Well for me I've been using logitech x530 5.1 surround system (Very old btw) and monitor headphones ... when I switched from realtek HD onboard to X-Fi Forte 7.1 I never expected such a change in quality. I was blown away tbh.
Its because of features like X-Fi 24bit Crystalizer, EAX Advanced HD, ASIO, DTS Interactive, CMSS 3D.. and the ability to manipulate the bass coming out of your headphones/speakers just affects quality so much.
My favourite infact are the headphone features, you get elevation and surround sound with whatever headphones you got. Elevation is when you see a helicopter in-game for example, it'll actually sound like its up there in the sky flying.
EDIT: Take note though, you have to buy a decent soundcard to get any improvements from onboard, else you could just be buying it purely for the extra features.
EDIT #2: Also take in consideration X-Ram with apparently improves FPS and smoothness with some games,
http://xfi.blogspot.com/2006/01/x-ram.html
X-RAM still pisses me off . . . not because it's practically useless . . . but because software developers are too lazy to support it. The freekin support code is available in OpenAL, as are the debugging features - it's not like you need to pay for EAX 5.0HD licensing!!
CMSS-3D is great at times, though. It's probably one of the best "virtual" speaker soultions I've heard . . . years of development based off of Aureal's technology, though . . . go figure
are sound cards much better than integrated scards?OR they need better sound system to work fully?
Tons better. Check this thread out:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=64921
The first post, I compare an expansion audio card to a high-quality onboard setup.
As to the subjectivity of the difference - I'll say this, even with very low end speakers or headphones . . . the average user will immediately hear a difference (not everyone does, though). But, you won't be getting the full output quality of a soundcard with low-end speakers/headphones, though.
Now, I wish that I could promise you that you'd defi hear a difference, but I simply can't do that. Everyone's ears are different. Some of us can easily pick up something like slight differences in sampling rate between two versions of the same track, some can't . . . some of us can hear tones and sounds that are either too high or too low of pitch for others to hear . . . I can show the differences in the hardware, and show visual representation of the output, but the percieved quality is subjective.
Heheh, yeah, the Razors, I saw the reviews on them... Checked all the reviews on gaming headsets probably for like 3 weeks straight before I bought. Saw many on these hpa2s, all good, then saw I think Kursah's review, and said what the hell. So glad I got them, nothing for this price will compare I'm sure of it. Even the mic works perfect, important to me for ts and vent. Dam mic is metal! Most of the headset is metal, very sturdy, but comfortable. Best 111can after taxes and shipping I ever spent!
My thoughts - the HPAs are good, but a bit overpriced, IMHO.
Compared to Razer's HP-1, though, they blow the HP-1 out of the water.
Now, that's not to say the HP-1s are a bad setup . . . quite the contrary, I use a pair - but only for gaming. It's not so much that their frequency response is sub-par, each individual channel is quite decent . . . but, the impedance of the individual channels really gives away the construction . . . I mean, compared to the more "average" values of the HPAs, the HP-1 has some inherent design flaws.
1st, the sub channel has a much lower impedance than any of the other channels (8O compared to the next lowest 32O). For average listening, it equates to a sub channel that's simply too strong, requiring one to spend a lot of time adjusting the sub channel (both in the audio drivers and with the in-line amplifier) to a more comfortable range. As well, the sub performs rather poorly with steady low frequency tones. It sounds good with quick, short bursts, though . . . which is more common in gaming.
The front channel has an insanely high impedance (64O compared to the lower 32O). Again, this means you'll need to spend quite some time adjusting the channel to sound properly. What really comes across as, well, dumb with the center channel is that 90% of games only support 2-channel stereo. It's not like modern sound cards can't handle the upmixing, though, but upmixing to 5.1 has it's issues. The center channel is usually either derived by inversing the L and R channels, then mixing them together is such a way that the extreme L/R portions are canceled (which leaves the predominant center between the two channels) - or by panning the L and R channel inward and mixing (both methods are more technical than I've described here, though). Problem with this upmizing is that typically the center channel is lower in volume than the L or R . . . which means that for proper listening, you need to increase the volume going to this channel. Back to gaming, it's alright as 90% of current game engines (especially FPS) it's not as major of a concern due to the numerous layers of effects that are applied to the output (occlusion, attenuation, reverb, echo, etc.).
Then there's the layout. The HPA is similar, but more "audiophile" in the actual layout of the channels, and their angle. On the HP-1, they all share the same plane, which can equate to certain frequencies and volume levels becoming muddied . . . and there's also the issue of the LEDs built into the ear pieces and the amplifier, as well as the amplifier (which I've had apart before . . . really cheesy), and the abundant possibility of introducing EMI into the output . . . there's literally nothing in the construction for EMI shielding (hell, even a couple of capacitors in the ear pieces would help), nor for noise reduction, etc.
Y'know . . . my set are out of warranty. I should be helpful and just disect the buggars so I can give everyone a good idea what I'm talking about.
Again, the HP-1s are good for gaming . . . and that's it. I wouldn't recommend them for high-quality audio listening, or watching DVDs or HD movies.
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