Which is better, Sound over GTX670 over monitor or onboard Gigabyte Z77X-D3H?

Discussion in 'Soundcards, Speakers HiFI & File formats' started by Supernoob2286, Jun 11, 2013.

  1. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    Dunno Mufflore, while I see where you're coming from, I agree with Darkest on the "leap of faith" thing. A SB Z OEM can be had for some £50, if the OP decides to upgrade, he can easily sell it for £35. So he won't loose a lot of money. I would definitely start with something like a Z + decent headphones (ATH 900x, HD 555 etc). Then upgrade to something like ZxR if so he wishes. that way he'll have good sound from the outset, better than ZxR + $50 headphones.
     
  2. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    Small note, the Sabre ES9018 is amazing. I have that DAC in my NFB-11.32 unit.
     
  3. BABA-The Hacker

    BABA-The Hacker Banned

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    Before "CoMITING" any result......there's a "WAIT" phase.....

    dnt look for pics//// ......to make the post TO BE prettier.....
     
  4. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    The ZXR means you dont need to take a leap of faith to know if you really do appreciate top quality sound.
    You also have the best 5.1 experience without spending a fortune.
    If he gets a lesser card, it may not be good enough to swing his opinion, at least with the ZXR, if it doesnt appeal much, he knows for sure.

    If the op finds it to be fantastic, he can get an external stereo DAC to further his headphone experience while having almost the best 5.1 as well.
     

  5. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    Yeah I'm blown away by it.
    Get some silver interconnects, this DAC sings with them.
     
  6. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    I'm using headphones. I don't dare recable this beauty (DT880 Pro 250 Ohm).
     
  7. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    Yeah, its not wise to recable decent headphones with silver unless you have lots of cash to spare.
    Most speakers will shine with the extra detail and the slightly brighter sound.
    Earphones tend to be detailed/well balanced already and extra brightness may not be welcome.

    If you ever use your DAC on a hifi though...
     
  8. Supernoob2286

    Supernoob2286 Active Member

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    I can't believe sound could get this complicated, I thought pci sound cards were the top of the ladder, now i'm hearing stuff about external DAC's that cost 1100 pounds!

    I'm thinking of going the route eclap suggested.

    Looking at this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...102049&Tpk=sound blaster zx&IsVirtualParent=1



    But if you guys think i should just wait on the headphones and spend all of my budget on a card now, and then get better headphones in the future- there would really be no difference in sound quality untill i get the better HP's.

    So i feel like i just want to experience some higher quality sound now, and if i like it (which i'm sure i will) I will spend more in the future as i learn more about it.

    So what are some good headphones at around $100?
    Thanks

    Edit: What about these? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826402165
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2013
  9. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    Do not bother with the ZX, if you're aiming for that tier just get a standard Z. The cards are identical par the capacitors on the board (which don't effect sound quality), and the break-out box which negatively effects sound quality when used as a volume dial. It's a chunk of extra money for no good reason. If possible aim for the OEM Z, which is cheaper again while otherwise identical par lacking the red shroud.

    The Creative Aurvana Live are actually rebranded Denon D1001's. They're probably the best closed back cans in the price range. That said, if you don't like the look of them or would prefer some proof as to what I'm saying you can't go wrong in giving this guide a read: Mad Lust Envy's Headphone Guide. Although hold in mind that if you do decide to spend a little more on headphones you could probably scrape out a pair of DT990 Pro's or Sennheiser HD598's, depending on the sort of sound you prefer.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2013
  10. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    Just to add, my Z came with those golden capacitors the Zx/ZxR comes with. Think the early ones came with those, then they changed them to lesser ones in later revisions.
     

  11. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    OP, make sure whether you want open-back or closed-back headphones.
     
  12. Supernoob2286

    Supernoob2286 Active Member

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    Whats the difference?


    Ok , so let me ask you guys this, if you had $230 U.S. to spend on a sound upgrade what would you get?
     
