Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[konkeydong75]

I've been using an Asus Xonar Essence STX II for quite a while now and whilst I have enjoyed the output quality, there was no official support for Windows 10, so I have been using 3rd party drivers.

Whilst they have been good, and the support from their author has been admirable, it has become too buggy for me to continue with. After a couple of months of coping with (what was to me anyway) an unbearably loud hum as though there was a ground loop (known issue and not unique to my setup) I have finally removed the card and switched to the motherboard onboard audio as a stop gap.

I don't like it. I miss the warm rich tones I was used to, and that's just when watching TV.

Can anyone recommend a decent replacement for this card that is not extortionately priced?

Additionally, what is the current opinion of internal compared to external cards or DACs? I last looked at external options when I bought the Xonar and was not impressed but that was probably 9 years ago.

I don't do anything special with this machine. It's my MC server but also my main client and where most media gets consumed by the family. It's not used for any gaming, and headphone use isn't really important either - I have a separate client used for that.

I currently use a 5.1 speaker setup over RCA from the Xonar and now 3.5mm analog from the card to amp/decoder in addition to toslink, depending on the source media, but I would prefer a device that can upmix to 5.1 for watching TV as the family seems to prefer the results from that output and seem disappointed now if they can't hear sound from all four corners!

[eve]

Traditional 'sound cards' internally are mostly dead. On newer motherboards the onboard is 'good enough' for many, and those desiring more, tend to either do HDMI out to a receiver or if they're particularly concerned with fidelity, an external DAC.

There's a number of multichannel DACs out there, much rarer than stereo gear but they're around.
I personally really like the Topping Dm7. MiniDSP has a half decent multichannel USB DAC. If you're budget conscious, honestly an older hdmi receiver with pre-outs can do pretty well in a pinch.

For upmixing so all your speakers get utilized, look in DSP Studio in JRiver for an option

[S. Pupp]

I was using a 5.1 analog output from the 1/8” sockets in my HTPC to my 20 year old receiver’s RCA input jacks.  To improve sound quality, I installed a Creative Sound Blaster AE7 in my home theater PC.  I literally just moved the jacks from the HTPC’s built-in jacks over to the AE7.  The AE7 can decode DSD files, and sounded great.  It was a satisfying upgrade at the time.

When I bought a replacement receiver (a used Yamaha RX-A1040), I found that I preferred the Yamaha’s sound via HDMI to the Creative’s analog via 5.1.  I did lose DSD (PC’s can’t output it over HDMI, and I wasn’t successful connecting to the Yamaha by USB), but conversion from DSD to PCM sounds good.

If you plan to keep your system as it is and would prefer an easy swap, the Sound Blaster AE7 would be a consideration.  If you are thinking of upgrading your sound system, then be warned that many newer receivers are missing the 5.1 analog inputs.

[konkeydong75]

Thanks @eve, I'll take a look at those.

@S. Pupp, I did take a quick look at at the sound blaster cards but wasn't sure if I should take the plunge. I have had many of their cards over the past 20 years or so and have always felt that although the hardware might be pretty good they always let themselves down badly with buggy drivers.

[eve]

Thanks @eve, I'll take a look at those.

@S. Pupp, I did take a quick look at at the sound blaster cards but wasn't sure if I should take the plunge. I have had many of their cards over the past 20 years or so and have always felt that although the hardware might be pretty good they always let themselves down badly with buggy drivers.

I think a serious part of the problem with soundcards relates to the issue I raised earlier, they're in an odd 'niche' now. So what company is spending time developing them and actually putting in the effort?

Stereo is 'taken care of' like, low key, you can buy an apple USB c > headphone adapter and you have a DAC that's frankly... good enough.

What's your budget? The Dm7 is expensiveish (if you're comparing to a soundcard) but extremely cheap for what it is. I think the driver situation for it, on Windows is decent. I use ASIO primarily and I've been satisfied.

Receiver's still provide stupid value for the money, before I moved to professional audio interfaces (targeted at recording / mastering) and the Topping, I was using an out of date flagship as essentially a 'dac'. I grabbed it for like $600 back in maybe 2013, back then, audiophile 8ch DACs weren't common or anywhere affordable. HDMI isn't the most ideal if you're just doing audio but it sure outperformed anything else I could get my hands on at the time. I just disabled any sort of processing and let JRiver handle that stuff. Tap into the pre-outs and now you have 8+ channels of analog audio.

[syndromeofadown]

Can anyone recommend a decent replacement for this card that is not extortionately priced?

I will be ordering creative soundblaster x4 very soon. Though i haven't used it, it is my ideal replacement soundcard basically through a lack of other options.

You can also look at asus xonar u7 mkII. Discontinued, but still available.
You can look at creative X3

I have been using creative xfi fatality something something pci soundcard since 2005. With my upgrade to windows 11 on my 10 year old htpc, this card and onboard audio stopped working in surround. Stereo is still good.

