What do you think about my new audio setup?

[TheDarkTower91]

Hi, I've just bought the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones and the AT2020USB+ microphone. I'll use them as my main audio set for all kind of stuff as gaming, listen to music, video and audio editing, etc...
My biggest question is, how much an Asus Xonar Essence STX can improve my headphones audio quality and if the Xonar has any kind of Virtual Surround Sound for stereo headphones, and if it has it, is it part of the board (hardware) or it's done by software?

Even more important, if any of you have this Sound Card how good is the Virtual Surround Sound?

[SSL]

Not going to bother commenting on something you already bought. As for the soundcard, save your money, it won't help in the slightest UNLESS your onboard audio has issues with volume, noise, or clipping. If any of those problems are present, get something cheap and external.

[xtroria]

My first question is can you return that headphone and get a refund ?

[creatip123]

Basic rule of thumb:

 

- Surround => multiple channels output = hardware

- Surround => stereo channels output = software

 

And yeah, M50x is crappy for gaming.

[TheDarkTower91]

Basic rule of thumb:

 

- Surround => multiple channels output = hardware

- Surround => stereo channels output = software

 

And yeah, M50x is crappy for gaming.

Before talking you have to know something about what are you talking about, there are sound cards with the Virtual Surround electronics build in, so thats Virtual Surround by hardware so the electronic components of the card are build FOR THAT!

There is another Virtual Surround made by software as it is made by Razer Surround or Razer Surround Pro.

Both of these do the same but in different ways, as the Nvidia ShadowPlay, it encode the video in X264 by hardware while other programs do it by software.

 

I just wanted to know if the Asus Xonar Essence has Virtual Surround by hardware build in!!

(If you dont know what i'm talking about please just dont reply!)

[SSL]

Before talking you have to know something about what are you talking about, there are sound cards with the Virtual Surround electronics build in, so thats Virtual Surround by hardware so the electronic components of the card are build FOR THAT!

There is another Virtual Surround made by software as it is made by Razer Surround or Razer Surround Pro.

Both of these do the same but in different ways, as the Nvidia ShadowPlay, it encode the video in X264 by hardware while other programs do it by software.

 

I just wanted to know if the Asus Xonar Essence has Virtual Surround by hardware build in!!

(If you dont know what i'm talking about please just dont reply!)

 

And where do you think the instructions used by the DSP hardware to create virtual surround come from?

[Bujongo]

I'm almost certain that there is no such thing as "Virtual Surround Hardware." Virtual surround just alters the digital 2-channel stereo signal (with software) to simulate full surround and then delivers that signal to the DAC, regardless of if it's built into your mobo or external. I don't think any sound card, internal or external, will appreciably improve your experience with Virtual Surround, unless your entire audio setup is lacking.

[SSL]

I'm almost certain that there is no such thing as "Virtual Surround Hardware." Virtual surround just alters the digital 2-channel stereo signal (with software) to simulate full surround and then delivers that signal to the DAC, regardless of if it's built into your mobo or external. I don't think any sound card, internal or external, will appreciably improve your experience with Virtual Surround, unless your entire audio setup is lacking.

 

As I implied in my previous post, you are correct. Virtual surround is completely in software, whether that software is in a driver or stored in a chip on the sound card itself. The software is executed on a dedicated DSP, but it is still software.

[TheDarkTower91]

so the x264 in shadowplay is still software?? guys plz...
of course there is an instruction to do the virtual surround but u cant compare a chip that is build to do exactly that, as x264 HARDWARE encoder, where you just use instructions to make the viedo signal go in there but the proces of encoding is done by a chip without instructions, just a dedicated electronic for that (all the proces of encoding is done by  the card without using the CPU or the GPU either).
the sound is the same shit!
just look at this:
http://blog.codinghorror.com/3d-positional-audio-and-hrtfs/
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2620152
 

There is hardware Surround Sound, when you have a piece of your hardware which is build just for do that.

[SSL]

done by a chip without instructions

 

Oh dear.

 

To be honest I think this is just confusion over semantics. creatip probably meant that the production of the surround with dedicated channels, i.e. output is "hardware", while surround over stereo necessarily requires some DSP.

 

Sure, there are dedicated ASICs and so forth for audio, not going to debate that point.

[sebischmitz]

People, stop arguing about everything, let's just keep it simple and answer his question.

Yes, the Soundcard can improve your expirience, no, I don't know if it's a hardware implementation, but it should be a good one anyways, so just go for it if you want it.

[SSL]

People, stop arguing about everything, let's just keep it simple and answer his question.

 

Why, arguing is helpful.

[creatip123]

Oh dear.

 

To be honest I think this is just confusion over semantics. creatip probably meant that the production of the surround with dedicated channels, i.e. output is "hardware", while surround over stereo necessarily requires some DSP.

 

Sure, there are dedicated ASICs and so forth for audio, not going to debate that point.

 

Well, what I meant was, when surround source is being output to multiple channels, it got little to none software processing involved. At most it will be the decoding, which is THX, DTS, and stuffs. 

 

When surround source is being output to stereo channels, aka downmixing, it relies heavily on what set of algorithm the software tells the processing chip to do. Any set of algorithm requires a hardware (if a processing chip is absolutely considered as a hardware), be it the chip on the card, or the PC's processor, to execute the sound algorithms. 

[Phinbar]

I believe 'surround sound' is a gimmick unless youve got multiple physical speakers - guess what? you can tell where something is with any pair of stereo headphones