Hercules GTXP to -- ??

R

rufio

[H]ard|Gawd
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Im consolidating everything on my desk. Full tower is going to be replaced by a shuttle, and im not sure that i want to use or trust onboard sound. what would be a good pci replacement for my gametheatre xp 5.1 that would give me equal if not better quality?

things to know:

I listen to music all of the time, mp3s @ 320kb (over 20,000) so stereo is really important. 5.1 is the max i would need and i want something that has optical out for the future.
 
Optical out is difficultt; neither the A 2 ZS or Revo 7.1 have this natively. You can get optical for the ZS in the Platinum (pro) package, but that's going to take up your only 5 1/4" bay. You may look into the Chaintec Envy card however, it does have the optical output. Now, as for the ALC650 that Shuttle keeps using; it works, and that's about it. The 655+'s may be more acceptable, but really, the 650 is lesser than SBLives.
 
ok so say i change optical out to digital coax out, does that open up the spectrum? i would just like something with digital out, coax wont be bad b/c ill never have to go more than 15 feet.

basically i want something that is a single pci solution (no extra bay, no rack, no live drive ect, i have all that with the hercules and it works great i just want it to be all inside my box)
 
headphones, next to never. Speakers are Sony mdf-150 (i think...) thru 200x2 awia stereo reciever. I wont be using 5.1 now, but i do want to have it w/ spdif for future.

I guess im saying what is on par with my gtxp, cause im really happy with it, has hardware mp3 decoding and its own equalizer, then a bunch of shit i dont use.. its just not going to look right next to the shuttle, its like the same size only shorter.
 
In that case a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (TBSC) should sound nearly exactly the same as your GTXP and features SPDIF
 
You quote music as your primary use; therefore I would recommend the Revo, however, it is about the same quality in most respects as the A 2 ZS. if you do any gaming, that entails any recent games (UT series for example), I would go for the ZS. The Audigy 2 would also fill the bill very well if you are looking to save a bit of cash. I must agree with the TBSC- however, if you're building a new system, you might as well upgrade. That's just my opinion, but it's how I tend to look at things :)
 
is there a specific model for that turtle beach? or is it the 'santa cruz" Gaming sound matters little to me, as its mostly drowned out by my tunes. Will the acoustics on the turtle beach me equivalent to the gtxp? Like i said i am in no way dis-satisfied with the quality of the gtxp, its just too big and cumbersome to lug around.
 
Originally posted by rufio
is there a specific model for that turtle beach? or is it the 'santa cruz" Gaming sound matters little to me, as its mostly drowned out by my tunes. Will the acoustics on the turtle beach me equivalent to the gtxp? Like i said i am in no way dis-satisfied with the quality of the gtxp, its just too big and cumbersome to lug around.
Click to expand...

Just the TBSC

The acoustics should be nearly identical, as they have the same audio chip (irrc), so if anything it would be better. Also, from what I have read, the Revolution would be a couple steps up, but is more than double the price, and you seem to be happy with your GTXP.
 
thanks, looks like im gonna have to snag me one of these bad boys.
 
if you're going intel.. then use the digital out of the soundstorm... it does the digital 5.1... which is supposed to be one of the best solutions
 
the shuttle is a realtek chipset and ive read that it s not very good. :confused:
 
Originally posted by ItsSoLARGE
if you're going AMD.. then use the digital out of the soundstorm... it does the digital 5.1... which is supposed to be one of the best solutions
Click to expand...


fixed!


i'd say just get a revo7.1 and get it over with.. but thats just me though.
 
Originally posted by ItsSoLARGE
if you're going intel.. then use the digital out of the soundstorm... it does the digital 5.1... which is supposed to be one of the best solutions
Click to expand...

Note what FanZ said. Intel != Soundstorm (nice try though). The optical out on the ALC650 IS functional, I'd like to say, but for any purpose concerning music I'd personally go for the Revo. Lack of hardware sound and EAX4 made me look to the Audigy; but that stuff really only applies to games.
 
Ahh for the love of Intel HD Sound spec being on every onboard audio solution they package.

Mmm 32bit 192khz...

Revo, Audixy EX/Pro with external box, or jsut keep the GTXP...

Seriously unless you buy the Revo or the $199 Platinum Pro ZS you're not going to be beating the GTXP very soon.

I mourn the death of the one I bought off IdiotInCharge.
 
i might just keep it, it can keep my prospective external hdd company
 
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