i got Sennheiser HD-555 but i need help

[COCO10]

i got Sennheiser HD-555 but i don't have a good sound card

so is it better to invest 80$ on good sound card or invest it on buying Fiio E7 ? to get better sound

iam mainly watching movies and games

[SoulsCollective]

Definitely get a better sound-card - your setup is only as good as your source. However, as you haven't filled in your profile field or provided more details in your post, it's a little hard to provide a recommendation - eighty dollars of what currency? Canadian dollars? Singaporean dollars? Australian dollars? Similarly, what shops are you looking at buying from?

[COCO10]

thanks dude

i'll buy from newegg

usd dollor

iam between these two

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

[BeepBeep2]

I'd definately pick the Xonar D1. (But that's personal preference.)

[SoulsCollective]

Difficult, they're both good cards. The higher-end Omega Claro has great reviews, and I've heard from many satisfied users, so I'd assume the lower-end Striker is good as well - but I've heard the Xonar D1 myself and while it's not as good as its bigger brother it's still a great card.

Do you have any kind of capacity to try out either card? Ultimately it's a matter of getting something you like the sound of, not just something that reviews well.

[COCO10]

hmm iam confused now

SoulsCollective guide me to the best 120$ MAX can buy

[SoulsCollective]

Urgh. That's a difficult bracket to shop for, at least going by NewEgg prices - things seem either to be at USD $100 or less, ~USD $150, or ~USD $200. I'm not in the USA and have no idea what US tech stores are good, so I don't know if you could get a better deal by shopping around, but I'd go for either the
Omega Claro (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271002) - USD $160, free shipping - which is a great sounding card with good drivers, but lacks support for higher EAX versions, meaning as a gaming card it may not be the best (depends on the game you're playing), or
Auzentech X-Fi Forte (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156010) - USD $150 - The Forte is a fantastic card for headphones, as it comes with a headphone amp on the PCB, meaning you'll be able to drive those 555s to the best of their ability (it won't make a huge difference as the 555s aren't the highest impedance cans, but it should still be noticeable), and as it's built around the Creative X-Fi chip you get access to all the fancy features supported by the newer versions of EAX, as well as the use of ALchemy software to add Vista and Seven support to older games, etc etc. Plus, it sounds damn good.
I sound a bit like an Auzentech shill here, but the Forte is cheaper and for your usage the better choice. The Omega Claro is a great card, but for what you want to use it for it simply isn't the best choice.

[woffen]

Urgh. That's a difficult bracket to shop for, at least going by NewEgg prices - things seem either to be at USD $100 or less, ~USD $150, or ~USD $200. I'm not in the USA and have no idea what US tech stores are good, so I don't know if you could get a better deal by shopping around, but I'd go for either the
Omega Claro (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271002) - USD $160, free shipping - which is a great sounding card with good drivers, but lacks support for higher EAX versions, meaning as a gaming card it may not be the best (depends on the game you're playing), or
Auzentech X-Fi Forte (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156010) - USD $150 - The Forte is a fantastic card for headphones, as it comes with a headphone amp on the PCB, meaning you'll be able to drive those 555s to the best of their ability (it won't make a huge difference as the 555s aren't the highest impedance cans, but it should still be noticeable), and as it's built around the Creative X-Fi chip you get access to all the fancy features supported by the newer versions of EAX, as well as the use of ALchemy software to add Vista and Seven support to older games, etc etc. Plus, it sounds damn good.
I sound a bit like an Auzentech shill here, but the Forte is cheaper and for your usage the better choice. The Omega Claro is a great card, but for what you want to use it for it simply isn't the best choice.

How do the Creative cards compare here?

It would be mainly used for gaming/music listening.

This is the one I've been eyeballing mostly:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102019&cm_re=creative_x-fi-_-29-102-019-_-Product

I have the same headphones so maybe the OT will benefit from my question as well.

[SoulsCollective]

Poorly. If you're going to use a Creative chip, get a card made by Auzentech. Creative cards use poorer-quality components than the equivalent Auzentech ones, and the Creative drivers are infamous for causing problems, mysterious errors and poor performance.

[woffen]

Affirmative. The Forte works well in both gaming with headphones, and music listening through a AV receiver then?

Sounds like the card to get for me then. Thank you!

[COCO10]

iam going to Auzentech X-Fi Forte

thanks alot Mr SoulsCollective for your help

[SoulsCollective]

Affirmative. The Forte works well in both gaming with headphones, and music listening through a AV receiver then?

Sounds like the card to get for me then. Thank you!
Well, if you're listening through a receiver then you're probably outputting in digital, which means the quality of the soundcard is essentially meaningless - the receiver is the one doing the digital-to-analogue conversion. When using the analogue-outs on the Forte itself (which is what I presume you mean by "gaming with headphones") you'll be using the DAC on the Forte, so yes, it'll sound good and will use the headphone amp.
iam going to Auzentech X-Fi Forte

thanks alot Mr SoulsCollective for your help
No worries mate :)

[dinos22]

i got a pair of those headphones....bloody awesomeness ..... i've had them for a long time........surprised to still see them on the market......ic the price has dropped eheheh

[woffen]

Ok, thx SoulsCollective!

I've had mine for a long time as well. Just haven't had a sound card in ages except the one that came with my T3eH8 which well, ain't a real sound card:)