sound card for HD 598

Discussion in 'Soundcards, Speakers HiFI & File formats' started by DiceAir, Apr 25, 2013.

  1. DiceAir

    DiceAir Maha Guru

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    I have a question about my HD598.

    Currentley have it connected via asus xonar u1. Reason for using it is because my dual 570GTX cards is blocking me from installing any sound card. So My motherboard went faulty and got it exchanged. So now rethinking of upgrading my sound card. I'm running the thermalright silver arrow cpu cooler

    My old motherboard

    http://www.msi.com/product/mb/P67A-GD65.html

    new board

    http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-G45-Thunderbolt.html

    I was thinking of upgrading my sound card to the following

    https://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and..._DGX/#overview

    or

    https://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and...r_Essence_STX/

    forgot to mention I mostly play games like battlefield 3, And a couple of single player games. I'm just worried I'm not getting the audio I'm suppose to from my headphone. I want to be able to utilize it to the best and have upgrade abilities
     
  2. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    The HD598's will definitely benefit from both a better quality source and an amp, despite their 50ohm rating. There's a pretty hefty difference between the DG/X and the Essence STX. One being entry level and the other being top end, of course I can personally recommend the ST (The X is a slightly cut down version that works with PCI-E). I can also recommend the DG, but there is a massive difference in price. You might be better served looking for an OEM Z, as it offers sound quality that I'd imagine hovers somewhere between the two, and a better amp - as well as other more modern gaming related features.
     
  3. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    yeah, I was going to say Z as well. not that much more than DG and a lot cheaper than the ST/X. great positional audio too.
     
  4. DiceAir

    DiceAir Maha Guru

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    The creative sound blaster z looks amazing. is it really better for gaming than the xonar stx. I can save a lot
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2013

  5. GenClaymore

    GenClaymore Ancient Guru

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    The Creative Z is PCI-E based also the Xonar DGX is a PCI-E ver of the DG.
     
  6. DiceAir

    DiceAir Maha Guru

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    cool cool. The sound blaster-z looks really nice
     
  7. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    it's better than the DG. the Virtual surround sounds better than Dolby headphone on the DG. From personal experience. for music, it sounds great. to me it sounds a touch better than the DG. it's a great card for the money.
     
  8. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    The Sound Blaster Z is amazing for the price. It should sound better than a Xonar DX while offering more features. It isn't quite at the level of the Essence STX, as the STX has a higher-end DAC and implementation. The competitor for the STX is the Sound Blaster ZxR.

    My vote is for the Creative cards currently. Z > DX and ZxR > STX, generally. Drivers also seem to be improved greatly at Creative's side, while Asus is having some issues. With both companies you could use 3rd-party drivers anyways.

    Have you considered external DACs at similar price points to the STX and ZxR? At $100, I really doubt you'll find something that competes with the Z and DX, but at $200+, you will find something against the STX or ZxR (Audio-GD NFB15.32, for instance).
     
  9. DiceAir

    DiceAir Maha Guru

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    sorry been reading alot of info and the creative z looks like a good buy. Just what I need for games and good for movies and music. But I play games the most so I will see when I get it if it's really that good
     
  10. Anarion

    Anarion Ancient Guru

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    Get Zx instead of Z. Your headphones will be unusable without external volume controler (unless I'm hyper sensitive to sound).
     

  11. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    if he has a keyboard with macro keys he can adjust the volume that way, I find it perfectly fine. if not, I would probably get a Zx
     
  12. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    I use Xonar DG with 595 and 598 (bro's pc).

    I am very happy with current setup. While xonar DG is cheap, its more than enough to tell the difference from mobo sound.

    I don't have experience with high end sound cards. But I'd consider getting one if I am to switch to better headphones.
     
  13. Anarion

    Anarion Ancient Guru

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    Except that the windows volume control is not enough. ATH-AD700 is now here near as sensitive as HD 595 or HD 598. Without ACM I'd had to adjust volume all the way down to 2%-4%. There's pretty much zero flexibility when it comes to volume control without ACM - and that's when using line out. Also I'm not sure how good thing it is to use single digit volume numbers sound quality wise. Something to consider.

    I personally use windows volume at 10% and then fine tune the volume with ACM (to about 2/3). ACM will make the sound quieter even when it's maxed out, which helps.

    However, I'd like to know what other HD 595/HD 598 owners think about the volume levels with this card. I want to know if it's just my ears...
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2013
  14. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    The ACM degrades sound quality considerably. Haven't you noticed the difference in sound quality?

    You're wasting your headphones' potential by pushing them over a Xonar DG. A better soundcard is a must.
     
  15. Anarion

    Anarion Ancient Guru

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    No I have not, and besides, I could use it anyway without it. If anything, I'd say it sounds better with ACM than directly from the card at ~4% (most likely because the digital volume control starts to hurt the sound a lot at that point).
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2013

  16. GenClaymore

    GenClaymore Ancient Guru

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    I seen people mention it depends on the headphones that you are using that the ACM degrades the sound quality of.
     
  17. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    How can you prove it?
     
  18. GenClaymore

    GenClaymore Ancient Guru

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    The Xonar DG headphone amp wont be enough for headphones that req alot of power that the DG hp amp can't provide for them. The DG is enough for headphones that are easier to drive or don't req that much to be driven.

    The DG wont be able to power headphones like AKG701/2, DT770/880/990 Pro 250/Premium 250, Nor the HD600/650 and any other headphone that is 250ohms and up that needs power to be driven correctly,Or any other headphones that are amp picky like the AKG's.
     
  19. Anarion

    Anarion Ancient Guru

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    The DAC in it is rather basic too. In any case, fine card for the price but in the end you do get what you pay for and there's obviously superior choices out there (that cost way more).
     
  20. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    Ummm...try a better card and hear the difference?

    You're pushing $240 headphones over a $30 soundcard. Do you expect everything to be fine?
     

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