Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 or Onboard Realtek HD 889
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Newty182




Posts: 10813
Location: UK
PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 21:31    Post subject: Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 or Onboard Realtek HD 889
I keep going back and fourth on what to do and what to buy. I have (maybe) decided to get these headphones: Sennheiser HD 518 but I'm not sure if I will actually get a noticeable improvement if I buy the Asus Xonar DGX over my onboard sound. Buying a soundcard that costs £130 is not really an option, I know that that would give me the best sound.

Asus Xonar DGX Note that this card has an in-built headphone amp, but then apparently so does my onboard.

Realtek HD 889

My onboard sound is better than the dedicated card in a lot of ways, on paper, it even has a higher SNR - 108 vs 105.

So will the Xonar make a difference, or will it be a waste of money? I keep reading conflicting views when I search for answers online.

Btw, I have 5.1 speakers but they are just cheap crap... http://www.ebuyer.com/200508-xenta-xforce-5-1-surround-sound-speakers-80w-rms-with-wireless-remote-xforce1h

I want to get a good sound through headphones, as headphones are what I use mostly.


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Paintface




Posts: 6877

PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 21:37    Post subject:
i would buy ST or STX, if you dont want to spend that kind of money stick with onboard.
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Newty182




Posts: 10813
Location: UK
PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 22:01    Post subject:
I would really like an STX, but it costs too much Sad


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Paintface




Posts: 6877

PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 22:09    Post subject:
i would honestly keep saving money for those if its still something you would like to have.

onboard has improved alot the past the years, especially since the realtek 885.

I used to get headaches from using other ppls computers and their shoddy onboard sound quality, being spoiled using my audigy 2 ZS for nearly a decade.

Then with my new rig i bought an ASUS STX, not just for sound quality but i needed AISO support. Now i am temporarely using my onboard realtek 992 but its honestly not that bad , its not as good as my asus STX but i think it has come to the point where a 30 euros card cant make a sizeable difference anymore, not to mention more recent realtek solutions like the 998 are even better.
Of course i got no personal experience with the 30 eruo cards like the DXG you mentioned, so i cant give you my word, but if headphone amp is something you require it might just fit your requirement well enough.
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farne




Posts: 3737

PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 22:27    Post subject:
Do you use Unified drivers Paintface? Is it any better than the official ones, if so?
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Paintface




Posts: 6877

PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 22:30    Post subject:
using official ones , zero issues so i never felt like experimenting.
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BearishSun




Posts: 4484

PostPosted: Mon, 27th Aug 2012 22:54    Post subject:
Definitely don't stay with on-board. Having good headphones and onboard card is really meaningless because the sound quality will always be bottlenecked by the card. I don't know about DGX, but my Xonar DX sound noticeably better than my onboard Realtek 892. With good headphones you can hear the noise from the crappy onboard card. With crappier headphones you might not be able to notice.
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velum




Posts: 1106

PostPosted: Tue, 28th Aug 2012 00:33    Post subject:
I have the D2X and it is much better than on-board.

wizarD. wrote:
Do you use Unified drivers Paintface? Is it any better than the official ones, if so?


I have used both and did not really notice any difference. I am using official now.


Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one
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Breezer_




Posts: 10843
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Tue, 28th Aug 2012 02:00    Post subject:
Get the DGX, you will hear difference compared to the integrated. Integrated shit can output all kinds of background noise (PSU usually gives annoying whining noise through integrated to high quality headphones). Not saying that integrated is shit these days, but for headphone use, its a no go (atleast for me).
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fisk




Posts: 9145
Location: Von Oben
PostPosted: Tue, 28th Aug 2012 06:52    Post subject:
The ASUS STX is worth it imo. - and I'm not just rationalizing my own investment here. The best (worst?) comparison I can make (listening to FLAC in my Sennheisers) is that my old SB Audigy 2 was like a JPEG and this card is like a RAW-image or a TIFF. Songs have sounds that were muddled before, and where I sometimes would hear interference when the songs had quiet parts, there is nothing but complete silence now.


