USB Sound Cards can be GAME CHANGERS!
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- Опубликовано: 16 июн 2024
- When it comes to getting the best sound from your smartphone or laptop, external USB sound cards can be game changers. But which sound card is right for you? Is it worth spending the money on a high end sound card or portable DAC? In this video we'll find out if they improve versus internal audio and bring better sound when compared against a typical laptop and smartphone headphone DAC.
Buy these items directly from Creative (affiliate links):
Play 4! - us.creative.com/affiliate/?re...
G3 - us.creative.com/affiliate/?re...
X4 - us.creative.com/affiliate/?re...
G6 - us.creative.com/affiliate/?re...
GC7 - us.creative.com/affiliate/?re...
Buy items in this video from Amazon at the links below:
Play 4! - geni.us/Play4
G3 - geni.us/SBG3
X4 - geni.us/SBX4
G6 - geni.us/SBX6
GC7 - geni.us/SBXG7
Check out the new Lian Li UNI Fan SL Infinity - geni.us/LIANLIUNI
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Which USB sound card is best for you?
1:01 - Why USB sound cards?
1:15 - The Ultra Portable $29 USB DAC (SoundBlaster Play4!)
1:56 - A mid-range USB-C DAC (SoundBlaster G3)
3:42 - AMAZING FANS - Ad Spot
4:14 - For the Gamer - Sound BlasterX G6
6:37 - A Desktop Friendly DAC/AMP (SoundBlaster X4)
8:34 - The Most Ultimate USB Sound Card Ever?
10:25 - Which one should you buy?
GET MERCH ►hwcstore.com
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Review unit provided free of charge by Creative or purchased by Hardware Canucks. This video is sponsored by Creative & Lian Li. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines. As an Amazon & Cretive Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Gear list (Available on Amazon):
Main Camera (Dmitry) - geni.us/SONYA7III
Main Lens (Dmitry) - geni.us/Tamron2875
Main Camera (Eber) - geni.us/CanonEOS-R
Main Lens (Eber) - geni.us/dLL
Main 2nd Lens (Eber) - geni.us/Canon24-70MKII
Main Camera Mic (D & E) - geni.us/RODEMIC
Cheap 4K Camera (Panasonic G7) - geni.us/24nm
Awesome Slider - geni.us/1Hwt
Our Shotgun Mic - geni.us/Sennheiser-MKE600
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Love you guys, but I'm not interested in making purchasing decisions based on an 11-minute paid ad.
@AmpEdition Vanced is dead. RIP
@@realmountainman I'm still using it 🤔
@@just.nobody Team not releasing updates anymore. Broke for me on android about a month ago :(
Ok everybody, the OP comment meant to say that the whole video is a ad toward a certain brand. So no, he/she is not interested in what Hardware Canucks is showing off
@@-Flabbergasted- I think everybody already got that.
I love the visuals on your videos, you take very cinematic shots that highlight these products a lot.
I know you’ve mentioned this product in a past video, but the Schiit Fulla at around $110 is another awesome option. It doesn’t require any software, has a mic jack, and should easily drive most gaming headphones and a lot of music oriented headphones.
Topping products are unbeatable.
@@delatomvione9943 I don’t have any experience with Topping products. I hear good things. I have a Fulla though as well as several other Schiit products, and can comment on that. If you’re from the US like I am, one key advantage that Schiit enjoys over Topping if this matters to you, and it does me, is that Schiit stuff is designed and built in the US.
Another vote for Schitt. Have several of their products. Top quality, well priced, easy to use.
In Europe you could get Audient Id4 MkII at $130 (for some reason sold at much more in US -- around 200), which is feature-full audio interface, not just a headphone amp -- so it has a proper mic XLR in with good amplifier, phantom power and all of that. Also a nice instrument-level input for recording guitars and alike.
Headphone amp part is not as overbuilt as in Schiit Fulla, but in practice it shouldn't matter much -- you could check Julian Krause reviews on youtube, he has measurements for headphone outputs of both.
yeah I recommend the schiit fulla because it is the best one of everyone of these because for 7.1 surround sound to work you have to get a whole setup for that.
Yesterday I was talking with a friend of sound cards and old years when Creative has a dominating the market with features like EAX and Dolby Digital and booom here's Hardware Canucks reading your mind telepatic and showing us that Creative It's Alive.... Excellent Content!!!
