Worth upgrading soundcard?

[Mitsjel]

I currently have an xfi titanium hd and a 2.1 edifier s530d speaker set.
Since the card is getting on a bit in age I was wondering if there are popular/recommended upgrades for it? Money isn't really an issue.
Overall I don't have big problems with it apart from the software acting up from time to time or the fact you can't leave a headphone plugged in wich disables the speakers.

 

[GotNoRice]

I currently have an xfi titanium hd and a 2.1 edifier s530d speaker set.
Since the card is getting on a bit in age I was wondering if there are popular/recommended upgrades for it?

No not really. The Titanium HD already has a DAC that is essentially identical to the one on the ZxR, which is still Creative's top sound-card.

Money isn't really an issue.
Overall I don't have big problems with it apart from the software acting up from time to time or the fact you can't leave a headphone plugged in wich disables the speakers.

They updated the drivers for the Titanium HD not long ago, did you ever update to those newest drivers?

What you say regarding leaving the headphones plugged in makes sense, but only if you are using the separate headphone output. The problem is, the separate headphone output uses a separate, inferior DAC, and it's also not a proper amplified output. That actually gives you a big opportunity though. Instead of looking for a new soundcard, you should probably be looking for a dedicated headphone amplifier. You can then run that headphone amplifier from the main analog outputs on the Titanium HD that use the superior DAC, so it will ultimately result in a DAC upgrade also whenever you are using your headphones.

We are at a stage where soundcards are becoming less popular and other solutions, such as external USB DACs are becoming more popular. It is important however to cut through the hype and misinformation regarding USB DACs. The only thing inherently superior about an external DAC vs a DAC located on a soundcard is that there is less potential for interference from other components when in an external enclosure. It is not, however, a given that you will experience interference when using a soundcard. It depends on a number of factors, and it is entirely possible to use a soundcard and not have any interference. If you're not getting interference, any advantage of having the DAC chip in an external enclosure disappears and it then simply comes down to the capabilities of the actual DAC chips. The actual DAC chip on the Titanium HD is already better than many of those found in popular external DACs. On the flip side, there are a number of disadvantages associated with using an external USB DAC. You're basically using what amounts to a very basic USB soundcard at that point as far as any audio processing goes - basically you have none. Any features you enjoyed on your soundcard such as CMSS-3D, or any other effects or game related processing will no longer be present. A soundcard like the Titanium HD is about more than just it's DAC - whereas when you get a USB DAC, a DAC is literally all you're getting...

 

[Gmok Bonecrusha]

I went from a TiTHD to a ZXR. The difference is very minor. And that is me with a ZXR-WA6-HD800's.

The software and drivers are rock solid. The only issue I have is that when I swap from speakers to headphones and vice versa in the software, I lose sound in web pages. I need to F5 to get that sound back. A couple games don't like the software swap either. Titanfall and COD.