hands down best audiophile soundcard available. It is also very good for gaming as well.

Its closer to $200, but you can find it for less if you look.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OV789U/?tag=pcpapi-20

(He specifically asked for Sound Card, so that is what my advice is)

How about this? The price is good and It has really good reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E

I think a sound card might fit my needs more. I do not need it to be portable. Would save me a little money compared to portable dac/amp i think.

Does this one look good?

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Fatal1ty-Champion-SB1354/dp/B0060SXDRI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1377681049&sr=8-5&keywords=soundblaster
or even just a better version of the asus you've got there: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Channel-Audio-Sound/dp/B001EZQ8YC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1377681131&sr=8-9&keywords=asus+xonar
Whatever suits you really!

No, I’m running a single Buttkicker and Crew Chief, and you have to have a dedicated sound card for the Buttkicker.

I use this one and it works perfectly:


ASUS XONAR SE 5.1 Channel 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Res 116dB SNR PCIe Gaming Sound Card with Windows 10 Compatibility https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCX1NY9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Fe6EDbSCXZPFY

Couple options that are really the same options: Get a USB external sound card. Creative labs makes some, and they even have headphones that plug in via USB and have the 'sound card' built into them.

Examples:

external 'card'

headphones

i'd recommend not going the headphone route, because you'd preferably like to pick the cans you want, without being restricted to that one pair... the the external card is the way to go probably.

(edit - keep in mind these are just example products, and I've never used them (although i do have a pair of the fatality headphones... they are decent, but not very good), there are better quality ones out there, so be sure to investigate before you buy)

Will this work ?

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA

I was thinking that now I'm spending on external source, I'd better get something with which my 5.1 speakers can benefit too

Your best bet is probably getting it from Amazon Warehouse, currently on sale with 20% off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007TMZ1BK/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

Comes to ~28 after tax(10%).

Two speakers and a separate sub.

I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of Cerwin-Vega SL-10S with a pair of Cerwin-Vega SL-5M. I don't even know if it's possible to connect it all to be honest.

The sub is powered so technically I would only need a soundcard, right? I was thinking of Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro. Would it work if I just plugged the speakers into L/R and the sub into...sub and then to my PC through the optical/USB?

Or a USB Sound Card. Creative makes a good one

https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Soundblaster-Audio-System-SB1290/dp/B0044DEDC0/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1522688359&sr=8-14&keywords=Creative+Sound+Card