Thank you!!! Gonna pick the smallest one here as I was looking for that kind of sound cards
I use the sound blaster play 4 and it has very much enhanced the way I use my head set for gaming and work calls. It’s inexpensive and has a tiny footprint. Sounds way better then my onboard mother board audio card and the voice and mic settings make it a great choice for plug and play device.
my Creative PLAY 4 won't detected by Windows when change to mode 2 (long press till blink white), but it detected when I connect to Phones. Did u have same problem here?
@@noxiuz1 Ah, the classic Creative Labs driver hell.
Ive been using an USB DAC Audioengine D3 pair with a Topping A30 headphone amp for years, and it's amazing the difference in sound quality vs the sound card integrated on the MB
Soundblaster G3's footstep enhancer mode also works as an 10 band equalizer! The footstep enhancer mode is just the default custom equalizer setting, with the app it can be configured from the phone
I use the Creative G6 on my desktop pc and G3 on my laptop for audio a for a few years now and they provide excellent sound and power to my Beyer Dynamics, IEMs (various) Corsair HS70SEs to name a few. Having the ability to run high impedance headphones/headsets is a must for me and especially the G6, delivers all that you need!
I.m thinking buying the g3 is good and still ”good cheapy”, do you reccomend it?? To get better sound ps4 slim??
Does the G6 sound much better than the G3? Wondering if it's worth the price over it or if I should just get the G3.
I'm using a Sennheiser GSX-1200 and absolutely love it for gaming. The only thing I would wish for is that you could incrementally change the gain of the mic loop through (sidevoice). The 3 preset gains aren't really great. Medium is too low and high is too high. However the binaural surround upgrade, especially for games like Squad is fantastic and don't want to miss it anymore.
what a well timed video, i'm considering getting a usb sound card recently bcos the built in sound chip for my new Z690 motherboard sucks :(
there is a lot of noise with the pc out on my mobo, when using with optical out it often makes a peaking noise and will suddenly stop working turning off any sound output until i restart my pc. not sure if that is a software issue but i've no idea how to fix it.
i remember a time when onboard sound is so advertised and reliable, i think mobo makers are starting to neglect the sound aspect these days.
anyways thanks for the well made video, very informative, it really helps towards my decision making.
I have the SoundBlaster X4 since the release, I can't even explain in words how it made every audio related experience better.
I bought the Sound blaster x3 last year for $140 and then the x4 replaced it like a week later for the same price. Was kinda salty but after researching it they're basically identical but with the x3 having slightly better specs.
Excellent video...I've been curious about these newer SB products. I like the possibility that the USB cards provide, and I love clean audio. This side of the market seem to have been forgotten, its a shame. I used to have an original Audigy 1 unit that blew my mind in 2002, I couldn't believe how good that thing could sound for like 120$ I may pick one of these up, I'm interested in hearing the difference vs onboard on my Legions. Wish there were more reviews on sounds cards these days lol
I love my GC7. The built in surround is amazing for games and SXFI feels like it’s expertly tuned for movies. Amazing experience and really takes my shp9500 headphones to the next level. Great soundstage. Only point of critique is that I wish the software was more stable. It’s crashed on me quite a few times when I’m messing with settings. When everything is configured and I’m switching between presets it’s fine though.
In the video he didn't say anything about the mic monitor on the GC7. Are you experiencing any delays when enabling it? The older Sound blaster sound-cards are terrible with the delay in the side channel.
I bought the GC7 for my daughter last year and she loves it for streaming and recording. I'm running my old Creative X-Fi Titanium HD card myself. It's still going strong after 10 years of everyday gaming use.
Hehe, and I use a Soundblaster AE-5 Plus since I just prefer an internal card and get rid of as much as possible from the desk! :D But to be honest... I am still waiting for a good enough wireless gaming headset to replace my Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser headphones so I finally can get rid of any cable!
@@laggmonstret I've done the same thing in the past
I went from a dac/amp + gaming headset setup to a wireless headset, but in reality I'm going back to wired mode...
it's still much more qualitative whether it's audio level or microphone level, and no headphones that fall out of battery
it's sure that it's more cables but hey we still have nothing better in terms of quality than going through wired, then it's only ever 1 cable visible on the desk :)
i really missed my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum from my old P4 (move upto Core2)....
Just got the X4 and sound is amazing and super loud make the Epos H6PRO come alive. Easy to use. And playing with the amp make sound sound better!
