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Sound Card dissapointment?

sc1997
By sc1997
in Audio
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Hey guys! How's it going? Not so great for me...

 

Just received my Essense STX and HD558s and installed everything in my computer. Naturally, I turned it on and started to listen to some tracks, but I'm pretty dissapointed. 

I mean, I can notice a bit of an improvement over my old USB Razer headset, but for $320 I was expecting quite a bit more.

 

What could I possibly be doing wrong? Hearing through iTunes, driver software is as it came when it installed and headphnes are connected to line out behind the Sound Card.

Any help!?
THANKS!!!!

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Your audio is only as good as the audio source.

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What is the audio format type? You'll want WAV or FLAC(or any lossless file type) to get the fullest benefit.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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Do you have the HD558s plugged into the 1/4" headphone jack on the back?

 

Weird request: how do they sound driven by your onboard audio on the back with the jack configured to be a headphone out?

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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What is the audio format type? You'll want WAV or FLAC(or any lossless file type) to get the fullest benefit.

Almost everything I have is MP3 :S Where can I acquire WAV files?

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You can acquire WAV files from CDs. That's one source I know of.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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320kbps files or better. 

 

Give EQing a try. You can find guides and software to help. Remember to not dramatically boost or reduce a frequency... it'll sound worse. Prolly a bunch of options within the asus audio software you'll want to change too.

 

 

Make your own music and export to WAV.. it'll sound perfect until you play it through something other than your headphones...lol

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Do you have the HD558s plugged into the 1/4" headphone jack on the back?

 

Weird request: how do they sound driven by your onboard audio on the back with the jack configured to be a headphone out?

They sound mostly the same. I mean, you can tell instruments appart with the STX, but in terms of bass/trebble/mids the quality is a bit better with the STX. it just sounds a bit cleaner. 

I'll give WAVs a shot, cause all I have is MP3...

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320kbps files or better. 

 

Give EQing a try. You can find guides and software to help. Remember to not dramatically boost or reduce a frequency... it'll sound worse. Prolly a bunch of options within the asus audio software you'll want to change too.

 

 

Make your own music and export to WAV.. it'll sound perfect until you play it through something other than your headphones...lol

I'll try to get some better quality audio and I'll let you know!

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iTunes... just saying.

What should I use? 

 

Also, FLAC. Do that.

Fiddle with the eq until you find a sound you like to.

Getting some FLACS asap. 

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They sound mostly the same. I mean, you can tell instruments appart with the STX, but in terms of bass/trebble/mids the quality is a bit better with the STX. it just sounds a bit cleaner. 

I'll give WAVs a shot, cause all I have is MP3...

 

Yes, what you are describing is that you hear no discernible difference between the way your onboard drives your headphones vs the way your STX drives your headphones, only that the STX is louder.  Which I think measurements would uphold.  Getting FLACs will certainly help some, but I don't really think you need an STX for those HD558s.

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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What should I use? 

 

Use Foobar2000. It's... great. I think music sounds better through it compared to itunes or windows media player.

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They sound mostly the same. I mean, you can tell instruments appart with the STX, but in terms of bass/trebble/mids the quality is a bit better with the STX. it just sounds a bit cleaner. 

I'll give WAVs a shot, cause all I have is MP3...

They do have WAV converters that you can use to convert MP3 to WAV. 

http://download.cnet.com/Ultimate-MP3-to-WAV-Converter/3000-2140_4-75680988.html

 

I've never used a WAV converter since 95% of my music are from CD's, but I would give it a go.

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HD558 and the Xonar STX have impedance mismatch. That certainly doesn't help either. Sell the Xonar, get a dedicated DAC and amp.

 

 

They do have WAV converters that you can use to convert MP3 to WAV. 

http://download.cnet.com/Ultimate-MP3-to-WAV-Converter/3000-2140_4-75680988.html

 

I've never used a WAV converter since 95% of my music are from CD's, but I would give it a go.

 
What the actual fuck? You can't be serious.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."


- Albert Einstein

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They do have WAV converters that you can use to convert MP3 to WAV. 

http://download.cnet.com/Ultimate-MP3-to-WAV-Converter/3000-2140_4-75680988.html

 

I've never used a WAV converter since 95% of my music are from CD's, but I would give it a go.

That will increase the bitrate but it wont sound a whole lot better as it has still come from an mp3.

hello

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HD558 and the Xonar STX have impedance mismatch. That certainly doesn't help either. Sell the Xonar, get a dedicated DAC and amp.

 

 

 
What the actual fuck? You can't be serious.

 

I've set the Xonar for "<64 Ohms". The headphones are 50 Ohms, so that should be fine.

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They do have WAV converters that you can use to convert MP3 to WAV. 

http://download.cnet.com/Ultimate-MP3-to-WAV-Converter/3000-2140_4-75680988.html

 

I've never used a WAV converter since 95% of my music are from CD's, but I would give it a go.

 

That'd be an auto-ban on a couple forums I visit, son.  It's like jpg -> png, you can't get the data back once you've lost it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxq9yj2pVWk

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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That will increase the bitrate but it wont sound a whole lot better as it has still come from an mp3.

Like I said I've head of them but never used them, so it was solely an optimistic recommendation. 

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Like I said I've head of them but never used them, so it was solely an optimistic recommendation. 

You can't make sound, sound better that has already been processed.

hello

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I've set the Xonar for "<64 Ohms". The headphones are 50 Ohms, so that should be fine.

 

Nope, that's just the setting for gain. Headphones are 50 ohms, output impedance of the card is around 10 ohms. When the headphone impedance is less than 8 times the amp's output impedance, you get audible distortion in the low frequencies.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."


- Albert Einstein

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I've set the Xonar for "<64 Ohms". The headphones are 50 Ohms, so that should be fine.

 

the output impedance is 10ohm and that can't be changed.

that's the impedance mismatch they are talking about.

 

you want as low of an output impedance as you can get.

Will work for electronic components and parts


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