Help with USB SoundCard please. :D

[YuriDias]

Hello guys.
Recently i've bought a sennheiser hd 598 and they told me that it could sound even more amazing with a good soundcard.
Well, i've searching a soundcard for about 2 months and it's hard to decide.
At this moment i'm using a desktop, and i'm definitely an audiophile. I like good sound quality in movies, games and mainly musics.
So.. i was very sure to get one Sound Blaster Z (which is pci-e), because it's in a good cost (about $100) and it does have a amp and core 3d surround that seems pretty incredible.

NOW I'M NO THAT SURE.. they always told me that PCI > USB, but it's just a matter of latency (right?), and i'm not recording in a studio.. so... 10ms more or less won't make any difference.

Now i felt myself back to 0. I don't know what soundcard buy, but the quality (both hardware and drive) of the Sound Blaster Z sounds very interesting, but a PCI soundcard could be more.. ahn.. secure? I could start using a notebook or whatever.. just a little worry.

They told me about the Xonar U7 and X-Fi HD. But... i'm kind of sad because Sound Blaster Z seem to be so perfect, and these USB soundcards doesn't have such incredible characteristics.

So.. could you guys please, PLEASE, help me to decide? Should i put this question off and get my Sound Blaster Z, or i can find a USB soundcard as good as this one? Or even better..

I'm pretending to spend around $100 on this.. so.... help. haha

Thank for your attention,

Yuri..

PS: Sorry if i did any gramatical mistakes, actually i'm Brazilian so.. just doing my best.

 

[ssddx]

so, your dilemma is whether you can use the headphones with only your computer or both your computer and netbook?

if you do not require such things as virtual surround sound then you have a 3rd option: an external amplifier or an external amplifier + dac. fiio makes some nice products in the $50-120 range which would work great for your needs. the audioengine d1 would also work. external dac+amp units are like a 2.0 soundcard that only does one thing: stereo sound. the amplifiers included are meant for headphones. just buying an external amp (without dac) would use your onboard audio so quality of signal is not increased but you can get more bass and power from the better amp. (dac + amp solutions would be best).

if you wanted to keep virtual surround sound as an option, a pc soundcard is your only option. pcie connection would be ideal as sometimes you can get usb bus noise from the usb jack (not normal but can happen in some systems). the soundblaster z is a great choice and fits the bill. if however you want a soundcard you can use on both a laptop and computer a usb soundcard would be best. both the xonar u7 and xfi would work. the creative omni would also work.

 

[YuriDias]

@ssddx thank your for your answer.
Well, i really care about the surround sound. Would the technology inside these usb soundcards be enough to make it as good as the sound blaster Z? I really don't wanna lose quality for it, otherwise i would prefer the pcie. In your experiencie.. both driver and soundcard usb itself is as good as the soundblaster Z?

Thank you!

 

[ssddx]

both pcie and usb cards would work and are of similar quality.

i usually suggest pcie cards like the Z since sometimes usb can introduce noise. however, if you want to use the card with two computers (one being a laptop) then usb would be the better choice.

 

[YuriDias]

both pcie and usb cards would work and are of similar quality.

i usually suggest pcie cards like the Z since sometimes usb can introduce noise. however, if you want to use the card with two computers (one being a laptop) then usb would be the better choice.

I'm ready to sacrifice the disponibility of the soundcard on notebook for better sounds on desktop. Do you have any posts or videos about this potential noise?
And.. excluding the noise problem.. are these (x-fi hd/ u7) going to offer me the same quality? Like good EQ on driver for more bass.. or some good virtual sound on games, cristal clear sound... the surround and stage environment.. things like that.

Sorry for beeing so insistent, i need to be sure of my choice, i'm leaving USA next month.. and in my country its too expensive.

Thanks!

 

[ssddx]

the noise over usb is not a guaranteed thing. in most cases there is no noise at all. i only listed it because on some systems it is an issue while on most it is not. normally its a ground loop issue. heres a video https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbNyINuo-Uw again, most systems do not have this issue. it could also sound like crackling or popping in some cases.

if you want virtual surround sound make sure that the product you buy lists it (needs to be a soundcard). that would be either dolby headphone or cmss3d/SBX.

as i said before, both an internal and external soundcard would work for you. there are people who try and say one or the other is better. some claim internals are better to avoid usb noise while some claim usb is better to avoid internal emi noise. this is why i said to pick one which fits your needs the best as any of the solutions would work.