Good overview of Creative's range, but these are just gamery focused DAC/Amp combo's and theres equally good/better fidelity options for the price of these from other brands like Fiio, Schit, ifi ZenDAC, Topping, etc like others have mentioned as well. If you're gonna do a roundup include other brands eh.
Don’t forget Motu.
I mean that's kind of the point of the video thought isn't it
he said its a creative sponsored video
@@Skrenja I am using focusrite solo right now planning to buy Motu M2. M2 have unbeatable value imo
@@clickbaitpro That thing is weak af lol. Only 23mw @ 33ohm.
I use the G6 on my desktop. I wanted a dedicated sound card, the onboard audio would sometimes hiss with my speakers. I walked around Microcenter a few years back and the size and price point were right.
That's because you are not setting your gain properly. Learn the difference between gain controls and volume controls. Then set your gain control(s) as low as you reasonably can. From there, use volume control(S) to adjust loudness. Also, if you have a mix of digital and analog volume controls in your system, set the digital controls to their max settings and use analog volume controls to adjust volume. This mitigates the issues you may have with bit stripping.
Always remember, only gain can distort the signal. Volume controls can't.
Holly crap, the complication of the higher end Craetive products made my head hurt. Plug in a good, direct DAC like Shiit Fulla 3, and forget about it. Perfect audio and mic. No drivers. No painful software. No bloatware.
Also no bullSchiit
I'm using an Audient ID14 mkii and Raptgo Hook X iem's. Can't find any fault with this setup. So far, I haven't even had any reason to use EQ for gaming or music. If I want to tailor the sound, I just switch out the ear tips. There are a lot of gimmicks out there and it's nice to have something that delivers for once, without the hype and gamer aesthetic.
Had to replace my Asus Xonar STX2 because of incopatibility issues on the am4 platform and went for a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1 Usb dac and it has been fantastic ever since, good quality audio and very straight forward and no internal system noise whatsoever, which i could still hear on the Xonar, and even more on the onboard.
Got a used FiiO e10k olympus2 for only £20 ($25) to use for my budget superlux hd668b headphones, looked for a specific eq tune for APO and now have great sound for only £40 ($50) total. If you're on a budget I highly recommend looking at used or refurb Schiit dac/amps or FiiO as both will increase sound quality and bass tremendously.
ignore the scammer
I'm rocking the g6 on my desktop. been running it for about 2 years now and I couldn't be happier. Replaced my X-fi HD from over a decade of use which is now on my 2nd computer that my bf uses
why did you change from internal to USB
I use both the Audioengine D1 and Fiio K3 but prefer the Fiio most of the time. It uses usb c for data and power and has a 2.5mm balanced output to drive more power hungry headphones (looking at you HD 6XX)
Sound Blaster X3 with Super X-Fi is the best audio upgrade since Sound Blaster X-Fi I got back in the old day, the Super X-Fi 7.1 surround on headphone is a real thing, you need to try it to believe the experience.
I bought a Cambridge Audio USB DACMagic XS for just $30 last year to power my 80 ohm DT 770's that I foolishly thought my motherboard could handle on its own and I was completely blown away with how good the little thing performed. Barely bigger than a flashdrive but it powered the 770's without issue at a 24 bit/192hz max. I ended up getting a Sounder Blaster AE-5 Plus a few months later just for the hell of it since I've never had a legit soundcard in my PC and while the sample rate is higher than the DACMagic and the software is nice, I could have stuck with the little $30 DAC no problem and been satisfied. I don't regret either purchase in the slightest and I've kept the DACMagic as a backup/portable DAC for future use. Unfortunately even at the time of purchase last year, it seems Cambridge Audio had stopped production of the DAC for a while so it might be hard to find one now. However if you can find one I absolutely recommend picking it up because the thing is a tiny powerhouse.
Don't shoot for higher sample rates. Go bit perfect if you want the best sound quality. With regards to up sampling, you can't get more than what you started out with. For example, if you start out with a CD quality music file (16/44), you can upsample to something like 24/96, but you're not getting better sound quality. Upsampling can't replace or add musical information to the 16/44 file. Its just not there. All upsampling does is take the 16/44 file and add non musical information to it so it looks like a 24/96 file. Essentially, you're tricking you dac into thinking its playing a real 24/96 file.
