Do sound cards improve bass?

[ShaneelForTheWin]

I am looking to get a sound card because the bass on my on board Motherboard is pretty bad is it worth getting the Asus zonar dx for 118?

[Guest Kloaked]

Depends. What motherboard do you have?

 

The best way to get better overall audio is to get better headphones first.

[Spewky]

@ShaneelForTheWin, are you all about that bass?

[ShaneelForTheWin]

I have a Asus m5a97 Evo and razer kraken pros

[ShaneelForTheWin]

@ShaneelForTheWin, are you all about that bass?

Yes I am all about that bass no treble

[QueenDemetria]

I am looking to get a sound card because the bass on my on board Motherboard is pretty bad is it worth getting the Asus zonar dx for 118?

I guess with an equalizer you can "adjust" the bass, but my SoundBlaster Z does have a nice warm sound(its all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no trebble). What motherboard do you have? because some of them have extremely terrible onboard audio while some of them now have onboard cards that are as good as dedicated cards.

[QueenDemetria]

I have a Asus m5a97 Evo and razer kraken pros

Damn, you sniped me with the bass joke and your motherboard model lol. The onboard card on your motherboard isn't anything special, so I would either get a soundcard or invest in a DAC + Amp set up.

[Spewky]

Yes I am all about that bass no treble

Good. You better be.

 

When it comes to sound cards... I didn't think they are worth it...

[ShaneelForTheWin]

Damn, you sniped me with the bass joke and your motherboard model lol. The onboard card on your motherboard isn't anything special, so I would either get a soundcard or invest in a DAC + Amp set up.

My budget is $120 do you think I could get a dac + amp setup?

[QueenDemetria]

My budget is $120 do you think I could get a dac + amp setup?

Not sure, I'm not really into audio(sorry). The highest end sound source I have is the SoundBlaster Z, which I would recommend unless if you need the software features(like crystal voice, which is worthless), but I'm sure many will say the SB Z is pointless or will have something better to offer.

[Faceman]

My budget is $120 do you think I could get a dac + amp setup?

Easily.

 

Check out the FiiO E10K or SMSL SD793-II. Both will equal to ~$75.

 

They are basically the same price, because if you wanted to hook them up to your computer, the SMSL will need an optical cable, which costs ~$8.  I just purchased the E10K not even 10 minutes ago through Amazon.  Reason for it is because it has a line out in the rear, so I can connect some powered/active speakers to it.  The SMSL can do this too, just needs more cables and adapters.  The SMSL is supposedly a little bit better headphone amplifier, but you really can't go wrong with either.

[DigitalHermit]

Depends on the dac on the card...

 

You can do it using a software equalizer... (Realtek includes one with their drivers)

[zappian]

If they have an amp they can driver headphones better.

[mr moose]

In my experience I have yet to find a sound card, onboard, USB device that could not go as low as 20Hz.

 

If low end response is your only issue with onboard then two things:

 

1.Have a look in the audio manager for preset eq, room effects and general sound/environmental settings and turn them all off.

2. you are probably much better of looking for new headphones/speakers.  

[Guest Kloaked]

I have a Asus m5a97 Evo and razer kraken pros

 

The Krakens already have stupid overwhelming bass, and they don't even sound that great to begin with. I would buy some different headphones first.

 

I recommend, if you're wanting a gaming headset, the HyperX Clouds (the only gaming headset worth buying IMO). They handle bass response well with a software EQ if you have the power. Unfortunately, the headset would require an amp/dac solution for it to sound it's best (kinda nullifies my first statement). The Fiio E10k like previously recommended is something I can vouch for (I own the E10 [non-k] and it works perfectly).

[EmoRarity]

Gonna have to get better headphones first, changing sources will do jack for you.

[Prikk]

Gonna have to get better headphones first, changing sources will do jack for you.

^ This. Your motherboard is way more than capable of driving the Kraken, getting an AMP/DAC won't improve anything.

If you have $120 to spend, then get a better headphones. Don't get a DAC/AMP for it, the differences will be so tiny you wouldn't notice the difference.

[flibberdipper]

Not really. It might do it a little bit, but your headphones/speakers play the biggest role in that.

[Majestic]

The only thing that can really impact low-end these days is impedance mismatching. This can easily be checked by comparing output impedance of your source and the impedance of your headphones. Your headphones should be atleast 8 times that of the source device. If that is met, and the AMP can deliver sufficient power, you're golden.

 

For example, my headphones have 22ohm impedance, 50mW max input. So a DAC/AMP for me must be atleast 22/8=<2.75ohm output impedance and 50mW @ 22ohm output to not really impact bass. My DAC currently has 10ohm output impedance, so my bass is very loose. But I haven't been arsed to upgrade yet.

 

That said, Soundcards all have pisspoor output impedance. So don't buy them.

[SSL]

Who needs bass when you can have harmonic distortion?

[ShearMe]

Are you sure the output is set to headphones or full-sized speakers and not smaller speakers?

[vembutech]

As said the dac and the compatible good headphone which can make good bass.

[creatip123]

What's unsatisfactory about the bass in the first place? Not enough bass or bad sounding bass? It's quantity vs quality. 

 

If it's quantity, just play with software EQ. If it's quality, best way is to upgrade the headphone.

[ShaneelForTheWin]

The Krakens already have stupid overwhelming bass, and they don't even sound that great to begin with. I would buy some different headphones first.

I recommend, if you're wanting a gaming headset, the HyperX Clouds (the only gaming headset worth buying IMO). They handle bass response well with a software EQ if you have the power. Unfortunately, the headset would require an amp/dac solution for it to sound it's best (kinda nullifies my first statement). The Fiio E10k like previously recommended is something I can vouch for (I own the E10 [non-k] and it works perfectly).

How are the audiotechinca athm50s?

[ShearMe]

How are the audiotechinca athm50s?

 

M40X is a better value and sounds nearly the same.