Hi, i have used a Asus Xonar Essience Stx II soundcard since 2014, but i did a system upgrade and got a new Gigabyte x870 Aorus Elite Motherboard.
Should i still use this sound card, or just use the onboard Audio from the Mobo, and can someone explain why?
Currently i have a Audio Technica ATH-AD700X headsett, but im thinking about upgrading as my Aux cable is hanging on a thread.
31 Comments
Not really needed unless you specifically need some connectors that only the soundcard has
Onboard audio is still generally awful. Use the card or get a decent modern external DAC.
External usb soundcards/dac/audio interfaces will remove the burden of onboard sound from you forever.
Your motherboard has a Realtek ALC1220. That’s about as good as it gets for onboard audio, and it probably beats the sound card. I would try the onboard audio first, and if it doesn’t suit your needs, look into an external DAC.
Did you even use it correctly with correct software, because if you ask such questions then you didn’t need it in a first place.. I own it and it produces insanely good and accurate sound, s-rock mode is amazing + 8 channels support, mobo doesn’t provide anything like that. Using it with DT 990 Pro 250ohm
I used to run a sound card on my PC, thinking it was the thing to do, but I quickly realized that even if it’s advertised as isolating all the things, it doesn’t. You’ll still hear static and whatnot over time.
Rocking a Sound Blaster in my rig since… forever.
The signal quality will still be a little better than onboard. Also it’s necessary if you use high-impedance headphones. The small PCI-E 1x slots usually don’t use your CPU lanes. Only chipset lanes, which wont affect your GPU. I’ll give it a shot if there are not very old, compatible drivers.
i use a vocaster one for my hd660s.
on board Audio is ok for up to like 200 ohms but it becomes kinda thinned out and the bass responce is bettter with a dedicated soundcard doesnt really matter if ver pcie or usb it just has to have good adjustment
im not sure what impedance your headphones have but if its over about 150 ohms id recomend some kind of amplification
also physical buttons are great
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These still sell for a couple hundreds USD over here
integrated audio chips are ass when you consider noise and volume levels, though the difference isn’t that outrageous when used with low-impedance headsets like yours
and then there is a whole lot of software features that make the sound subjectively better (at least this is how it was with my creative soundblaster, idk about asus’ audio software enhancers)
As others said external is superior these days, but also imo, just test audio with both the soundcard and the onboard. If they sound the exact same to you, then no reason to use the sound card.
I just bought the SB G8 this weekend, and I returned it to Amazon because it didn’t really make a difference for me.
My Sony XM4 headphones do the job much better thanks to their internal system; you should start there since you want to replace both. As for the microphone, no problem; you have solutions on Amazon, like the V-Moda.
Why not man. My audioengine 2s have a DAC built in and I’m no audiophile so I can’t tell much difference.
Dedicated dac + amp >>>
I have had that exact sound card for a very long time. Had to get rid of it when it was causing stuttering in games due to driver issues that were not resolved in a long time. Now I don’t remember where I stored it.
Absolutely. Steer clear of expensive motherboards, that try to justify their price tags, by using the “state of the art integrated audio” moniker in their feature list. Onboard audio is terrible across across the board, always use dedicated sound cards for audio, it’s much better, cheaper and will last you for far longer since you can migrate the audio card to a new motherboard when upgrading.
Oh man that soundcard is amazing, had to buy it to enjoy my ultrasone dt550 pro at the time.
dedicated devices are usually better than onboard, even new ones. you can put it in the bottom slot so it won’t interfere with your airflow
I have had the same card and was better than any onboard sound
I use an external DAC, the FiiO K9 Pro ESS, tho something like a FiiO K7/K7BT would´ve been sufficient for my Headphones I have.
If you were to go with a soundcard. I would recommend a SoundblasterX AE-5 Plus.
Because then you get good audio and get maximum compatibility with old PC games and take advantage of any Soundblaster specific sound enhancements said game uses.
Personally for me, I’d use a desktop amp or quality dongle dac and just send data over USB to it since it avoids the noise from the motherboard or my having sound hardware (i.e: a soundcard) close to it
just get an external audio interface on any music store
If you want to go to the next level, leave all the gaming audio behind and get yourself an audiophile stack (amp + DAC) and you will never ever go back to the mobo. The detail, spatial awareness, and oomph truly turn gaming into a cinematic experience. Artillery dropping on your head in Hell Let Loose is actually terrifying with it.
That is still one of the best cards out there and will defo be better than onboard audio
That sound card looks great with the black and gold design! Audio tech doesn’t really lose value, it just gets discontinued, so older gear can still be great. However, PC sound cards are becoming less common for gaming and entertainment for a few reasons.
As others have said, external DAC/amps or DAC+amp combos are in a different league for audiophiles. These internal cards often suffer from lower audio quality, and many high-end motherboards already have great audio components. You typically don’t need a dedicated card unless you’re using specific setups, like an in-home Dolby surround system.
**For your headphones, decide if you want balanced or unbalanced (balanced is better in your specific case), then just get a simple DAC/amp combo.**
For me personally I’m in the same boat, I just built a new 4K rig and redid my audio – HiFiMan XS Edition and a Topping DX3Pro+ are endgame incase you are thinking about upgrading.
for me i went the other route.
have a higher end av reciver and network the sound to that. so really no need for pc speakers or mic
I have put my usb bus powered DAC inside my case, pcie solutions were expensive 🙁
I have one. It’s great. Haven’t had a single sound issue since.
https://preview.redd.it/vkbgyqqase4f1.jpeg?width=1467&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87708d73a69db583910c4983ee3b091c2cbf620a
I’m using my Creative Labs XFI Titanium Sound Blaster on my Z790. I use digital audio from a Pioneer receiver and it’s much better than the onboard audio.