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7.1 Audio cards

L

Luni

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Messages
156
I got a pair of Razer Tiamat 7.1 headphones and a 7,1 sound system as gifts recently as well as a nice amount of cash, only issue is, I lack a 7.1 audio card to work these 2 nice audio sources. I normally play MMO's and FPS's so if that makes any different as to what audio card to get then there you go. ((Star Wars the Old republic and BF3 in case that helps even more)) money isn't an issue as long as the bang is worth the buck. Any recommendations? A friend mentioned the Auzentech Forte but It's out of stock and have no idea if thats a good or bad card.
 
Nah, the forte is not particularly good.

Do you play lots of older games? If you do, then Creative is a good idea because it uses the native EAX 5.0 sound effects. If you don't, and only play old games once in a blue moon, then the Xonar DX is a good option. It has EAX emulation which is very similar to the real thing. You could spend more money but TBH with the components you're using and the fact that music is not your main focus, it is very good. If you don't mind buying used, get a used one, it's a great deal for $60. Important thing about the Xonar, I think you have to manually switch the front panel headphone out to the line out on the rear.

If you do play old games often, Creative is a better option. Check out the newest Recon3D series. The Fatal1ty one has a special microphone that is made to reject background noise, and it has an EMI cover, but the underlying hardware is identical.

If you get a better sound card than these you will get diminishing returns with your current hardware. Bottom line: the Xonar is better for music sound quality and gaming, and the Creative is better for purely gaming.
 
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Well I mean, Music isn't a big deal to me, unless it's background music in the game itself, I have -no- Idea what to even do to a soundcard other then to unbox it, open it, plop it in the PC and give it power if it is needed. I play all kinds of games from all time lines, also, bad experiences with Creative put me off with them but if someone genuinly gives a stamp of "I know my shit" then I can go with them I suppose, anyone else got anything
 
AVOID the Auzentech Forte at all costs. Its a lousy piece of hardware and has a nice long track record of failure. Drivers are never updated (there are some 3rd party drivers but they don't solve the problems that plague the card series).

I owned the Forte and it had static popping issues the entire life of the product.
 
I had the Forte. It's crap. HT Omega makes excellent sound cards, too. I'm very pleased with my Striker.
 
So either a Asus Xonar DX or an HT Omega, never heard of the company HT Omega.. what would be the card best from them in your opinion?
 
how come i never see anyone talking about HT cards?

i only hear about Asus and Creative cards.

looking at them at newegg site, they sold alot, and all of them have perfect reviews.

is there a catch about HT cards that i dont know about?

This one looks very impessive, i think it just launched: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271007


High Quality Components & BUILT IN ANTI-POP CIRCUITRY
High quality stereo DAC from AKM Inc. supports 24 bit/192kHz audio

Dolby Digital Live
Pro Logic IIx
Dolby Headphone technology
DTS INTERACTIVE
DTS NEO: PC


those are awesome features.
 
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Either that or the Xonar Essence pci-e both are damn good.

Check your mobo and setup. The difference b/w pci and pci-e might be a big one.
 
Since the Striker seems like an epic Card, I might get that one unless someone can recommend a better card for a 7.1 speaker set up?
 
Is the tiamat a USB headset? If so, buying a sound card is a waste.

Also, using lots of small drivers for surround audio, a quality headset does not make... just sayin'

If you're a gamer and not into music so much, get a Creative X-Fi Titanium. I had one and it was great. I like my Essence STX better, however.
 
Luni said:
Since the Striker seems like an epic Card, I might get that one unless someone can recommend a better card for a 7.1 speaker set up?
Click to expand...
The Striker is a fantastic card, especially for the money. I have it connected to an external receiver which drives my speakers. If you're going to use the card to drive your speakers/headphones, it would be better to get the Halo or Halo XT.
 
Yeah I don't have anything extra to drive my sound card just going to shove it in and roll, also the Tiamat is real 7.1 not usb simulated 7.1 so I'd need the 7 connector holes. Um, is the Claro II any good? Cause if not it seems like the striker is me only choice >>;
 
As someone else said, get an xfi titanium if you want the best gAming audio, especially from games in the eax era (2001-2008). The xonar dx is another option.

Honestly, if getting accurate 7.1 sound from games is your main concern, the xfi titanium is your best bet. I have one and it works great with games and my 5.1 system.

In the future, I'm planning on getting an essence stx or phoebus when that comes out cause I want a built in headphone amp. I'm hoping that the asus eax emulation is halfway decent cause I like playing older games too.
 
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Problem is I've had too many issues with Creative to really -want- some of their products again. -Holds picket sign with a smile-
 
Luni said:
Problem is I've had too many issues with Creative to really -want- some of their products again. -Holds picket sign with a smile-
Click to expand...

They're fine. Their drivers used to suck but they cleaned up their act. Just stay away from the rebranded Azuentech X-Fi's as others said.
 
To be fair, I haven't used the xonar dx or the omega striker. I've just had a pretty positive experience with the xfi titanium and 5.1 gaming.
 
ShatteredX said:
To be fair, I haven't used the xonar dx or the omega striker. I've just had a pretty positive experience with the xfi titanium and 5.1 gaming.
Click to expand...

Have not used the striker but the xonar dx seems to sound better than the xfi. Close call but yeah.
 
It's pretty sad the lack of choices out there right now. Especially with more and more mobo makers getting rid of pci slots x1 slots are fine but I think useless considering if you have a decent sound card it will likely need to be attached to your psu. I think they should just add pci 2.0 vs. scrapping it all together.
Crap drivers from almost every sound card maker is amazing, then you have to wait and wonder if you are even going to be able to use it properly in your next OS build.
 
So, it's either the Striker or the Xi-Fi.. I'll probably go with the cheaper/less badly reviewed.. Anyone else got one they wanna throw around?
 
ASUS recently announced a couple new Xonar cards. DGX and DSX. DSX is the 7.1 model. Might want to look into that.
 
The Asus Xonar DX, HT Omega, eClario, Clario II, Stirker or one of the older Creative labs 7.1 non Recon are your best choices, The Asus Essence ST(X) or Creative Labs Titanium would not be the best choice for your head set since they do not support 7.1(correct me if im wrong) but I am sure those 2 cards do not support 7.1. those cards are more geared towards headphones and listening to music

I don't know what is best, I have good experiences with HT Omega and my old X-fi card is still kicking 7.1 and sounds good enough on games. I'm not sure gaming audio is encoded well enough for a high quality sound card to make much of a difference.
 
Wouldn't be JUST games, but primarily games would be its main use yes.
 
those above sound cards will work for movies, and music too. Just probably not audiophile quality, which in my opinion is not worth it, since the cost of buying high end audio gear to get it is not worth the cost.
 
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