Wait why does this video look so sharper and more "alive" than past videos. Have I been watching at a lower quality...I like how you mention things to look out for, which shows that you have actually used the stuff you review. :D
Bought my G6 a year ago, been using it everyday since, best 150$ ever spent.
Always keeping it in Direct mode and swapping the headphone for different use cases like gaming, music, meetings. Although I don't like the mic quality on it so much, it sounds better if plugged into the PC.
I specifically picked my current motherboard because of the Sabre 32 bit 192khz dac with 120db signal to noise and it’s a dream to use with high end headphones.
I know this is a gaming-focused channel, but in terms of portability, ease of use and incredible sound quality, the HIDIZS S9 PRO should be on the shopping list. It'll make everything sound better. Not the cheapest dongle dac, but within the budget of what's being proposed here. I love mine.
Audiotrak Prodigy Cube. Great USB DAC with multiple outputs, mic support and replaceable opamp with 150ohm. Been using it for years, not many hear about them as they are from korea. goes for about $100US
this is the video Ive been waiting for
I took out my premium sound blaster card. It sounded way too harsh--to my great surprise. It got super-hot in my case as well. USB DAC/amps-awesome solution. I have the Ifi Zen DAC-plugged in to USB (and it has balanced 2.5 outs as well) . It ROCKs my HD600's. Sounds dynamic/punchy, musical, detailed, and smooth mids for hours of non-fatiguing listening. so many great USB options now. :)
ignore the scammer
I was using the G3 for a while, until it starts to stutter for some reason. Now I use it mainly for my Switch's mini-dock at work. I'm hooking my switch with a monitor and there are no audio output on the monitor (and I'm too lazy to plug in the headphone jack every time I want to use it). It works pretty well.
Now I'm using Audient EVO 4 on the move, and Yamaha MG10XUF at home. If you're a real microphone snob, get a Telefunken and it will work with any of those interface :D
Im literally on the Play4 as I type and I take it with me everywhere. I find it the most useful because of how small and simple it is.
I have a G6 connected to my Xbox OneX via the supplied optical cable. In this mode the G6 needs a separate micro-USB power input. I use it with my open-backed Audio-Technica headphones.
I normally turn off all SoundBlaster audio processing (inc. the dolby decoding) on the G6 and instead use the Xbox's Dolby Atmos app.
I have to make sure the 'audio out' is set to Optical in xbox settings
Once it is set up the sound of games and 4k movies is the best i could ever need... with more volume than my ears can handle too!!
I still use my Sennheiser GSX 1000 (now named EPOS) which was recommended by this channel years back. Best USB soundcard I've ever had. No 3rd party drivers needed, no software needed
Same here, the only negative thing about the GSX1000 is the fact it can only support up to 150 ohms headphones. I would love to see a comparison between the GSX1000 surround engine vs the Soundblaster X4 surround engine.
its the price wasn't out of control most the time it would be the best product around still
@@realduox True. Unfortunately it had a hefty price bump after EPOS bought the gaming product segment off Sennheiser
super happy with mine as well
I ended up getting the X4 so I didn't have to worry about dealing with a PCIe slot in my PC. At the time I got it the only two USB sound cards which supported 5.1 were it and the X3 and I find that really disappointing for the market. Even though my experience was a little frustrating the sxfi program is spectacular for mid range and above headphones. That has been my only issue with it, otherwise it has been wonderful and at worst equal in audio quality to my internal card that it replaced.
get ready for games crashing or microstuttering, took me ages to find out what causes it and it is their broken software. tested on 2 different rigs. i am not touching anything soundblaster never ever...
Stutters? Interesting. I have an X4 and on rare occasions I've had an odd stutter... I run a multi screen setup and if I game on the main screen and watch videos on a secondary screen it will sometimes stutter when changing program focus. From what I can tell it is caused by popup video ads on streaming sites although I assumed it was a video thing but it makes sense if it's a USB synch issue. It isn't a deal breaker and I hardly notice it. Truthfully it probably has more to do with my USB controller than the X4 as, from what I can tell, this isn't a common issue and I have a generic, off brand, MoBo.
