I wanted to get a sound card and a pair of headphones to go with it. I got curious on all these talk about hi-fi and wanted to see what it will bring me. These are not high end in general but the best out here.
Shopping around I found that prices here are very different from the US.
I'm looking at
Titanium (non-HD) - $143
Titanium HD - $286
Xonar Essence STX - $205
My requirements when I began researching was to get a higher audio output from my PS3 (SPDIF connection + analog out on the sound card for 5.1 on crappy speakers going by this board), unfortunately I found that for sound cards, the above 3 are my only decent choice (The rest are lower end creative cards including audigy). And since I'm gaming less and less (Still do alot of WoW but I play that with in-game audio off and music turned on) I would say the use for hi-fi would be 90% music/10% games. Non Hi-Fi use 50% music/40% movies (mostly HDTV recordings)/10% games. So the SPDIF while a feature I really wanted is also a feature I will have little use on. Blu-ray movies I watch rarely, I watched 2 last year.
I wanted a D2/X but can't find 1 in my country. Neither can I find an H5 add-on to go with the ST. So the ST/X will be stand alone.
Planning to pair it with the SRH840 headphones for $197. I think I'm pretty much fixed on this. My music includes classical, pop, and a bunch of orchestra and a few rock (<10). No Metal, or anything louder than pop. My other headphone options include:
ATH-A700 - $238 (back order, I was able to get the price but I'm not confident I can get these)
M50 - $210
HD558 - $238
HD598 - $358 (This is way above my budget but this is the highest end I can find in my country)
Currently I'm leaning heavily on the STX. With my choice of headphones, I think this will be the best match.
My questions
1.) Would having the SPDIF in on the Titanium HD worth $81?
2.) Will the SRH840 be a good fit for the Titanium? This will satisfy all conditions (SPDIF, 5.1, headphones). But I don't think this is optimal for the headphones.
3.) Is there a way to make the STX or another way for my computer to accept SPDIF?
4.) Comments/suggestions on the headphones/sound cards/overall?
General feedback are welcome too. I'm new to this and wanted to get a discussion going with the above info. I could check if there are decent amps here if I'm going for the Titanium but I don't think I can fit that in my budget right now.
Edit:
Forgot, requirements for the headphones is for the cord to be removable. After breaking a lot of sub $30 headphones by stepping on the cord, sudden movement and other ways to dislocate the cord from the headphones. I wanted 1 that will release on pressure instead of breaking the wires. So that means the A700 and the M50 are pretty much out.
I can get Bose AE2, but at $238, I don't think they are worth the cost even with the 1year warranty and a service center within my area.
My speakers are Logitech X540. Did not realize the speakers don't show on the sig.
Shopping around I found that prices here are very different from the US.
I'm looking at
Titanium (non-HD) - $143
Titanium HD - $286
Xonar Essence STX - $205
My requirements when I began researching was to get a higher audio output from my PS3 (SPDIF connection + analog out on the sound card for 5.1 on crappy speakers going by this board), unfortunately I found that for sound cards, the above 3 are my only decent choice (The rest are lower end creative cards including audigy). And since I'm gaming less and less (Still do alot of WoW but I play that with in-game audio off and music turned on) I would say the use for hi-fi would be 90% music/10% games. Non Hi-Fi use 50% music/40% movies (mostly HDTV recordings)/10% games. So the SPDIF while a feature I really wanted is also a feature I will have little use on. Blu-ray movies I watch rarely, I watched 2 last year.
I wanted a D2/X but can't find 1 in my country. Neither can I find an H5 add-on to go with the ST. So the ST/X will be stand alone.
Planning to pair it with the SRH840 headphones for $197. I think I'm pretty much fixed on this. My music includes classical, pop, and a bunch of orchestra and a few rock (<10). No Metal, or anything louder than pop. My other headphone options include:
ATH-A700 - $238 (back order, I was able to get the price but I'm not confident I can get these)
M50 - $210
HD558 - $238
HD598 - $358 (This is way above my budget but this is the highest end I can find in my country)
Currently I'm leaning heavily on the STX. With my choice of headphones, I think this will be the best match.
My questions
1.) Would having the SPDIF in on the Titanium HD worth $81?
2.) Will the SRH840 be a good fit for the Titanium? This will satisfy all conditions (SPDIF, 5.1, headphones). But I don't think this is optimal for the headphones.
3.) Is there a way to make the STX or another way for my computer to accept SPDIF?
4.) Comments/suggestions on the headphones/sound cards/overall?
General feedback are welcome too. I'm new to this and wanted to get a discussion going with the above info. I could check if there are decent amps here if I'm going for the Titanium but I don't think I can fit that in my budget right now.
Edit:
Forgot, requirements for the headphones is for the cord to be removable. After breaking a lot of sub $30 headphones by stepping on the cord, sudden movement and other ways to dislocate the cord from the headphones. I wanted 1 that will release on pressure instead of breaking the wires. So that means the A700 and the M50 are pretty much out.
I can get Bose AE2, but at $238, I don't think they are worth the cost even with the 1year warranty and a service center within my area.
My speakers are Logitech X540. Did not realize the speakers don't show on the sig.