Looking for a soundcard for hd 598

[revolultrablue]

Like the title says I'm looking for a soundcard for my hd 598's. I'll be using the headphones for gaming at a high level, music and movies. Thank you so much for any recommendations and advice.

 

[revolultrablue]

I also have the alc989 integrated on my extreme4 z77. How will this work driving these headphones?

 

[ssddx]

the hd598 are fairly easy to drive and most onboard can drive them. they do gain a bit more low end when paired with a more powerful amplifier but thats about it.

i would try your onboard first. if the sound quality does not appeal to you or you hear distortion (buzzing, crackling, distorted sound, other noise) or it does not have the features you want (such as virtual surround) then i'd think about upgrading.

if you wanted to go with a soundcard i'd suggest either the xonar dg or xonar dx which are reasonably priced products. the xonar dg has a more powerful amplifier built in but the xonar dx is a higher end card. both have virtual surround support (dolby headphone). if you eventually planned on getting a dedicated headphone amplifier in the future (which is not really needed for the hd598 but is for certain other headphones) then the dx is a bit more suited for this

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in short: the 598 should be driven fine by onboard. i'd test them with onboard first and only pursue other options if you are unhappy with sound quality.

 

[revolultrablue]

Thanks for the great explanation. I just found virtual surround in the realtek manager. So this is something I should have turned on?

 

[revolultrablue]

Should i set my default format to 24 bits 192000 as well? Default was set lower. So, of the two cards the xonar dx is better suited for me? I don't plan on getting any higher impedance cans.

 

[ssddx]

virtual surround is more of an option. either you like it, or you dont. some say it gives a better 3d sound though on cans with a wide soundstage it really is not necessary and distorts sound quality. personally i've never cared for using it myself though as i said, different people have different opinions.

i always use 24/192 myself. while normally not a huge difference i feel it increases bass response just a bit.

the xonar dx doesnt have a headphone amp built in for hard to drive headphones. basically this means that it will power headphones that portable devices can (ipods, phones, etc) and your 598 should fall into that category. it wont power harder to drive headphones. this level of power is typical of most onboard soundcards.

the xonar dg (or creative z which is a nice card as long as you dont need to use its mic input) have strong headphone amps. some say a bit too strong but they work well and can even drive some harder to drive headphones fairly decent.

generally the dx's lower output is much better than the dg or z for using an external amp with since you wont get as much distortion from double-amping. if you're looking for an all-in-one solution though you might want to consider the dg or z as the amp might give you a VERY slight boost in bass (though not significant).

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edit:

saw your duplicate post about your 598's dg vs stx thread. please do not post duplicate type threads as they clog up the forum.

to answer your question... the stx is MUCH better than the dg and is in a class of its own between the two. if you have the cash to spend and expect good performance the card will deliver. however, given that you're *only* using hd598's and not something alot more analytical/detailed you might not notice much of an improvement for the money spent over something like the dx (the stx and dx have the same DAC. the stx just has a headphone amp)

if you want the stx, it may be better to just get a dx + headphone amp from fiio. you could then take the fiio with you for your portable devices and use it on the pc too which is a win-win scenario. you can also get a similar effect for less cash too given that you can get a dx ($77) and even the fiio e6 ($27) can drive the hd598 fine. thats $104 compared to the $180 for the stx AND you're getting the same dac as the stx and a fairly decent amplifier for less.

the fiio e10k and e11 are also nice ($76 and 60) but you dont quite need something of that power for hd598's