I am a desktop PC Gamer that loves High Fidelity gaming audio and music audio. I purchased a focusrite Scarlett 8i6 with two Yamaha hs7 Studio monitors. The sounds that have opened up to my ears are night and day in comparison to my Logitech and motherboard audio. It's not even funny how many background ambient environmental sounds I can hear separately in High Fidelity and clear compared to the muddy muffled audio I was used to. I highly recommend getting an audio interface or USB sound card with Studio monitors if you like good audio while playing games and listening to music.. Well worth the cost and upgrade and sound enjoyment. Good luck out there love to all!
I'm getting the GC7 for sure...it's only like $20 dollars more than SBX4 and yet...it is feature packed for the price.
My desktop set up is Topping DX7 Pro as a dedicated DAC connected to THX AAA 789 Amp 😁
Thanks for the video. I think I’m going for the G6
Superb Video, very informative. Thanx 👍😎💖
ignore the scammer
I've been using a Chinese brand DAC called Ikko Zerda for several months now and I can tell you it's 50 bucks and great for the price. It can deliver really good sound at very high bitrates to almost any pair of headphones you might have.
got an art mixer/usb sound card, small, portable, inexpensive, xlr inputs, works with linux, only 4 channels, 1 hizloz instrument/mic, 1 loz mic, 2 line arranged as stereo. not enough, so i got a bigger one, still, the art is spectacular for portability, especially being port powered.
got the G6 for my PC and loving it.
Been using a DragonFly Cobalt for 2 years now. Very happy, it primarily makes the most sense in music but even games benefit a bit.
Yeah dragonfly is a great product if you need portability.
@@hakan7346 yeah that’s the thing. Instead of needing to buy two DACs I just unplug and bring it with me when travelling. It really is a nice little device that makes music ever so joyful, especially acoustic stuff shines on it.
Yeah, but damn is that some audiophile level pricing. You need to *really* care about sound quality to be spending that much.
@@tams805 Yeah most people don't need to spend this much. It's just that I needed something for PC and phone when travelling in a very small package and there is nothing that comes close to the DragonFlies + works great on iOS with losslesss music.
So it beats buying two separate 150 DACs I guess. But the DragonfFly Red is almost equally good and goes for 200 or less so that is the better overall buy for most people...just don't get the DragonFly Black...it barely makes sense.
A good opportunity to expand upon this idea and introduce the audience to Audio Interfaces like the Minifuse or Scarlett for other functions these don't have.
Great video! I'm thinking the Creative Sound Blaster GC7 for me, do you have headset recommendation to go with it? (price range $50 to $200).
I still use the Sennheiser GSX. I know they renamed the brand now but this thing is just as good as it was like 4 years ago.
Go for audio interfaces marketed towards musicians. You can find them used for cheap. They will have good build quality, superior sound, multiple inputs and outputs with physical controls, and proper pre amps and phantom power for microphones. You can get all this for like 50-150 bucks
Hello, I was considering the purchase of the Sound Blaster GC7 or Sound BlasterX G6.
This new Sound Blaster GC7 has a lot of software but a different muscle.
The G6 seems to have more range and better overall audio quality (32-bit / 384kHz vs. the 24-bit / 192kHz of the GC7.
And then it also caught my attention that the G6 has XAMP, it amplifies the 2 channels independently, achieving even higher quality.
I am a shooter player and I also like to listen to music both in the speakers and in the headphones that I use in the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm studio.
Is the positioning software with stereo magnet headphones like mine relevant and functional (opting for the GC7) or would it be better to exploit them with the G6?
What recommendation do you give me, which one would give me the best sound, both gaming and musical. My interest in buying one of these sound cards is because I use an MSI Leopard GP76 laptop and the sound is terrible. The connection to the laptop would be made to one of the USB 3.0 ports on the laptop.
Greetings and thanks for the reviews!
I owned an Astro A40 TR Gen 4 headset with the MixAmp Pro TR DAC: it had a great audio overall but the mic on the headphones sucks badly, and i don't bought at that time the extra blue mic for 40 €.
I then saw a video of a guy called Dimitri and now i have a GSX 1000 + PC38X headset :P
Totally satisfied with the purchase, no regrets :D
Chord Mojo, switched to it from dragonfly black 1.5
This is for both portable and desktop usage currently.
I'm using G1 for 2 years now, nothing can beat the sound card from embedded sound from motherboard or laptop
I'm looking to use one Sound Blaster GC7 or X4 for my mobile podcast set using an SPDIF splitter to send the headphone-only audio to two or three Sound Blaster G3, which I use to monitor the SPDIF input for one headphone out for each mic. I use the Movo VXR10 3.5mm video mic and it sounds excellent with Sound Blaster preamps. It's hard to get mobile podcast gear that small.
