Your Sound Equipment

[Andrewr05]

I wish I had the privacy, the room and the money for a hugeass sound system like that.

[My_Inner_Fred]

After using these Sennheiser HD280 Pros for a year I can safely say I'm am completely satisfied with. The Flat EQ lets you listen to music the way the artist intended for you to hear it, no extra bass no modifications on the EQ.

 

Far better than any set of headphones I've tried before. Thanks for helping me find which headset to get OCC!

[hylander]

 After seeing some of these set up's I truly feel humbled.

 

Head phones- SteelSeries 7H USB  I like the 50mm over ear cans, I use them mainly for Audio Books, and movies. I do need a dedicated Sound card though,as there is no amp for them.Comfortable for my head after 4+ hrs of use.

 

PC Speakers- Altec Lansing Octane 7   2.1  Very booming Bass, Mids and Highs are o.k., As stated for the 'phones I need a dedicated Sound Card, they do the trick when the "beer" lvls are up there. 

and nobody cares other than they are loud from 3 rooms away.  ;-)

 

 

Can anyone recommend a decent Sound card in the $100- $175 Canadian range.( same as US $ ATM ) 

Hope this doesn't start a war LOL

Edited January 23, 2013 by hylander

[Stonerboy779]

What do you want from your soundcard?

 

At that range I would suggest something like the D1 which is big on quality and is great if you primarily use headphones and 2ch setups.

 

If you want 5.1 surround or something its a different matter. But surround for me from a PC should be HDMI into a HT reciever.

[hylander]

What do you want from your soundcard?

 

At that range I would suggest something like the D1 which is big on quality and is great if you primarily use headphones and 2ch setups.

 

If you want 5.1 surround or something its a different matter. But surround for me from a PC should be HDMI into a HT reciever.

Hey thanks Stonerboy779

 

 I want my to take advantage of my Blu Ray collection, and DVD's. I would also like my Flac files and games to sound better, as I occasionally do pick up some crossover from the integrated sound from the Mobo.

I just d/l the file that goes with my Headphones (supposed to be 7.1) and other than louder sound,I don't notice much spatial separation IE 7.1

I can discern a bit of surround, but it is probably just the quality of the cans themselves.

They seem to give a larger separation on the 6 channel setting.

What is the D1? Do you mean the ASUS Xonar ?

[Stonerboy779]

I am talking about the Audioengine D1 USB DAC and headphone amp.

 

Very clean audio and being USB based or optical in, so it doesn't take up space in the case. It very neutral and won't colour your sound and as a headphone amp its good for most cans up to 300ohms.

[hylander]

I am talking about the Audioengine D1 USB DAC and headphone amp.

 

Very clean audio and being USB based or optical in, so it doesn't take up space in the case. It very neutral and won't colour your sound and as a headphone amp its good for most cans up to 300ohms.

Hey thanks Stonerboy,

Good to hear that, as I was not too impressed with the reviews I was reading on the Xoner D1,

Yes I am looking for a headphone amp solution, I do like what I am reading about the Audioengine D1 USB DAC. and the price is right.

I prefer not to listen to Mp3's for my music, prefer either Ogg  or Flac. (obviously ;-) )

Also it appears far more versatile compared to a regular sound card solution.

Thanks for the heads up,  looks like I may be getting a better Headphone setup also, to take advantage of the abilities of the D1

.

[Stonerboy779]

I would advise you stay away from any headphones brander with gaming and surround when you are looking for a pair of cans. Too often its all just a bunch of marketing and gimmicky effects.

[hylander]

I would advise you stay away from any headphones brander with gaming and surround when you are looking for a pair of cans. Too often its all just a bunch of marketing and gimmicky effects.

I hear you. At first it was the "Surround" I looked for, but  WTF,  LOL   But not so much for the gaming end of it all. I barely play games that require any "sense of behind, to the side etc.."

Now I feel with a decent pair of Headphones, I can go beyond the Hype, and hopefully settle on a decent rendition of my music and or Audio Books and Movies. (Wide gamut).

Hell I think I learned my lesson with these Steelseries,  though I do like the comfort, and now that I have figured out the supplied software, they aren't too bad.

 Listening to them for the last few hrs, I am getting used to some sounds that I did not hear before the d/l  Ramstein, Rush and some Jethro Tull do sound much better.So will keep trying them out for now.

[Skidmarks]

My hi tech solution. It also doubles up as my version of a budget friendly iPhone. 

[DnaAngel]

Im a stickler for the audio quality over speakers then that of headphones/Earbuds

 

Main rig has:

 

Asus Xonar Phoebus sound card

 

Logitech Z5500 505Watt 5.1 surround speakers THX Certified

 

The sound quality is breath taking, extremely clear mids and highs that really put you into the audio. When listening to surround supported HD songs I feel as though Im standing in the middle of the studio with the band. The bass on the z5500's is overwhelming. WILL knock windows off their tracks and forget anything on walls at bass level above 75%

 

This setup is also "illegal" for gaming    as I can hear things in extreme fidelity and uber positional, like bullets, footsteps coming around corners, incoming heath hazards ect. lol, I'll never forget the first time I played a FPS game on this setup. I kept catching myself ducking a little bit at a few instances.

 

 

 

Secondary gaming computer for Family/Friends that come over

 

Asus Essence STX

 

Logitech X540 140 Watt 5.1

 

 

The 540's are damn good speakers. No where as quality as my z5500's but that's to be expected. Deep booming bass though can be weak at times. Bass level stays at 100%

Edited February 26, 2013 by DnaAngel

[d6bmg]

Some changes happened to my setup, and hence I'm posting again:

 

Logitech Z506 - good as entry level 5.1 setup.

Edifier C2 - descent 2.1 setup.

Corsair Vengeance 1500  awesome digital 5.1 setup, specially for gaming.

Edited March 1, 2013 by d6bmg