Sound Cards, Speakers & Headsets

[Ollii]

Hey, Recently I've been wanting to upgrade all my audio equipment and thus have been looking around and I sort of know what I'm looking at but wouldn't mind what you guys think.

Sound Card - Budget £60-90:

It's either going to be the Asus Xonar D2X or The Asus Xonar DX as they do seem to be the ones everyone recommends, audio quality wise there basically identical. It's just that the D2X features a few more extras. (Does it have any drawbacks when compared to the DX though?)

Speakers - Budget £150-200:

Speakers I'm really not sure about at the moment, I've been set on the SP2500's for a while, however there seem to be quite a few debates about whether or not they are actually that great when compared to Bose or other top company's at a similar price. (What do you guys think? are there better speakers out there for that price? if so please list them)

Headsets - Budget £100ish - I ultimately want an audio headset rather than an actual gaming one. A removable mic is preferable. Would also like them to work well with i-Pods and phones etc.

The Steelseries 7H is top on my list at the moment, as they look good and have a retractable mic. Although I've heard issues about low build quality and them breaking after a couple of months or so, is this true? I like the look of the PC350's and 360's. but the non-removable mic is a big put off for me, and is there audio quality really that much better than the 7h's? I'm not aware of many other headsets, but by all means list any that seem suitable for for needs.

All input is welcome, thanks.

 

[PEXON]

A Xonar will do you fine and there are several under £50, that extra few quid saved can go on a set of proper music headphones, I've said it before and I'll say it again,a set of Beyerdynamic (DT770/880) will be great, make sure to get the 32/64ohm ones for them to be driven from your iPod/phone, then all you need is a desk/clip on mic for a few quid and tada, you've got much better quality than a gaming headset. Speaker wise, again, I'd keep well clear of gaming branded stuff, a lot of people say go for the SP2500, but for their price, I'd go again, for something else, same as Bose and Bang and Olufsen, overpriced, mediocre gear.

 

[Ollii]

Thanks, the beyerdynamic's do look very nice. But was just wondering, will the 32ohm version sound worse when hooked up to my PC compared to a 600ohm one for example?

Anyone else who feels like commenting please do

 

[PEXON]

The 600 ohm will need an amp to power them, they will sound better/ be louder/ better bass etc. but they do need some serious juice at 600. The 32 ohm will drive nicely off a soundcard and be plenty loud enough. I have the 250 with an external amp and they are a great compromise.

 

[Perturabo]

Yup I agree with Pexon on everything. Ive got the 600 ohm version of the DT990s and I need a headphone amp to drive them. The lower impedance headsets will still be miles better than the gamer stuff, night and day difference so don't worry about that.

 

[sleepylilazn]

A Xonar will do you fine and there are several under £50, that extra few quid saved can go on a set of proper music headphones, I've said it before and I'll say it again,a set of Beyerdynamic (DT770/880) will be great, make sure to get the 32/64ohm ones for them to be driven from your iPod/phone, then all you need is a desk/clip on mic for a few quid and tada, you've got much better quality than a gaming headset. Speaker wise, again, I'd keep well clear of gaming branded stuff, a lot of people say go for the SP2500, but for their price, I'd go again, for something else, same as Bose and Bang and Olufsen, overpriced, mediocre gear.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

 

[Ollii]

Thanks for the comments guys. I've done a fair bit of research and pretty much sorted things out, just a few more things to iron out.

Decided on everything bar the speakers, I am now down to two: The M-Audio Av40's and the Audioengine 2's. The seem to be pretty damn similar in all the reviews I've read but the A2's are £30 more at the moment, so I see no reason why I would get them over the Av40's unless you guys suggest any reason otherwise.

Also, regardless of which one's I'd get, I'd quite like to set them up with a fairly good Sub. Does anyone know any sub's out there that are around £25-50 and would suet these two nicely? If so please feel free to comment.

All input is welcome, thanks.