I use the Soundblaster X3 and it's great especially as I game on PS5 and can customise through the mobile app
I basically use my fiio btr5s as my usb dac/amp when I'm using them on my laptop. But they're so versatile that most of the time I use them as a Bluetooth dac/amp, especially with my phone.
ignore the scammer
I have an old Steel Series USB soundcard which came with the 9H headset, which was better than notebook internals and also has an seperate mic input, so I didnt hat to use an adapter. Now I gave it too my son, as I don't use the notebook for gaming or audio as I'm going wireless (once my Kickstarter Heavy's arrive)
Never used it on my desktop though, I had always internal sound cards (Z, AE-5 now AE-9). Had to smile, when you showed Grim Dawn, because it was one of the first games I played with the AE-9 and custom 600 Ohm MMX300 and it was great. Even better was Pillars of Eternity, the soundstage in the open areas had so much detail and was so wide like walking in the woods.
ignore the scammer
Any advantage of using 7.1 Sbx sounds for music ,videos movies ,listening? w. something like Sound BlasterX G6 ? Or x4 ,do they work with iPad too ?
i was going to get the g3 on a whim but i mostly needed one for recording functionalities.. my onboard recording line in is limited to 24 bits @ 48khz..it does sound really good but limits the spectrum to 20,000 hz..so no sound comming from higher frequencies at all.
the g3 maximum recording res is only 24 bits at 96 khz which is very good with proper equipment. but i already use equipment that can go up to 192 khz.
so i decided to get the xg6 because it was gona cost me only 30$ more then the xg5 which would have matched my other equipment max potential.
the xg6 can record..according to creative website to maximum input line in up to 32 bits float @ 384 khz... honestly i doubt the 384 khz part because thats well DSD 128 level of complexity!
might as well be able to record in "bit for bit" mode.
i wouldn't be suprised the real maximum is 32 bits @ 172 khz. but hey can't say without trying it.
As mentioned already, either the Fulla by Schiit Audio and the Schiit Hel should have been compared to these.
I will save up a little more and get the presonus io24 or the audient id14 mkii which will drive almost all headphones out there.
A great laymen’s option is the Astro gen4 or even gen 3 mixamp. Pair that with the wired headset or headphones of your liking and it’s still a great gaming option
ignore the scammer
Thanks for this!
First of all, thanks for the wonderful video. Couldn't have timed it better.😊
I am new to the gaming/audio world and had one query. If one has an audio interface like the 'Audient EVO 4' or the 'Arturia MiniFuse 2', does one need to have an USB sound card like the ones shown in the above video? My guess is, there shouldn't be any need. TIA.
Audio interface is just another name for usb sound card, both models you have wrote in your comment have DACs inside them and will drive both studio monitors and studio headphones.
With certain models of headphones you might need a bigger amp but that’s more common in the realm of audiophile and hi-fi
@@Madeguydo Thanks for the clarification. Really grateful. 🙏
I've own Sound Blaster X3, the prev version of X4, mainly trying to isolate pc sound (failed, but less bad than onboard. i use ground loop isolator at line out now), but i chose X3 mainly for 5.1ch setup (capable of 7.1 too). SBX with 5.1ch is great with surround mode, just that the delay is unbearable for rhythm games. line in is high quality, also mic too which i use it to connect my mixer.
while it claims to be driving 600Ohm headphone (it did okay) but tried with the likes of Sennheiser HD800s, it was not full sounding. But do drive my low sensitivity Hifiman HE400se well enough at high gain. So it can power heavy headphone, just not full. although my Superlux HD681 has a bit background hissing noise.
besides that, i also own Hidisz DH80s for balanced connection (and louder output). really great for headphone but limited to usb as source.
Onboard solutions have become much better over the years. For me, however, a dedicated sound card is still the best. Up until now, I have always given the onboard sound card a chance. They sound ok, but something is just missing. Everything just sounds very "flat". I have no idea how to describe it. When I then switch back to my "real" sound card, I always have a big "wow moment".
At the moment I'm using the Sound Blaster GC7.
The software of Onbard solutions is also a topic in itself. In this context, "Nahimic" has caught my eye in a particularly negative way. This stuff has crippled several games for me.
