Thinking about a sound card

[teedis]

To start off, I don't know much about sound cards. I primarily use my Logitech g399 for gaming it has 7.1 surround sound and is normally plugged in via sub, but can be plugged in with a 3.5mm Jack. I'm trying to see if I can get better (possibly louder) sound for both games and music. I'm currently looking to get https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X7PG?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAINYWQL7SPW7D7JCA&tag=aboutcom02lifewire-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00EO6X7PG&ascsubtag=833111|google.com|||41%2C34%2C9%2C47%2C51%2C27%2C50%2C33|1| so I can keep the 7.1 surround sound for fps games. Would this be a worthwhile purchase? I'm thinking about getting speakers down the road as well. Would these improve them as well. Also if anyone else has any suggestions that are in the sub $100 (maybe a little over) price range let me know. Thanks guys! I appreciate any responses.

[EsaT]

Audigy Rx is one of those weird "Why?" products with really nothing over Audigy Fx, except more connections.

And it uses old CMSS-3D, which while emphasizing details like foot steps etc also kills bass immersion and processes sound with really heavy hand.

(you don't want to leave it on for music)

Newer SBX Pro Surround algorithm of Audigy Fx (+SB Z serie) is lot more balanced.

 

Though those closed design gaming headphones are unlikely to be capable to accurate enough sound for binaural cues to truly work.

(closed design is bad enough challenge/drag for actual audio makers)

If you can disable processing of that headset you can actually easily test its capabilities.

First minute of this is excellent quick test with sound coming from different directions and distances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_20T8x_OI

If there's no sense of distances and sounds feel like coming from ears that's because of headphones.

With good open headphones there's good feel of different distances in sounds.

 

For having both headphones and speakers connected Sound Blaster Z would be better.

It has separate connections for them, higher quality D/A converters and little better headphone output.

Though headphone output is really mediocre compared to newer cards like internal Sound BlasterX AE-5.

Which has one of the most capable headphone outputs of any sound card.

And external/USB connected Sound BlasterX G5 which seems to be now in discount in Creative's shop with some further 15$ discount code advertised.

 

[teedis]

Do you think getting an external amp and plugging my headphones into that would be better?

 

[EsaT]

2 hours ago, teedis said:

Do you think getting an external amp and plugging my headphones into that would be better?

For actually capable headphone amplifier good for driving basically any headphone we're fast starting to talk about price level going toward Sound BlasterX AE-5/G5.

(what's the point of buying separate headphone amp otherwise?)

And headphone amp itself would still rely on quality of implementation of motherboard's sound card for D/A conversion.

Unless buying also that DAC, which is hype name for single purpose device lacking all the functionality of sound card.

 

Anyway with 39 ohm impedance and very high 107 dB/mW sensitivity basically any not extremely bad sound card should drive them far past hearing safe SPLs.

(I mean Realtek ALC892 is capable to driving 250 ohm Beyers past hearing safe SPL)