Yes, yes I'm back.
Somewhat.
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Newty182




Posts: 10813
Location: UK
PostPosted: Wed, 29th Aug 2012 16:03    Post subject:
So, getting some more money than I expected and I have finally decided to get an Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus 7.1 PCI-E Soundcard and some Sennheiser HD 449 headphones. The soundcard isn't quite as good when playing music as the Xonar Essence STX, but the Dolby® Home Theater V4 software that comes with it makes it very good for gaming. Plus the card has 7.1 analog outputs.

I have never listened to audio through anything other than onboard sound and cheap headphones on my PC, in fact the headphones I have now retail for £4.00 Laughing Embarassed, so I am hoping I will hear a big improvement. I used to be in a band and did several recordings, many years ago, and the studio monitors create an absolutely awesome sound, if I can get sound anywhere near to that it would be amazing! Or am I expecting too much?


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Przepraszam
VIP Member



Posts: 14517
Location: Poland. New York.
PostPosted: Wed, 29th Aug 2012 17:20    Post subject:
I have own two asus soundcard external one and low-range asus xonar X1 or whatever it was called but it was around $90

It was bad choice of a sound card, it was pretty major step-down from azuntech xfi-forte

recently switched to ht omega claro ii and I am one happy camper


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Newty182




Posts: 10813
Location: UK
PostPosted: Wed, 29th Aug 2012 17:45    Post subject:
Auzentech are pretty much non existent in the UK, there are just two results on Google shopping. And HT Omega I can't find 1 card anywhere, ebay, Google shopping, or on any of the big etailors I buy from.

My choices for a high end soundcard are Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Asus Xonar Essence STX, or the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus. The only other option is to wait for the new Creative cards. http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/creative-reveals-sound-blaster-zxr-zx-and-z-soundcards/


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velum




Posts: 1106

PostPosted: Wed, 29th Aug 2012 18:16    Post subject:
Newty182 wrote:
Auzentech are pretty much non existent in the UK, there are just two results on Google shopping. And HT Omega I can't find 1 card anywhere, ebay, Google shopping, or on any of the big etailors I buy from.

My choices for a high end soundcard are Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Asus Xonar Essence STX, or the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus. The only other option is to wait for the new Creative cards. http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/creative-reveals-sound-blaster-zxr-zx-and-z-soundcards/



Has Creative fixed their shitty drivers, that's the main reason I have stayed away from them. And I can't find Auzentech in the U.S. either, it looks like they are pretty much dead here as well. All their cards show to be sold out on their website and from what I can tell they are all older cards as well.


Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one
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fisk




Posts: 9145
Location: Von Oben
PostPosted: Wed, 29th Aug 2012 20:26    Post subject:
Newty182 wrote:
Auzentech are pretty much non existent in the UK, there are just two results on Google shopping. And HT Omega I can't find 1 card anywhere, ebay, Google shopping, or on any of the big etailors I buy from.

My choices for a high end soundcard are Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Asus Xonar Essence STX, or the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus. The only other option is to wait for the new Creative cards. http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/creative-reveals-sound-blaster-zxr-zx-and-z-soundcards/


1. Pick the titanium if you want "shit just to work"
2. Pick the Essence STX if you want a little app/driver hassle, but sound that is so clean it feels like it was just made
3. Pick the Xonar if you want to pay almost twice as much for 10% better audio improvement over option two (with all the other advantages/disadvantages)


Yes, yes I'm back.
Somewhat.
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Newty182




Posts: 10813
Location: UK
PostPosted: Fri, 7th Sep 2012 15:36    Post subject:
WOW! I have just got my Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus soundcard and some Audio-Technica ATH M50 delivered today. Totally skint now but dam this sounds good. I have never heard flies in BF3 before, until today. The sound is incredible! Everything is loud, crisp and clear. I'm one happy gamer. Smile


Ryzen 5 5600, ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II, Corsair Vengeance RGB RT 32GB 3600MHz C16, MSI RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3X OC , Corsair RMx Series RM750x. AOC AGON AG324UX - 4K 144Hz 1ms
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MinderMast




Posts: 6172

PostPosted: Fri, 7th Sep 2012 16:42    Post subject:
Those flies are annoying, I always try to shake it off the first time, because I think they are flying around my head Sad
And some map had mosquitoes, which is even more annoying... and scary.
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