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Soundcard help

MxRider9637

Hello everyone! Hows everyone doing??

 

Well my question is what do you guys recommend for sound cards???

 

Yes i know most people are going to argue that on board sound is enough, but i don't settle for less. 

 

The motherboard i have is the Asus Maximus vi hero

 

For sound cards, well i really don't know what to look for, im looking at the creative labs sound blaster zx.

 

Well anyways guys please help me out..

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Hello everyone! Hows everyone doing??

 

Well my question is what do you guys recommend for sound cards???

 

Yes i know most people are going to argue that on board sound is enough, but i don't settle for less. 

 

The motherboard i have is the Asus Maximus vi hero

 

For sound cards, well i really don't know what to look for, im looking at the creative labs sound blaster zx.

 

Well anyways guys please help me out..

 

Onboard is better than sound cards 99% of the time. If you want to improve your audio get an o2 amp. It's still at Massdrop for $99 but as SSL said, what are your headphones? There might be no difference at all if your headphones are not hard to drive. 

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It's not settling for less. What headphones do you have.

 

 

Onboard is better than sound cards 99% of the time. If you want to improve your audio get an o2 amp. It's still at Massdrop for $99 but as SSL said, what are your headphones? There might be no difference at all if your headphones are not hard to drive. 

well that was going to be another post was what headphones to get..... i was thinking the dt770 pros 80ohm.. But right now im using bose companion 20 speakers.

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well that was going to be another post was what headphones to get..... i was thinking the dt770 pros 80ohm.. But right now im using bose companion 20 speakers.

What are you looking for in a headphone? Analytic and neutral or more "fun" and v-curved? Open or closed? 

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What are you looking for in a headphone? Analytic and neutral or more "fun" and v-curved? Open or closed? 

closed and i want something with nice clear crisp sound something hard hitting but not over powering.. 

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From what I've read around, the Hero's onboard is actually already hard to beat. You might need to shell out some serious numbers for something to beat that...

 

For closed headphone, I'd recommend the Sony MDR-1R. Sleek design, amazing sound. Closed headphone, but feels like semi-open, in sense that it got nice soundstage. Try one if you get the chance. 

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closed and i want something with nice clear crisp sound something hard hitting but not over powering.. 

Huh I thought I had responded to this but it looks like something went wrong...

 

Well what I was going to say was that DT770 would be a great choice. Your motherboard should be able to handle the 250 ohm no problem so if that is cheaper just go for that. 

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Huh I thought I had responded to this but it looks like something went wrong...

 

Well what I was going to say was that DT770 would be a great choice. Your motherboard should be able to handle the 250 ohm no problem so if that is cheaper just go for that. 

yea i though they were great for the money?? i would also go and get a mod mic so i could game too.. ok but now i have a question.. how can i improve the sound even more????? you said something about an o2 amp

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From what I've read around, the Hero's onboard is actually already hard to beat. You might need to shell out some serious numbers for something to beat that...

 

For closed headphone, I'd recommend the Sony MDR-1R. Sleek design, amazing sound. Closed headphone, but feels like semi-open, in sense that it got nice soundstage. Try one if you get the chance. 

it looks really nice but they are kind of expensive.. either way i still like them alot

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yea i though they were great for the money?? i would also go and get a mod mic so i could game too.. ok but now i have a question.. how can i improve the sound even more????? you said something about an o2 amp

Unfortunately the o2 amp drop on Massdrop passed already so it isn't for cheap anymore. If you want to improve your sound, better headphones would be a better investment than an amp. 

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ok gotcha, i was looking at the sony mdr r1 and those look wicked nice, do you think its worth the extra $$

Unfortunately the o2 amp drop on Massdrop passed already so it isn't for cheap anymore. If you want to improve your sound, better headphones would be a better investment than an amp. 

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Unfortunately the o2 amp drop on Massdrop passed already so it isn't for cheap anymore. If you want to improve your sound, better headphones would be a better investment than an amp. 

ok gotcha, i was looking at the sony mdr r1 and those look wicked nice, do you think its worth the extra $$

Unfortunately the o2 amp drop on Massdrop passed already so it isn't for cheap anymore. If you want to improve your sound, better headphones would be a better investment than an amp. 

 
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$100?

 

Err its $190 on Amazon vs the $160 for DT770.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR1R-Premium-Over-Headphones/dp/B009A6CZ30

 

I personally have not listened to to the sonys myself but I think they are heavier in bass but do not have the signature Beyerdynamic highs. It's really what you want. I think the build quality and comfort of the DT770 is better. 

 

Edit: Actually DT770s shot up in price on Amazon..huh. 

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$100?

 

Err its $190 on Amazon vs the $160 for DT770.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR1R-Premium-Over-Headphones/dp/B009A6CZ30

 

I personally have not listened to to the sonys myself but I think they are heavier in bass but do not have the signature Beyerdynamic highs. It's really what you want. I think the build quality and comfort of the DT770 is better. 

 

Edit: Actually DT770s shot up in price on Amazon..huh. 

yea my fault i had to add it to my cart to see the price

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$100?

