Is it actually worth it?

Meladath

New member
Just a quick question. I have an MSI Z87 GD-65 Gaming, is getting a sound card really worth it if I am only using a pair of Razer Kraken Pros and for my speakers an £80 5.1 kit?

What I mean is, am I going to notice a large difference compared to using the on-board audio (which apparently according to TTL is good as far as onboard goes) with only "cheap" audio output stuff?

I don't know much about audio at all. Most likely my only major weak spot when it comes to hardware. I know people like to talk about DAC's and headphone amps but I have no idea what they do to be honest.
 
Last edited:
Well first off with Razer audio stuff you won't notice a big difference. Now for example if you had something from M-Audio,Beyerdynamic,AKG then the answer would be yes. Those headphones would need something along the lines of a Xonar STX to get the most out of them though and that sound card is not exactly cheap.

If you plan on keeping the Razer then continue using the onboard audio, I could not justify the extra expense when the Razer is probably already being pushed by the onboard audio.
 
No point tbh. I would say it's only worth getting something better than your on-board if you have headphones that have a higher impedance than it can handle.

For future reference:

-DAC = digital to analogue converter. The signal is digital and needs to be converted to analogue. Your on-board already has one.

-Headphone amp = your on-board has one. The power of the amp will be fine for all gaming headsets and most headphones. More powerful amps allow you to use higher impedance headphones (such as Senn HD650s which have 300 ohm impedance for example).
 
I agree with the posts above. No need for a sound card in your situation.

Personally I prefer the external audio solutions for cleaner sound, showcase and portability. But... most of them are not cheap.
Then again getting a nice used standalone Sony, etc AMP from the 90s on ebay would do the trick for you. It will give better control over the frequencies (provided it has low and mids control), more volume and something to actually start your audio journey with.
Just make sure it has a dedicated headphone socket. You should notice the difference with Krakens or any other OK'is headphones / headsets.

Hope this helps.
 
nope not with anything with Razer branding. Would be a shameful waste, unless your next step was getting a decent pair of headphones and a separate mic.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I have been looking into decent quality sound gear for a while and I am considering buying a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50S (I only wish I could buy them from the US! $85 but £105 over here...). Would the next ideal purchase be an external DAC? After browsing around on the web I have seen that a lot of people recommend them over sound cards. I shouldn't need an amp since they only have 38 ohm impedance right?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top