A Music & Gaming Card?

[Hvatum]

I've been using a Soundblaster Live! for a long time in my PC. Until recently I wasn't especially interested in computer audio as the quality paled in comparison to almost any decent home theater system. Things seem to have improved finally so now I'm wondering what the best sound card out there is - up to $220 would be fine.

Many reviews proclaim the Audigy 2 ZS the best card for gaming citing low CPU usage, good reproduction of 3d environments and a full sound. Most people on this forum suggest cards from Terratec, M-Audio or others for music listening though. Do I need to buy two different cards just to listen to music at it's full potential while still experiencing true 5.1 sound in games?

Here's my setup:
Headphones: Grado SR325 and RA1 Reference Amp
Speakers: Creative Z-5500

I prefer the headphones for music listening and speakers for gaming if that's important.

 

[strid3r]

For up to $220, you could go for a dual sound card setup. Something like a E-mu 0404 for music and a Audigy 2 for gaming would do the job quite nicely.

 

[legcramp]

Yeah I say dual sound card set up would be nice..but if ya dont have enough room...Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum...

ahh dude caps sorry my bad hehe i am too lazy to retype.



Edit: I'm not.

 

[darkpark]

if you're not interested in having two soundcards than i would recommend the m-audio revolution 7.1 or the 5.1. i think it's a good compromise between gaming compatibility and sound quality. you'll lose a few FPS in games, but it won't be noticeable.

if you are comfortable with a dual soundcard setup than i'd go with what strid3r suggested.

 

[Melons]

The Audigy2zs will suit you gaming and listening needs just fine. I have Beyerdynamic DT880s plugged directly into the Pro version with excellent results.

 

[gerbiaNem]

An audigy4 would be amazing at gaming, and better at audio than the 2. But then it also has extra hardware you probably won't use.

 

[MartinX]

The Audigy2zs will suit you gaming and listening needs just fine. I have Beyerdynamic DT880s plugged directly into the Pro version with excellent results.

Dude, you might as well be wearing earplugs, I have DT880s aswell and no way do any of the audigys drive them worth a damn (I have an A4p, which has additional headphone amping and they still sound thin and frail, they totally need a dedicated amp).

 

[Melons]

Dude, you might as well be wearing earplugs, I have DT880s aswell and no way do any of the audigys drive them worth a damn (I have an A4p, which has additional headphone amping and they still sound thin and frail, they totally need a dedicated amp).

Thanks for that. I'm not an audiophile and bought the DTs very recently for PC based music creation amongst other things since my crappy Technics were colouring the sound and I was looking for a flat(ish) response within my tight budget.

The A4P & The A2zsPro have next to nothing in comparison, so out of curiosity what are you putting the DT880's though when using your PC? I haven't heard better and ergo don't know any better.

 

[GotNoRice]

I run an EMU 0404 and an Audigy2 ZS together, and it's great. Since the 0404 only costs about $100, and the Audigy is somewhere in the $60-70 range, it seems well within your $200+ budget.

I don't know that the EMU 0404 is the "best", but above that things are more "different" than simply better or worse.

 

[Hvatum]

I run an EMU 0404 and an Audigy2 ZS together, and it's great. Since the 0404 only costs about $100, and the Audigy is somewhere in the $60-70 range, it seems well within your $200+ budget.

I don't know that the EMU 0404 is the "best", but above that things are more "different" than simply better or worse.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm doing exactly the above - Audigy 2 ZS is ordered and I'll probably put in an order for an EMU 0404 based card later.

It's somewhat of a dissapointment that one card isn't able to do everything. Each is best in it's own right. The Mystique 7.1 Gold does seem intersting though if only for it's DD live ability, I might need to try it out also.

Buying two good quality soundcards is still much more cost effective than purchasing a new high quality home theater reciever though.

 

[strid3r]

Last night, I put my modded Audigy 2ZS back in my machine after I had been using my modded 0404 for a few weeks. There was definitely a difference in sound quality. The 0404 has better instrument separation, dynamics, and cleaner punchier bass. Not that the modded A2 is bad, but the modded 0404 is just clearly better on pretty much all levels. (I know these impressions are for the modded cards, but I figure the stock cards might be a similar difference).

Also, don't forget to get some adapters for your 0404. The breakout cable outputs sound via two mono 1/4 female outputs. For my setup, I have a 1/4 male mono to male RCA cable going to my amp.

And here's a guide to help you setup your dual card system:
http://ca.geocities.com/asmo@rogers.com/

 

[MartinX]

Thanks for that. I'm not an audiophile and bought the DTs very recently for PC based music creation amongst other things since my crappy Technics were colouring the sound and I was looking for a flat(ish) response within my tight budget.

The A4P & The A2zsPro have next to nothing in comparison, so out of curiosity what are you putting the DT880's though when using your PC? I haven't heard better and ergo don't know any better.

The A4p and A2 series actually have a lot in common, being that they are effectively idendical except for the DACs.

I only use the A4p for gaming, for music listening I go : Edirol-UA25 ->PortaCorda2 -> DT880+Cardas.

I also have an Emu0404 which I can vouch for as being a fine source (Though in my opinion it's a little more coloured than the Edirol, not necessarily in a bad way though), I switched to the edirol because I wanted something portable that'd work with anything (Mac, Laptop and PC), it also has suprisingly good headphone driving capabilities, but still not enough for the Beyers.

While the DT880s are definately better with the amp than without, I'm not sure the PortaCorda2 is the best match for them, the Beyers have a tendancy towards being laid-back/slow which the PortaCorda sort of reinforces, making the setup sound a little lazy, I've heard (on Head-fi) that Ant amps are a good match.

I don't understand the mechanics/electronics of how and why (or even if) there'd be difference, MisterX would be the resident expert on that sort of thing (plus, the amps he makes have a good reputation).

 

[legcramp]

An audigy4 would be amazing at gaming, and better at audio than the 2. But then it also has extra hardware you probably won't use.

I doubt it...u probably won't notice teh dff. between a 2 and 4...unless ur using the 4's new tech...