D1 DAC vs Sound Card for Audioengine A5+ speakers

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burningrave101

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I'm trying to decide whether to buy the D1 DAC to use with the A5+'s on my PC or get one of the newer sound cards like the Sound Blaster Z series. I hooked up the A5+'s over the weekend and right now I just have them connected to the onboard sound on my ASUS Maximus V Gene. The speakers will be used for mostly 50/50 gaming and music. I'm not much of an audiophile so can someone list me the pro's and con's of each or at least what you would buy? Will the DAC benefit me with anything other than being able to connect the speakers to other sources like my PS3? I mostly game on the PS3 with headphones so that's only a minor advantage.
 
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The only thing the Z will have a noticeable advantage over the D1 is for FPS gaming. I have a Z bc of this. The directional sound is really tops.

So if that isn't something you do a lot. Go with the D1. The sound difference is going to be minimal at best and the D1 is probably better overall. Especially considering you have a console too.
 
I would get the D1. It could be handy for having the volume control at your fingertips and the headphone amp should be very solid and likely better than what you'd find on a sound card.
 
How does the last gen Titanium HD compare to Creative's latest Z series cards? I actually already have a new Titanium HD I hadn't opened because I was considering selling it for one of the newer Z series.
 
The Titanium HD is going to be JUST as good of a DAC as the new ZXR, the major differences are that the ZXR has an actual headphone amp, and the software is better in terms of switching between headphones and speakers (with the Titanium HD if you plug in headphones it auto mutes the speakers and the only way to switch over is to physically unplug the headphones)
 
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