So i just built a new htpc. It is working intermittently as I order copious amounts of defective ddr5 ram. With this pc I am not going pci, i am going usb for 5.1 audio.

I have asus xonar u7 mkI, but i am getting popping noises from it when videos start. I suspect. I do have new amps and preamp, so i cannot be 100 percent sure the u7 is to blame. I can confirm soon.

I plan on stwitching to soundblaster x4. Creative drivers are solid, but their software is not. You do need need to install software though. You can configure everything without, but the control panel will be buried deep in windows settings. Crazy deep.

The topping dm7 is not a good option in my opinion. Balanced cables for surround does not make sense for the average person, and topping is kind of trash when it comes to quality control. Topping may measure well but it is not built well, or from quality parts. See their internal power supplies.

MiniDSP is nice, but expensive.

I do not like or use receivers, I like to go straight from soundcard to amp.

I can update when I receive my X4 if this is of any value. Also you could try one for yourself if you buy from somewhere with return policy.

Schiit has entered the surround game recently. I am hoping they will release a basic 8 channel dac soon, but there is no evidence this will happen. There are clues though.

[eve]

The topping dm7 is not a good option in my opinion. Balanced cables for surround does not make sense for the average person, and topping is kind of trash when it comes to quality control. Topping may measure well but it is not built well, or from quality parts. See their internal power supplies.

Schiit has entered the surround game recently. I am hoping they will release a basic 8 channel dac soon, but there is no evidence this will happen. There are clues though.

Balanced can be a limitation but frankly, I've been extremely satisfied in my setup. I have it hooked up essentially over the network. So I use an AES67 Endpoint > Dm7 > Pro Amplifiers (retired the Jungson A amps I used, might move everything to hypex), they're balanced so that's fine by me. It's cheaper than the ExaSound and when I bought it, the Okto was essentially impossible to get.

I'd *love* to see Schiit enter the no nonsense 8ch D/A market. Syn is an odd product but I think for some people, it might make sense.

[craigmcg]

Balanced can be a limitation but frankly, I've been extremely satisfied in my setup. I have it hooked up essentially over the network. So I use an AES67 Endpoint > Dm7 > Pro Amplifiers (retired the Jungson A amps I used, might move everything to hypex), they're balanced so that's fine by me. It's cheaper than the ExaSound and when I bought it, the Okto was essentially impossible to get.

I'd *love* to see Schiit enter the no nonsense 8ch D/A market. Syn is an odd product but I think for some people, it might make sense.

I too would love to see a Schiit 8 ch D/A (I use Schiit in our other rooms audio) but for the HTPC, I'm loving my Topping DM7 which is being adapted to unbalanced  to my power amps without issues. The detail is wonderful with my wife and I both occasionally briefly stopping a movie/show because we weren't sure whether something we were hearing was "real" or in the movie/show.

[newsposter]

I can recommend all things DAC from FiiO

https://fiio.com

[eve]

I can recommend all things DAC from FiiO

https://fiio.com

They don't make multichannel D/A IIRC

[syndromeofadown]

Quote from me

I have asus xonar u7 mkI, but i am getting popping noises from it when videos start. I suspect. I do have new amps and preamp, so i cannot be 100 percent sure the u7 is to blame. I can confirm soon.

The asus xonar u7 mkI is not making popping noises, so I fully recommend it. The culprit was the preamp.

[pschelbert]

I use audiointerface, pro equipment. Rock solid, ASIO, hardware quality.
It has its price tag. Contains AD/DA for room-eq,  measurements.

I use RME (UFX II, 12xAD/12xDA, 16 digital IO).  There is a smaller interface, RME UCX (8xAD/8xDA, 8 digital IO).
There are many audiointerfaces like RME, some much cheaper (Focusrite, Motu), some much costlier Lynx, Weiss, Merging)
All with USB connection to the computer, works with Windows, Mac, Linux.

Balanced/unbalaced: RME works in both ways (just connect an adapter). Others I don't know.

[Hilton]

RME ADI-2 DAC FS (Neutral sound but is expensive - and amazing)
Stream deck pages by Hilton, on Flickr

or iDSD Signature for 4100mW of power (warm sounding)
iFi iDSD DX220 MQA DSD256 by Hilton, on Flickr

iFi iDSD Signature - iPhone SE - Perfect! by Hilton, on Flickr


or xDSD Gryphon for allround versatility including line-in and BT... also more neutral sounding (but warmish compared with RME) and the cheapest of these DACS...

coffee and metal by Hilton, on Flickr

[eve]

RME ADI-2 DAC FS (Neutral sound but is expensive - and amazing)

OP is primarily interested in proper multichannel solutions. The ADI-2 is one of the best high end but still 'no nonsense' 'stereo' adjacent DACs on the market. Fantastic sound and some great, thoughtful DSP. Indeed I actually use a reimplementation of the bs2b crossfeed the ADI-2 uses for my headphone endpoint (towards the end of the downmix, dsp and correction chain) and I adore it.

https://bs2b.sourceforge.net