What Sound Card To Choose!?

[panickedrobert]

Hello guys, I need some help to make a decision! I want to buy an internal sound card for my rig, the problem is that I can't decide between those three:

 

1) Asus Xonar Phoebus | Link to Amazon

2) Asus Xonar Essence STX | Link to NewEgg

3) Creative Sound Blaster ZxR | Link to NewEgg

 

My second Question is: If I choose the Creative Sound Blaster ZxR which is 5.1, my headphones are 7.1! Would my headphones still be 7.1?

Sorry for my bad english, thanks in advance!

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

most headphones are connected through usb, and have a usb soundcard for virtual 7.1

 

buying a better soundcard for a usb headset wont change anything :v unless its true 7,1 with the jacks ( all of em )

 

 

[panickedrobert]

I use Razer Kraken Pro v2. They use jacks boy.

 

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

5 minutes ago, VATO said:

I use Razer Kraken Pro v2. The use jacks boy.

 

its not true 7.1 it doesnt have 7.1 jacks just stereo

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

also just a soundblaster z or somthing equal would do, u dont need to spend 200-300 on a soundcard, i personally got a recon3d champion ( was 150 ) and it is overkill :v

[Spuriae]

Headphones only have two channels. Doesn't matter how many channels your sound card can drive, your headphones are still only getting two channels.

 

Get better headphones if you want better sound. Once you have good headphones, consider getting an external amplifier. The Razer Kraken is not worth wasting money on for a sound card. New sound cards in turn aren't worth wasting money on either.

[Kyle_N]

Your headphones are not 7.1. They're stereo. Razer makes a 7.1 version of it, but if you have the Pro, that's the stereo version. https://www.razerzone.com/comparisons/kraken/71-v2-vs-pro-v2

 

For the Creative SoundBlaster, the Z/Zx/Zxr are all identical cards, with different add-ons in the box. The base Z just has a basic stereo mic, the Zx has a control pod instead, and the Zxr has a second board for recording.

If you don't need the extras, just get the Z. There is no difference to the actual sound processing.

 

I personally recommend the SoundBlaster Z, I have one and the difference is definitely noticeable to me. That being said, you probably need good headphones/speakers, good power amp, and of course, the source content, to notice the difference.

[panickedrobert]

1 hour ago, DOGC_Kyle said:

Your headphones are not 7.1. They're stereo. Razer makes a 7.1 version of it, but if you have the Pro, that's the stereo version. https://www.razerzone.com/comparisons/kraken/71-v2-vs-pro-v2

 

For the Creative SoundBlaster, the Z/Zx/Zxr are all identical cards, with different add-ons in the box. The base Z just has a basic stereo mic, the Zx has a control pod instead, and the Zxr has a second board for recording.

If you don't need the extras, just get the Z. There is no difference to the actual sound processing.

 

I personally recommend the SoundBlaster Z, I have one and the difference is definitely noticeable to me. That being said, you probably need good headphones/speakers, good power amp, and of course, the source content, to notice the difference.

Thanks alot for the nice reply. I'm considering Razer Man 'O War to buy too. And I think I'm going to buy the Zx. Thanks alot.

Edit: The Z and the Zx have NSR 116 db, the ZxR have 124 db. Would this difference really be a problem, I mean I just don't want that background noise.

[Kyle_N]

Looking again, I was partially mistaken about the Zxr. The Z and Zx are still identical (just the included mic is different). The Zxr has a different DAC and headphone amp (higher-end TI components). 

 

I doubt it'd be much of a noticeable difference. I have my Z hooked up to a really sensitive amp (it used to pick up the noise of my keyboard backlight LEDs) and there's no noise at all with the Z.

 

These cards are already at a sufficiently high quality level, that you're not going to get a big difference between them. 

I'm sure the Zxr would be better, but probably not double-the-price better. Of course, it does have that recording daughterboard if you'll use it, so you could factor that in as well. So it's up to you. 

[minervx]

probably an external audio interface

[seduce_me]

Get better headphones first. A Razer out of a EC Studio and Gumby/Yggy is still a Razer.

[panickedrobert]

I'm going to buy the Zx. The problem is that I don't know what headset to buy. I was thinking about the Man O' War from Razer, or G633 from Logitech. But I think I'm going to wait a bit keep the money and buy later the Audio Technica ATH-ADG1x. 

[GamerDude]

I seriously don't know what this fixation with '7.1' headset, if you want 7.1, get a set of 7.1 speakers. I still have a Soundblaster ZX lying around somewhere, sold off my Asus Phoebus and have since gone external DAC stack/combo. IF you're dead set on on headset, at least look for those from known audio makers like Audio Technica annd Sennheiser.......headsets from Razer, Logitech and such are just bad money grubbing attempts to milk some cash from the audio market.          

[panickedrobert]

4 minutes ago, GamerDude said:

I seriously don't know what this fixation with '7.1' headset, if you want 7.1, get a set of 7.1 speakers. I still have a Soundblaster ZX lying around somewhere, sold off my Asus Phoebus and have since gone external DAC stack/combo. IF you're dead set on on headset, at least look for those from known audio makers like Audio Technica annd Sennheiser.......headsets from Razer, Logitech and such are just bad money grubbing attempts to milk some cash from the audio market.          

I can't game on speakers, especially to chat with other players that way. That's why I NEED a headset untill I'll grab the SHURE SM7B and a REAL pair of headphones. 

[Buurvrouw]

14 hours ago, VATO said:

Hello guys, I need some help to make a decision! I want to buy an internal sound card for my rig, the problem is that I can't decide between those three:

 

1) Asus Xonar Phoebus | Link to Amazon

2) Asus Xonar Essence STX | Link to NewEgg

3) Creative Sound Blaster ZxR | Link to NewEgg

 

My second Question is: If I choose the Creative Sound Blaster ZxR which is 5.1, my headphones are 7.1! Would my headphones still be 7.1?

Sorry for my bad english, thanks in advance!

Just to be clear, a headphone isn't 7.1, it's virtualisation. Some do it really good and some don't. I recommend, sell your headphone and get a decent Stereo one with a DAC. No hassle and you have better Audio Quality and a better Price of you don't go too high on your specs. What I currently have is a Sony MDR-1A with a SMSL AD18 as a DAC. Sounds great!

[NuDimon]

My Sound Blaster Z stopped working properly with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. If you're planning on using an older OS it should be fine though.

[jasonvp]

7 hours ago, NuDimon said:

My Sound Blaster Z stopped working properly with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. If you're planning on using an older OS it should be fine though.

Pull the driver and reinstall it.  The card will begin working again.  I had the same thing happen with my ZxR.