My new fav is moonriver 2 holy moly that thing is good 👍
iFi ZEN DAC V2 is also a great option, altho it's price went up a bit in recent months
Nothing like a good old schiit stack for amp/dac combo that can be your entry and also good enough to be your final ever dac/amp purchase depending if you are an audiophile or not. I run with beyerdynamic and senheiser open back
Good brand, but there is something to be said with open back headphones and the virtual surround that's tied to these audio devices. Been running a Sennheiser GSD 1000 since it came out, and I can't imagine not having the virtual surround sound option (granted, there are software options to emulate this on the computer side). The GSX 1000 for example, when mixed with some good open back headphones, makes you feel like you are actually in that space. Huge sound stage, and when people are talking, its as though they are in the room rather than talking directly into your ear.
Everyone and their brother will say that their own audio setup is the best. Technically yes, it's always the best setup until you try something better.
In terms of value for money I haven't found anything that beats my current Ifi Zen V2 + HD599 setup. I have the Sound Blaster G3 for my portable work setup, which in terms of audio quality sits somewhere in between onboard audio and the Zen V2.
I use a Denon x4700h as my sound card, might be over kill, but it sounds awesome.
For when I use headphones, I’m using a Schiit HEL. Desktop speakers are Vanatoo Transparent Zero.
ignore the scammer
X4 here. It is good for gaming for sure and it provides cleaner sound than my EVGA Z390 dark motherboard.
I bought the gc7 right when it came out and I use it on my desktop as well as for my ps5. It is really good but like you said hard to remember what the 4 buttons do without and indicators.
Hi, Can u map the "mute headphones" functionality to the buttons?
@@mike_nba you can set one of the c buttons to be media control, navigation, text and emoji, or set it to a keystroke.
my issue with the "usb sound cards" that you suggest is that they're designed largely for "gamers" or the mid-fi crowd. If you want an epic audio listening experience for music, movies, and games, I would recommend getting an audiophile DAC (which is all these really are, digital to analog converters). the idea is you plug the usb device into the computer and you plug your headphones (usually) or sometimes speakers into it. Many DACs also include a headphone (or sometimes speakers) amplifier as well. My current setup that I really enjoy is a mayflower o2 + odac headphone amplifier and DAC. I use it with a combination of my hifiman sundara headphones as well as my sennheiser hd-6xx headphones. Other fantastic desktop dac/amp combos include the schiit modi/magni stack (about $200 for both the headphone amp and the dac), and topping is also another manufacturer of dacs and headphone amps that sound really good. I have not found a SINGLE headset (headphones+mic) that actually sounds good in terms of either audio listening quality or microphone quality. just get a good set of headphones (the 6xx is actually pretty reasonable and will last forever), and your choice of reasonably priced desktop microphone (I'm actually a fan of the neewer nw-7000, but there are quite a few usb mics with boom arms that you can buy for very reasonable prices (~$30)
ignore the scammer
If you don't need the buttons on the Play 4, I would recommend the Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S. The Play 4 (as well as the Play 3) sound much more dull and not as clear.
I still love my sennheiser gsx 1000...it was one of the best things that I bought with my last system build.
Yeah this thing is still 100% my choice! No regrets!
I love my JDS Labs O2/ODAC dac and amp
I had the Soundblaster X4 for long time I really loved it! Really amazing, one cable which includes power/data. The Quality was 7.5 / 10, features was 9.5/10
I recently upgrade to JDS Labs Element 3 Amp/DAC no mic input but DAMN the audio is just so smooth.
Bottom line, if you're "Just" into gaming X4 should be your go to, otherwise Fiio ESS K5 Pro, Topping DX3+ Pro, Ifi Zan Can v2 should be next level up.
ignore the scammer
You seem very knowledgeable. I'm new to this dac /amp. only have shp9500 and some IEM. I mainly focus on gaming and some music listening. i wanna hear footsteps really bad even if they're a bit far. what should I get??? also budget friendly :)
I don't know anything about audio. But the audio that comes out of my pc. Not only for music, but also for social networks and games its horrible. What AMP do you recommend for this case? I was thinking that Fiio K7 might be a good option. Apart of this. Is there any option where I can connect two different audio inputs and mix them, apart from an extra output? I say this to have headphones or speakers output, and in the other case connect one input console and my cell phone or PC and cell phone in another. I read you guys. Great video!
