Stx vs Phoebus

[calebp123]

Ok so which card will be better for fps gaming? I will be using hd 558 with the card and I'm wondering which would be better for directional sound and pinpointing footsteps. The cards are about the same price, and I defiantly wouldn't be using 7.1 so which is better for this use case? Thanks for the help.

[h264]

I defiantly wouldn't be using 7.1 so which is better for this use case?

 

your onboard.

 

unless:

 

you're using fancy high impedance headphones on either.  HD558s are NOT high impedance btw

 

really need to decode DTS from your game or something (get the Phoebus for that)

 

You want the look for your build or something.

 

It'll make your friends super jelly one way or the other.

 

Honestly, if your just gonna use headphones get a headphone amp/dac like the E10, magni+modi, or O2+ODAC and save the pci-e slot.

[Godlygamer23]

High impedance headphones do not equal quality - it simply tells you how much resistance the speakers have, so it takes more power to drive them. In fact, ATH-M50s have great quality, but their resistance is low. http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374384542&sr=8-1&keywords=ath+m50

 

Also, if you'll be listening to complex audio files(WAV, FLAC), you'll want a discrete sound card.

[h264]

High impedance headphones do not equal quality - it simply tells you how much resistance the speakers have, so it takes more power to drive them.

 

Sure.  Also determines the dampening factor.  In this case, either amp is gonna need at least 80 Ohms to have a decent damping factor and in general to make it worth your while with as much power as both cards put out.