internal PC Sound card

[avtar2008]

I have bought new steel series siberia V2 gaming headset. As I use them, it feel like I am not able to use its full potential. So, I have 2 questions:
1) Does sound card really make VISIBLE change to sounds in game,music?? I have intel H55HC motherboard and currently using on-board audio.
2) If answer to above is yes, kindly suggest me a good sound card. I don't have a specific budget, but I can spend upto 3k(increase a little bit only if it is complete worth it).

 

[Minion]

Get Asus Xonar DG for 1.7k or you may go for Asus Xonar DS.

 

[RCuber]

+1 Get Xonar DG, it has onboard headphone amp. im not sure if DS had amp onboard

 

[avtar2008]

I done a lot of googling and techshop.in is giving xonar DX for ~4.4k. will DX justify the price difference between DS and DX??. DS is around ~3.2k.

one that I observed that DX was launched in 2008 and in reviews,it is compared to on-board audio of that time,like intel 790i. On-board audio have improved a lot since then. So, is there still a great margin between performance of on-board audio and discrete sound card?

 

[whitestar_999]

On-board audio have improved a lot since then

who told you that?it is not cpu or gpu which is improving consistently & why should it.it makes no business sense for companies to spend on onboard audio when people want more usb3/sata3/pci3.in fact some of the older mobos have better onboard audio compared to recent ones.an example of this is realtek ALC887/889 on older or costly newer mobos compared to cheaper & lesser quality realtek ALC662 found on most budget mobos currently.for those having good speakers(like swan,audioengine etc & not logitech) people believe even high end z77 mobo onboard audio is no match for a dedicated sound card.of course if you are using mediocre speakers you won't notice much difference.

 

[elton_1991]

+1 for Xonar DG.I use it on my current system and love it.Great vocals and soundstage for the asking price.Gaming with it is killer.Only letdown is CPU static noise when using IEMs but otherwise a awesome soundcard.

 

[avtar2008]

@whitestar: almost all the sound card reviews I have read, they all mentioned that onboard audio have improved many time. And I also have my own experience. When I upgrade from my 865g mobo to current h55 mobo, it is clear from first time that onboard audio of h55 mobo is much better. And my current mobo have Realtek ALC888S audio.

@all: I have also read positive reviews of xonar dg everywhere. I just want to know is xonar DX is worth its price. I am not inclined toward xonar DS because it don't have a headphone amp and I will be using my headphones only, I don't have speakers. So, a headphone amp is essential for me.

DG: headphone amp
DS: true 3D audio but no headphone amp
DX: headphone amp and a audio processor

Above them is a essence st, which is completely out of my budget.

 

[RCuber]

^^ I planed for DG and bought ST.. ST is a piece of art. I doubt anyone could disagree that a dedicated sounds way better than onboard.

 

[avtar2008]

St cost around 7.5k-8k, almost double my budget. I know it is a killer card and will satisfy all my needs, but I have to look at wallet. And there is no doubt that dedicated sound cards are better than onboard audio.

 

[The Sorcerer]

Did you try your headset on someone else's system with a sound card especially DX?? If you have friends who have a system with a discrete sound card or some setup like that, you should try that first, and then see if you want to invest in it.

There are some motherboards which have been emphasized on audio quality, but those motherboard does cost a lot, so the flexibility of getting a cheaper system for your needs+ a low profile sound cards is more meaningful than spending money on a flagship model. But that's irrelevant.

Most people whom I know said that sound from DG and DX is practically makes it not much different, except that DX requires a floppy power connector to power it up.

 

[avtar2008]

almost all of my friends have laptop and a few that have a pc, none of them have a discrete sound card.

I also got that idea that there will be very less difference in DG and DX., the difference is in true 3d support in DX.

unless i get a solid reason,that justifies the price of DX, my choice will be Dg.

 

[The Incinerator]

See mate ,If I were you and was looking for a solution too boost the harmonics of my headphone only and nothing else I would have simply bought a Headphone Amplifier,like the FiiO E10. Its all you need honestly.

Moreover IMO a sound card placed internally on the motherboard is prone to EF/RF coloration/noise. A DAC/AMP used having a separate chassis is always a better option. Asus has addressed the problem with Xonar Essence One ,albeit expensive.

The E10, a much better option with dark warm sound.... - FiiO E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier | eBay


Thats for music and finesse, better get a Asus Xonar DG for Gaming!

 

[avtar2008]

^^ I was really interested in you suggestion, until i read last line. I will be using them for gaming mainly, so i would like to buy the sound card which increase the gaming performance of headphones.

As all of you are suggesting DG, I will soon order them or likely to be its pci-e brother, xonar dgx.

 

[The Incinerator]

Yeah PCi-e would be a better future proof option,as PCI are done away with in most baords.Plus the bandwidth is more through the PCie but cant say if its more effective sound quality wise in any way.

 

[avtar2008]

as per asus and other tech sites, they are only different in connector type and everything else is same.

as per asus and other tech sites, they are only different in connector type and everything else is same.

 

[avtar2008]

Got asus dgx delivered yesterday from proaudiohome(took 12 days for delivery,one of the worst online shopping experience for me). BTW, dgx is a awesome card and made a noticeable change in audio while playing games. Definitely,a product worth every penny.

P.S. Currently trying different settings and find out best one for my need.