Receiver or Creative ZXR?

[AliG]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to upgrade my desktop's audio system (currently have a logitech x540 paired to an extrememusic), and was wondering whether you guys think a Creative ZXR will be sufficient - or if I should just upgrade to an legit audiophile system? I am willing to spend some money, and have had good success buying good receivers off ebay. The main question boils to a matter of practicality versus performance.

Thanks!

[zalbard]

If you don't use headphones for games or movies, get a receiver.

[AliG]

I have a good set of headphones, that's what attracted me to the ZXR (with the headphone amp on the control module). However, don't most receivers also have good headphone outputs?

[lowfat]

I have a good set of headphones, that's what attracted me to the ZXR (with the headphone amp on the control module). However, don't most receivers also have good headphone outputs?

The headphone out is terrible on a lot of them.

[AliG]

I see, so let's say I'm open to shelling out the money for a good 5.1 surround setup (not another computer one, but a legitimate audiophile grade one), do you think the receiver would be good enough for driving my headphones, or would I have consider the possibility of getting both a receiver and a sound card?

[zalbard]

I see, so let's say I'm open to shelling out the money for a good 5.1 surround setup (not another computer one, but a legitimate audiophile grade one), do you think the receiver would be good enough for driving my headphones, or would I have consider the possibility of getting both a receiver and a sound card?

One of the downsides of a receiver (external DAC) is that none of them (in the sane price range) support headphone [surround] virtualization like CMSS-3D or THX TruStudio (which is nice for movies and games).

Also, some of them are built with speakers in mind, some work best with headphones.

[AliG]

How about the top grade receivers? I wasn't planning on buying a new one; my current Marrantz (home theatre) was $1800 new but I bought for $75 off ebay because it was ~10 years old.

I had my eye on the Pioneer Elite line. You could argue Harman Kardon has better audio quality, but they have serious quality control issues. The Pioneers seem to have lasting build quality, modern I/O and are THX, Dolby, etc certified.

[Kingcarcas]

Good gravy, Logitech speakers?? Man i didn't know what i was missing until i upgraded from those crappy things, i think it'll sound great regardless of what you go with.
I have a Pioneer AVR with Pioneer speakers now.

[SoulsCollective]

I was in a somewhat similar position recently - looking to upgrade from my X-Fi Forte and tossing up between an external DAC or a new internal soundcard, probably a Xonar Essence. Fortunately, my local audio place is fantastic at allowing you to try things so I was able to have a listen to both and even take parts home (after a suitable deposit) to listen on my own setup (HiFiMan HE-500 cans, Meier Corda Swing headphone amp). I ended up going with the Audiolab Q-DAC, which completely blew away the Xonar and also had the benefit of freeing up some PCIe slots.

Would absolutely recommend moving up to something external. Huge difference.

Edit: also, as pointed out above, the headphone out stage on a lot of external gear is, if not exactly rubbish, then definitely not the focus. This doesn't mean that it can't be used with headphones - anything with RCA out can be hooked up to a headphone amp - but is something worth considering.

[AliG]

Ok so I think the consensus is that receivers do not place good emphasis on the headphones.

With that in mind, it may be smart to upgrade first to an extra setup, and then spend a bit more in the future for a dedicated headphone amp. The main reason I say this is because while I do have a nice set of headphones (Sennhaiser HD 380 pro), realistically I don't use it them nearly as much as my speakers, and plan on getting an audiophile 5.1 system.

[SoulsCollective]

Ok so I think the consensus is that receivers do not place good emphasis on the headphones.

I wouldn't say it's a consensus, as such, just, be aware that the headphone stage on a lot of receivers may not have had as much attention paid to it as the RCA/XLR outputs. That is not to say that all receivers will have bad headphone stage, just that that's something to check by reading reviews before you settle on any one thing.

With that in mind, it may be smart to upgrade first to an extra setup, and then spend a bit more in the future for a dedicated headphone amp. The main reason I say this is because while I do have a nice set of headphones (Sennhaiser HD 380 pro), realistically I don't use it them nearly as much as my speakers, and plan on getting an audiophile 5.1 system.

It's always worth spending more on your source. An amp later on, or better speakers, or whatever, can help increase sound quality, but if your source is the weakest link in the chain it's going to hold everything else back.

[AliG]

It's always worth spending more on your source. An amp later on, or better speakers, or whatever, can help increase sound quality, but if your source is the weakest link in the chain it's going to hold everything else back.

Yeah I agree, I typo'd "external" to be "extra" instead. I'm going to invest first with a receiver (just going to use the optical out to get a pure signal) and a high end set of speakers, and then will take care of my headphone amp.

Now it just becomes a question of whether to get speakers or a Surface Pro 3 first lol. I think the new OneNote is Microsoft's best kept secret (I have no idea why they don't brag about it; it's truly phenomenal) and my current laptop is dying. Everything I've heard about the Pro 3 is that they finally nailed it from a hardware perspective and the user interface seems to be pretty mature.

[Kingcarcas]

Then again they do say that the internals of a PC are very noisy and not geared "Audiophilia" so having something external is better..........they say

^^+1 FWIW, even with our entry level Polk Home Theater I did seem to notice a difference when watching Blu-ray with DTS HD/Dolby HD even if i assumed that our cheap speakers wouldn't be able to pick up the upgrade in the source.

[AliG]

I just snagged a Marantz SR7500 off ebay for $100 + shipping, and I think nailed both birds with one (receiver). The SR7500 has a headphone amp with Dolby IIx surround output, so I think that this actually will be perfectly fine for both driving quality speakers and cans.

[AliG]

Finally got everything wired up. I think without a doubt I made the right choice. Even my headphones sound significantly better with the receiver - which is saying something considering I already had a good soundcard.

[zalbard]

Nice! Enjoy your setup!

[SoulsCollective]

Nice eBay can be a great source of quality kit if you know what you're looking for and aren't afraid to run a slight risk. Just, promise not to get sucked into snake oil

[AliG]

So now the next challenge becomes figuring out the speaker setup.

I was originally planning on getting another set of DefTech studio monitors, but they have so much bass they vibrate my desk (not kidding, I'd found out by testing out my 450s). Either of you guys know anything about their promonitor line? I heard out of the 600s at a best buy and wasn't impressed, but the 1000s would fit my desk and be a big upgrade over my logitech setup.

Also do you guys know anything about getting 5.1 sound through optical properly? I specifically picked a receiver that had the latest dolby digital stuff, but I also know that optical is inherently bandwidth limited as compared to hdmi.