  13. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    Closed back headphones are sealed cups. They isolate sound from the outside and are generally more bassy than open, as well as prone to having a smaller sound stage. Open headphones let air in and thus don't isolate sound as well, but generally sound more natural while posessing a wider soundstage. What you aim for depends on your needs, but I'd say that most enthusiasts favour open cans.

    For $230 you should be able to get a decent setup. It depends on what sort of sound you like to hear. I'd probably look at something along the lines of:

    DT990 Pro $170
    Creative Z OEM $89 (Look around, you should be able to get the OEM for cheaper elsewhere)

    In honesty it would be best if you found out what you wanted from a headphone before buying one. There are many different kinds that have different things to offer. Find somewhere local that lets you audition and give a few sets a go. Think about what's most important to you from a listeners perspective.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2013
  14. Supernoob2286

    Supernoob2286 Active Member

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    Thanks for all of the suggestions i will let you guys know what i get.
     
  15. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    Do tell us what you decide on before you get it, though.
     

  16. Supernoob2286

    Supernoob2286 Active Member

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    Thinking about this

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010


    But leaning more towards this

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...02050&Tpk=sound blaster zxr&IsVirtualParent=1


    Anything i should pay particular attention to?

    Then i'm gonna sell my recently acquired 8120 and 550ti to a friend, too get some decent headphones, but the pins are a little bent on the 8120, I carefully bent them back but they are still not 100% perfect, i hope setting it into the socket will help straighten them.

    Edit: If i'm right i believe the ZXR allows a sort of fine-tune of the sound pitch by changing something?
     
  17. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    The STX is a 2.0 card, with the small price difference you're better off going for the ZxR (Which supports multi-channel analog out) unless you can find a good open box/second hand deal on the STX and never intend to use speakers in surround. The ZxR also has a better feature set if you intend to use emulated surround and gaming related technologies.
     
  18. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    One very important thing goes for the STX, though. Its headphone amp can deliver its rated power (75mW I believe?) @ 600 Ohms. The ZxR can't, or at least, the tested cards back then (according to a certain review and a personal experience - not mine), deliver its rated power (75mW?) @ 600 Ohms. It only delivers ~49mW or so.

    Just something to note if you're going for high impedance headphones / planning to / expecting to / might go for now / in the future.

    I had the ZxR in mind but eventually I went for an external DAC.

    If you got the time and patience on your hands, I would still recommend an external DAC, even at the same price as the ZxR, mind you. I mean, check out this masterpiece. Much more powerful headphone amp, the DAC used is awesome, higher bit-depth (32-bit vs. 24-bit, helpful for accurate and proper digital volume control for 24-bit source material without loss of resolution), and upgradeable with jitter clocks that reduce (eliminate?) jitter when it's present.

    Soundcards do have a bigger feature set (virtual surround), and you don't get 5.1 with these external DACs, but if your emphasis is stereo, there you go.

    For features, you can pick up a used Recon3D for cheap, and use its "What U Hear" function to route audio to the external DAC, over USB (you can also use optical directly from the soundcard, skipping its DAC). The soundcard's chip would be processing effects such as SBX ProStudio in this case, and you get the best of both worlds.

    Your call, as always, but do consider, very rewarding. And honestly, this subject matters enough for some proper research. I went from almost zilch to knowing what I know in a very short period of time.
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2013
  19. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    I concur that if you want stereo only and will not need 5.1, get a good external DAC.
    I'm impressed with the specs of the one Yasamoka is using, I havent heard that one though.
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2013
  20. ROBSCIX

    ROBSCIX Ancient Guru

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    Yep, it is all about preferences and featurs you need. Internal cards or external DAC's both have their pros and cons and it just depends on what you personally need.
    I will also mention to keep flexibility in mind. The more features and options your source has the longer it will keep you happy no matter what type of system you build.

    Good luck with your purchase.
     

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