 

Err its $190 on Amazon vs the $160 for DT770.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR1R-Premium-Over-Headphones/dp/B009A6CZ30

 

I personally have not listened to to the sonys myself but I think they are heavier in bass but do not have the signature Beyerdynamic highs. It's really what you want. I think the build quality and comfort of the DT770 is better. 

 

Edit: Actually DT770s shot up in price on Amazon..huh. 

check this deal out of the dt990s http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-Pro-250-Professional-Acoustically-Applications/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398462434&sr=1-4&keywords=dt770

but idk they are open.

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Yeah that is the price that DT770s used to be at but then they shot up. Not sure why. DT990s are great if you want open headphones. They are slightly boomier than the DT770 but are very similar. 

yea my only problem is they are opened i prefer closed for the more staged feel

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idk there are so many nice headphones, i wish i could give them a try but theres really no possible way unless buying them.. i like the dt770 pros, vmoda has some nice headphones also... 

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yea my only problem is they are opened i prefer closed for the more staged feel

 

I think you got it backward. Closed headphones give more constricted feel, while open headphones give wider feel/soundstage. I'm used to open headphones now, that whenever I try closed headphones, even if it sounds good, usually I quickly dismiss them as 'not my cup of tea', due to the 'claustrophobic' feeling. That's why I recommended the 1R. Even though it's closed (better isolation), but it got quite nice soundstage. But yeah, they're a bit pricey....

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I think you got it backward. Closed headphones give more constricted feel, while open headphones give wider feel/soundstage. I'm used to open headphones now, that whenever I try closed headphones, even if it sounds good, usually I quickly dismiss them as 'not my cup of tea', due to the 'claustrophobic' feeling. That's why I recommended the 1R. Even though it's closed (better isolation), but it got quite nice soundstage. But yeah, they're a bit pricey....

i know what your saying, but like you said open ear isnt my cup of tea... 

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i know what your saying, but like you said open ear isnt my cup of tea... 

 

It's a matter of personal preferences, and it's perfectly fine to differ. I was just commenting on your remark, 'closed headphones = more staged feel'. Based on my experience, closed headphone = more constricted feel, not more stage-ly. I thought you remembered it backward.

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hi :) thought id come in here with some other recommendations: I'd recommend against the dt770, I found them quite dull sounding compared to my vmoda m100's

Flat closed:

Focal spirit professional

 

on ear closed flat:

Kef m500

Vmoda XS

 

Closed:

Philips l2

 

Bass closed:

Vmoda m100

Nad viso 50 (more flat than m100)

 

Open:

Sony MA900 (great for gaming)

Philips fidelio x1 (great for gaming)

 

I personally prefer closed hp's too, they make the music sound more intimate to me, while open hp's are really good for gaming with their wider soundstage.

As for source: Id stay away from sound cards, on board sound usually performs the same if not better. Other cheap options are the fiio e10 and audioengine d1 (no amp) More expensive o2+odac

 

Hope i helped

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hi :) thought id come in here with some other recommendations: I'd recommend against the dt770, I found them quite dull sounding compared to my vmoda m100's

Flat closed:

Focal spirit professional

 

on ear closed flat:

Kef m500

Vmoda XS

 

Closed:

Philips l2

 

Bass closed:

Vmoda m100

Nad viso 50 (more flat than m100)

 

Open:

Sony MA900 (great for gaming)

Philips fidelio x1 (great for gaming)

 

I personally prefer closed hp's too, they make the music sound more intimate to me, while open hp's are really good for gaming with their wider soundstage.

As for source: Id stay away from sound cards, on board sound usually performs the same if not better. Other cheap options are the fiio e10 and audioengine d1 (no amp) More expensive o2+odac

 

Hope i helped

i really really like the m100s, i wish i could test them and try them out, but kind of impossible.. In game does the bass effect sound quality at all? Probably make you shit your pants when a grenade goes off besides you (BF4)

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i really really like the m100s, i wish i could test them and try them out, but kind of impossible.. In game does the bass effect sound quality at all? Probably make you shit your pants when a grenade goes off besides you (BF4)

Honestly the bass is boosted by about 8-9 db i think

 

Source innerfidelity wall of fame:

The V-Moda M-100 has dramatically emphasized bass, nominally up about 8-9dB over the mid-range. That's a lot of bass, and it starts to kick in from 400Hz to 200Hz. I would have preferred the bass boost to happen about 100Hz lower. For acoustic music and smooth Jazz like Foreplay or Dave Grusin, this upper bass/low mids accentuation is a bit too thick.

 

In my opinion, if you add bass reducer on this headphone, it makes it sound really good.

Im not going to hype it or anything, theres no such thing as the perfect headphone, what i will say is: if you love pop and hip hop music, its extremely hard to beat this headphone in terms of listening fun.

 

If your looking for a more faithful music reproduction i recommend the focal spirit professional, but its not what a call consumer sound, they are almost entirely neutral sounding.

 

Honestly, if you want a headphone that performs well for gaming, i recommend open headphones, because of the sound stage.

 

take a look at this link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-4-17-2014-akg-k612-and-k712-pro-added-edits

It rates headphones suitable for gaming, maybe you can find some closed cans, i really liked this article.

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