Which sound card?

[scrimstar]

Ok, I want to but a sound card to make my speakers produce awesome sound. I'm leaning toward the HT Omega Claro+, because of its good reviews, but I also like the Asus Xonar, because it is newer technology, and has a good reputation.

Here's my receiver:
STR-DG1000 | REFURBISHED - 7.1 Channel Surround Sound A/V Receiver | Sony | SonyStyle USA

Here are the sound cards:
Newegg.com - HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Sound Cards
Newegg.com - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional 70SB088600002 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Express Interface Sound Card - Sound Cards
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card - Sound Cards
Newegg.com - AuzenTech AZT-FORTE X-Fi Forte 7.1 Low Profile PCI Express Sound Card - Sound Cards

Kinda iff topic, but.. Is there any way to make these headphones fit my head better? They hurt my ears, because they are slightly too tight, but I found a review, where the guy out the Sennheiser headphones around a pillow, and it streched to fit his head, but that was the 650 something.. I didn't buy it, but I've use it, and love it. Oh, do you think it's really worth $100? I can buy it directly from Best Buy for $100.
Newegg.com - SENNHEISER HD 280PRO 3.5mm Connector Circumaural PROFESSIONAL Headphone

 

[scrimstar]

Uhh.. website??

 

[SuxoR]

I googled them and found some reviews

Not sure about the best site to buy though ;/

 

[scrimstar]

Well, would it be worth the shipping, because I'm getting a bunch of parts from newegg.

 

[Akubane]

I'd sugest the xonar ^^ Either that STX you picked, or the D2X. I run the D2X and it's awesome. Beats the pants off the creative x-fi I replaced with it. The D2X and STX are similar cards so either would be great.

If you do mainly a lot of gaming, grab the D2X.
If you listen to mostly music and use headphones a lot, and gaming isnt a huge priority, grab the STX.


I kinda wish I could have both installed. Since I do both a great deal lol. Would probably just cause problems though ><

I just ordered that pair of sennheiser headphones lol. they put out some awesome sound.
About stretching them to fit your head better, you can try what the guy in that review did. It makes sense. Just be careful to not put too much stress on them ^_^

 

[scrimstar]

What if I want to do both? xDD Can I tell the differnce in gaming, because I never played a game with HD sounds.. And what makes sound cards better over another?

Is it this card?
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express Interface Sound Card - Sound Cards

 

[Akubane]

yeah that card. And simply put it has better EAX support than the other one. Whilst the other one is catered more towards music audiophiles, with specific headset options, such as a built in headset amp.

You can do both on either card, but each has features that will make it excell in either department by just a hair.

IMO it won't really matter which card you get. They'll both sound very similar and they're the exact same price. Go with gut instinct, but I highly recommend one of the two asus cards over the others. I threw in the D2X as an option just in case you spend a lot of time gaming.

 

[scrimstar]

I might just get the STX, but which one would pair with my sound receiver better? and are they both good with movies?

 

[Apokalipse]

The D2X and STX are similar cards so either would be great.

well, not really. The STX is a stereo sound card, with a built-in headphone amp, which uses even higher quality components and DAC. The D2X is a 7.1 card without an amp. Still quite a good one though (yes, better sound quality than the X-Fi's).

I own an X-Fi XtremeMusic and a Xonar D2X. The D2X has a nicer sound, even though I put better OpAmps and a better power filtering capacitor on the X-Fi.
though I would really like to get an STX, since I use headphones most of the time (ATH-AD900's).

 

[Akubane]

Well if you're goign to throw movies into the mix. then you want to look at the asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe.
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express Interface Audio/Video Enhancement Combo Card - Sound Cards

Basic Rundown of the 3:
The D2X is a gaming card, the STX Essence is a audiophile card and the HDAV1.3 is an htpc card that can pass hi def vid over it.

~In short I would say the essence would be the best sounding but in games the d2x or even the hdav would be better off. :/~

I'd like to have all three in one but the card would have to be dual slot just to fit it all on there lol, not to mention the dozen+ jacks o nthe back it would have >< . plus it'd be like 400$ lol :/