Which soundcard is worth buying?

[helidan]

Originally Posted by colelli84

Suprised nobody mentioned HT Omega. I am very happy with my striker, and have heard great things about the halo series.

They haven't become cheaper in the last few years for a reason, and during the whole "sound cards aren't working in vista/win7", these were one of the few lines that worked just fine because the company makes good drivers. Not to diss the other options (outside of creative, had an x-fi fatality that I found to be a waste of money), but these cards are fantastic.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...+omega&x=0&y=0

I was debating one of these but from research I would say there is little between the Omega and Xonar cards, both very very good products.
I still think an external DAC and proper amp (headphones or speakers) is the way to go if you really do want exceptional sound. The Aune T1 looks a great amp on paper (good choice of components, linear and NOT switched PSU, tube pre-amp stage) and Rock Grotto seem to be liking it at the moment. I'm considering giving one of these a go.

[Drann]

Originally Posted by helidan

I was debating one of these but from research I would say there is little between the Omega and Xonar cards, both very very good products.
I still think an external DAC and proper amp (headphones or speakers) is the way to go if you really do want exceptional sound. The Aune T1 looks a great amp on paper (good choice of components, linear and NOT switched PSU, tube pre-amp stage) and Rock Grotto seem to be liking it at the moment. I'm considering giving one of these a go.

Thing is, you're looking at near $100 more for that sort of quality. You can get an Essence ST for around the $100 if you shop around. It has a decent DAC and built in headphone amp that to my knowledge is the same as the one found in the Filo E9.

Not bad value, and when you factor in the swappable opamps to get the sound signature you want it's an exellent way for most people to get great quality sound without spending a fortune. Most users are going to benefit more from upgrading their headphones before upgrading the source to something like a tube reciever/amp becomes a real viability. I'd say it's the perfect 'entry' into audiophile quality sound.