1. sound cards, are they worth it, which is the best, i heard the augidy 4 is out? 2. what is the best headset out there? how are stereo headphones, which is the best? when i mean stero i mean more then just left-right headsets im looking at 1. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=26-106-381&depa=0 2. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=26-159-004&depa=0 3. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=36-501-001&DEPA=0
First to the headphones: The first headphones you listed are Sennheiser's, which is always a good choice. That's only going by brand. Maybe later I'll check out the actual specs of the headphones. Sound cards: It depends. If you go buy a cheap-o SoundBlaster 512, then you may not notice such an increase. But, going from the once-industry standard AC '97 to an Audigy 2, or a SoundBlaster Live!, you will notice quite the increase (I'm a proud owner of an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, and damned if I don't love that thing to death. The breakout drive makes everything a ton easier, too) Now, this is becoming less and less of a statement of fact nowadays, with things like Soundstorm and Azala integrated sound processors becoming more and more common, but for the most part, you'll be better off with a seperate card. AFAIK, the Audigy 4 isn't out, but I could be wrong (I didn't even know there was one being designed ) Have you looked also into Bose headphones? I know someone who has a pair, and they're awesome. I love Sennheiser, however....Someone else may be able to compare Bose to Sennheiser in headphones better than I can, as I'm bias toward each one (I've owned Sennheiser through the years, but own a Bose surround sound system, both of which I love) EDIT: Those are all surround headphones...were you asking if the difference between stereo and surround headphones?
Well, I looked at all the headphones closer, and it appears that Zalman's are the worst of the three. I always thought those were good headphones, but looking at different reviews, spec sheets and such, they look like the worst option. The Sennheiser's do appear to be the best headphones. They put out the most sound, have the most variable sound range, have both USB and Analog connections, and just appear to be the best choice. Good luck in whatever you do!
does it have surround sound? i did the search on newegg for that and it popped up, but its the only one that does specify it, so does it have it? is it worth to buy this and a sound card?
Checked out the Audigy 4 Pro, and TBH, it doesn't look like it's worth it. A few single-digit dB gains in some places (namely the signal-to-noise ratio, which will be ultimately limited by whatever speakers/headphones you use 99.9% of the time), and offers most of the same features. Plus, the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum is $100 cheaper, and still has the breakout box . It's up to you whether it's worth it to buy both the sound card and the headphones. To me it would be, because I do a lot of recording with my computer, and I need it to be as high of quality as it can be (I used to run a sound studio full-time, now I just do it here and there). Plus, the crazy amount of inputs on the breakout box and the full 7.1 channel analog outputs + digital output on the actual card were fully utilized. I can honestly say that I've used every I/O function on this card, and had to use each one more than once. The Sennheiser's aren't "strict" surround sound, they instead use the Sennheiser remake of headphone surround, a full 3D surround-type sound. They split each speaker into many different parts, and use multi-directional sound. Another downfall to the Audigy 4 Pro is that it doesn't have the RCA In, S/PDIF in-out, and Midi in-out that the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum has. (if you can't tell, I love my breakout box, and I use it constantly)
Look a bit gawdy tbh. I hate headphones that are huge like that, but that's a personal opinion. Most 5.1's are anyway.