Is SXFI worth it? I mean is the major feature (talking about immersive audio) comparing the X4 and the CG7 against the G6, so I wonder if that is a real game changer for immersion.
I’m looking to buy the absolute best monitor for FPS gaming on PC. What’s your current recommendations?
I have a Creative X3 and love it.
I highly recommend you to look at qudelix 5K, it has everything on small for factor and is focused on real serious audio enthusiasts, handles my pc38x and hd560s beyond my expectations and for just headphone I like my e1da powerdac, for desk I recommend topping dx3 pro+ and a mic setup
Loving my Schiit Modi 3 and Magni Heresy
They are. My H77 Pro/mvp had a really bad internal sound card for the microphone, and I never got decent audio quality until I got a cheapo 10€ generic usb sound card. The difference was massive, and it's plenty good for game comms.
ignore the scammer
I have Creative Sound Blaster Play 3 that cost 17 USD for my 770 DT Pro 80 Ohm Beyers and it is more than enough for electronic music and gaming.
Was surprised The Dragonfly USB DAC wasn’t mentioned
my mobo already had a 24Bit 192kHz jack on it (asrock is trying to cater to the "HiDef BluRay" enthusiast space) So i never had to worry about buying an audio adapter until I bought a pair of Hifiman Sundaras, bought the sound blaster play 4 to go with it but Im beggining to regret my purchase more and more. probably gonna return it and get a jds atom // something from schitt.
IMO he should have mentioned that the play 4 has a higher-quality playback compared to the G3. The G3 does 24B 96kHz, but the play 4 does 24B 192kHz. Idk, I think that potential sound quality is important when it comes to a sound card.
2:26 It surprised me that people want game/voice balancers. I would think most would adjust that in post as needed.
3:37 Ugh! You *touched on* the issue I wanted to hear about with the USB resources but it seems like nobody talking about sound cards has any knowledge of PCI lanes or USB bandwidth.
I need discrete 5.1 support and I want a external DAC so it seems the X4 is the best option.
It would nice to know there the EPOS GSX 1000 2nd Edition compares to these? Any thoughts? Thanks!
toslink is the only option unless you have access to rca outputs with 5.x|
over 30 years of mixing pc audio with stereo and HT setup..
you introduce whitennoise caused through grounded terminals to ungrounded terminals
I got a Soundblaster X4 a few months back to use with my MMX 300 headset and it worked pretty well for gaming and music. I took a break from gaming for a few months and only listened to music with it during that time. I just came back to Destiny 2 recently and started using Xbox and Discord voice chat. The Windows 11 sound service crashes when running voice chat and the game for a few hours. I tried older versions of the creative software, drivers, and performed the available reset functions. No luck. Some others on Reddit have had this issue recently with other Creative devices like the X3.
I would love a solution, but at this point I've given up on rolling my own sound setup with DAC+closed headphones with zero latency sidetone. I got an Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and so far it's completely stable for the same uses where the Soundblaster X4 crashes repeatedly. The sidetone is a bit quiet compared to what I got with the X4, but oh well. At least it hasn't crashed yet.
Did you buy the x4 cheap becouse when i look at the price its so close to the GC7 that its hard to see a place for the x4
@@xythiera7255 Nope. Full price back in February. Hopefully it gets fixed, but I'm not holding my breath. I have a 20 year history of buggy sound devices from Creative. I still have some of their speakers from the mid-2000s going strong though.
An update to this. I gave up on Wireless headsets due to comfort and audio quality compromises. I went back to the X4, but it continued to have crashes. I was unable to find anything with audio quality as high and with low-latency sidetone that is not made by Creative. I begrudgingly picked up the GC7. The wealth of controls are just so, so convenient. Usability is much better than the X4. So far it hasn't crashed. Software control seems less buggy than the X4 as well. I fully expect to be kicking myself at some point when I have problems in the future, but for now, this is the best solution I've found for my needs.
soundblaster play 4 win for me coz you can use it as a phone amp/dac for wired headphones and it delivers great sound quality on the go which is most important to me
if you want good mobile audio, tech out Fiio and Xduoo products line. I have the Fiio Q5s and the Xduoo xd-05pro and those sound great, have a lot of features and plenty powerful too, you can easily replace your desktop amp with those.
Looks like you were wearing a EPOS Racing Green and Gold headset. How does it compare to the PC38X?
Can you do a video on stereo bookshelf speakers driving amps for PC?