Question about Sound card / amp

F

Fiziks

n00b
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
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8
Hello, I'm looking into getting into audio. First, what I have-

Foobar FLAC > SB Audigy 2 ZS > Pioneer VSX-454 > HD580

I'm looking into upgrading both the sound card and the amp with a budget of around $300 or less. My needs/uses for these will be mostly gaming (BF2, Counter-Strike) and Music (foobar FLAC / iTunes). I would also need a 1/8inch mic input jack and 1/8inch output for LANs where I would not care about quality.

I as far as sound card, I like the HT Omega CLARO. After a little searching on here it seems like a good card for the price. What is the major difference between the CLARO and the CLARO Plus+? For what I'm using it for is it worth the difference in price?

As far as an amp, I am swamped with options, and I really don't know where to look and what to look for. Tube or not? Portable or not? I would like to use the Optical out on the Claro as the input on the amp. Any suggestions on products and retailers would be helpful.

And a few other random questions. I have my current setup plugged into a crappy UPS. Would line noise transfer into the amp? would upgrading the UPS be worthwhile? I'm also using Radio shack cables and stock headphone cables. Will upgrading these make a real benefit for my uses? What cables would you recommend?
 
If you are strictly looking for 2-channel audio, and aren't overly concerned with EAX effects and stuff, stick with onboard sound or whatever you currently have and output digital audio to a dedicated DAC, like a zhaolu or the like.
 
I could go with a DAC but I would really like a soundcard for LANs and such that is not my onboard. :|
 
So now you care about quality at LANs?

I'm looking into upgrading both the sound card and the amp with a budget of around $300 or less. My needs/uses for these will be mostly gaming (BF2, Counter-Strike) and Music (foobar FLAC / iTunes). I would also need a 1/8inch mic input jack and 1/8inch output for LANs where I would not care about quality.
Click to expand...

Figure out what you really want and then come back and ask :(
 
.....flame suit on...?

Obviously I do not want to carry an amp to a lan, but with my onboard I cannot tell where footsteps are coming from. I need a good median i.e. Soundcard digital > amp at home, then soundcard analog directly to the headset at a lan.
 
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