USB Sound card vs onboard

[kush1738]

Hi,

My onboard audio (AsRock AB350M-HDV using the Realtek ALC887 Codec) recently broke, and I bought the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro usb sound card to replace it.

How would the DAC and microphone quality of the usb sound card compare to the onboard audio, and will this sound card power my pair of Sennheiser HD558s 50ohms?

 

[gamerk316]

The DAC will certainly be better, though X-fi based cards are getting a bit long in the tooth at this point. The Mic input probably isn't significantly better; it's not a major focus for attention on consumer cards. A 50 Ohm headset should have no trouble being driven by either onboard or a dedicated card, though it's possible one or the other could produce a higher maximum volume compared to the other.