Upgrade to Soundcard?

tj9413

Honorable
Jul 17, 2013
2
0
10,510
I have the MSI Gaming 5 Z97 mobo which has AudioBoost 2.0 and the current headphones I have are Sennheiser HD 598's. Is it worth it to upgrade to a mid-range soundcard thats around ~100$ or should I just stick with the onboard?

I'm also using the amplifier which lets you power the audio straight from the PSU rather than using the power from the mobo.
 
Solution
The specs of your on-board sound are just fine.

If you want to check them out yourself, you can find them here: Realtek ALC1150

Any potential sound cards you look at can be compared, and you'll likely find, they aren't significant upgrades. Unless you're hearing a bunch of noise being imposed into your audio signal, I wouldn't bother upgrading.

Whether you like the sound of anything you upgrade to better is going to be subjective of how the soundcard colors the audio during it's analog conversion and your own preferences.

Instead of subjecting yourself to another device that lives inside the PC, and as such is subject to the noisy environment there, why not spend the $100 on an external amplifier and run digital audio out...

bigpinkdragon286

Distinguished
Oct 3, 2012
229
0
18,910
The specs of your on-board sound are just fine.

If you want to check them out yourself, you can find them here: Realtek ALC1150

Any potential sound cards you look at can be compared, and you'll likely find, they aren't significant upgrades. Unless you're hearing a bunch of noise being imposed into your audio signal, I wouldn't bother upgrading.

Whether you like the sound of anything you upgrade to better is going to be subjective of how the soundcard colors the audio during it's analog conversion and your own preferences.

Instead of subjecting yourself to another device that lives inside the PC, and as such is subject to the noisy environment there, why not spend the $100 on an external amplifier and run digital audio out, bypassing the need for the DACs in the computer, then use the higher quality DACs in the amp to drive your headphones.
 
Solution
D

Deleted member 217926

Guest
The HD 598s are good enough that you will see a difference pairing them with a good soundcard or external amp. I have an Asus Xonar Essence STX driving my HD 598s and it is an amazing combo. A little over your budget though.