Sound Card for HyperX Cloud

[VeseliqLoss]

Hello

 

I want to buy a sound card for my headphones - HyperX Cloud I, to get the most out of them. In future i might buy a better headset, but for now i am quite happy with them so no hurry.

I currently use the onboard audio(SupremeFX) from my motherboard - Asus H170-Gaming Pro.

 

Right now i am looking at two options:

Asus Xonar U7 - brand new with 3 years warranty = 76$

or

Asus Xonar D2X - second hand for about the same price as the U7 = 79$

 

I am only using headphones, so the extra 7.1 doesn't matter.

Can you please help me decide? Or is there a better solution for this budget?

[Guest lilbman]

6 minutes ago, VeseliqLoss said:

Hello

 

I want to buy a sound card for my headphones - HyperX Cloud I, to get the most out of them. In future i might buy a better headset, but for now i am quite happy with them so no hurry.

I currently use the onboard audio(SupremeFX) from my motherboard - Asus H170-Gaming Pro.

 

Right now i am looking at two options:

Asus Xonar U7 - brand new with 3 years warranty = 76$

or

Asus Xonar D2X - second hand for about the same price as the U7 = 79$

 

I am only using headphones, so the extra 7.1 doesn't matter.

Can you please help me decide? Or is there a better solution for this budget?

To put it bluntly, those headphones aren't good enough to take full advantage of a dedicated sound card.

[VeseliqLoss]

I tend to listen mostly at lossless audio and blue-ray movies. Some games also, but there should be no difference there with my onboard.

I just want to hear as much details as possible. I don't want to change them right now, because i returned 4 other sets and those are the most comfortable ones i have ever used. Also i like the warm sound that they offer ... no fatigue there.

Are you sure, that there will be no difference at all? I was hoping for a nice change ... not the WOW effect but still ...

[Guest Kloaked]

4 minutes ago, VeseliqLoss said:

I tend to listen mostly at lossless audio and blue-ray movies. Some games also, but there should be no difference there with my onboard.

I just want to hear as much details as possible. I don't want to change them right now, because i returned 4 other sets and those are the most comfortable ones i have ever used. Also i like the warm sound that they offer ... no fatigue there.

Are you sure, that there will be no difference at all? I was hoping for a nice change ... not the WOW effect but still ...

Some people swear that the Clouds sound a bit better with an amp, but in my personal testing I didn't notice any difference if there is any.

 

If you want better sound, consider getting better headphones.

[Kevo05s]

I own the exact same headphones, and I saw a huge sound quality improvement when I bought my HT|Omega Fenix sound card... I know it's not in your option list, but it's a great product!

[VeseliqLoss]

Well, the motherboard sound does have a headphones amplifier ... There is that ...

The HT|Omega Fenix i can't find in any store in my country(Bulgaria).

 

13 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

Some people swear that the Clouds sound a bit better with an amp, but in my personal testing I didn't notice any difference if there is any.

 

If you want better sound, consider getting better headphones.

In this case, can you recommend a better quality headphones? The have to be closed though. As much as i like the open cans, i have to keep the noise at minimum in my environment. And they have to be comfortable, because i am wearing them for long sessions ...

[Guest Kloaked]

6 minutes ago, VeseliqLoss said:

In this case, can you recommend a better quality headphones? The have to be closed though. As much as i like the open cans, i have to keep the noise at minimum in my environment. And they have to be comfortable, because i am wearing them for long sessions ...

Do you like the sound signature of the Clouds the best or would you prefer something else?

[VeseliqLoss]

I do like their sound signature. The bass is there but not too much. Maybe a bit tighter would be nice. I like the warm sound. I have for example the Superlux HD668B, which are open ones, and they also sound great(for that price) ... but the treble there gets me fatigue. So Cloud i think is a nice balance.

 

Edit: I can get a second hand AT-m40x at a very good price right now - 75$. Would that be better? I will still have to change/clean the ear pads and clean the headset with anti-bacterial solutions, but otherwise they look as good as new. But not sure what are the drawbacks of buying second hand headsets.