ASUS RoG Xonar Phoebus 7.1 Review Comment Thread

[terrybear]

Originally Posted by AkG

You should get better, clearer audio with the newer cards. Will it make a huge difference? Honestly, I dont know. You mainly use the soundcard for gaming and most games are not overly taxing on a cards abilities. Honestly depends on what games you play. But unless you really find your existing solution 'lacking' I wouldnt. Its not like you are using oboard sound....nor is audio that big a deal for your needs. YMMV but you could upgrade but I honestly dont know if you would go "wow, I have been missing out on so much". If you know what I mean. ;)

So your saying that yourself you believe there wouldnt be that significant diffrence/gain/improvement between a Xonar Phoebus / xsence in gaming/movie/music experience as well as audio recording/capture over a 1st Gen X-fi like i have?

thanks for the responce back btw

[AkG]

Oh I am saying there will indeed be an improvement. It may even be massive....BUT its going to be subjective on how large an improvement you notice. The Phoebus is not a cheap soundcard. It has a good headphone amp, but - and please do not take this the wrong way - thats not going to come into play in most games on your PC350s. The audio engine in the games you play AND the 350s will be the weakest link. Maybe its just the snob coming out in me but I find the 350s to be mediocre at best and I find a lot of games to not exactly be 'deep' when it comes to the sound layering they do. Directionality will be improved, but is that enough to warrant the upgrade price? The headphone amp on the ROG P should also add some clarity to the headset you got, but even with the added clarity....its only a 60-40 chance on you going "WOW". 60/40 is a large risk to take on a 2 bill soundcard.

Now if you had a good speaker setup OR if you had higher grade headphones / headset than the difference would be probably be night and day large and i would say "go for it!!". As it is, if you got the coin you certainly will NOT consider it a downgrade...but I cant say with 100% certainty that you will go "it was worth it". If you are finding your existing setup lacking than yeah....go for it. But if you are happy, wait another year and another gen and THEN upgrade. I wouldnt be surprised if the second gen ROG soundcard blows the first gen out of the water.

[Bloodystumps]

Originally Posted by AkG

Oh I am saying there will indeed be an improvement. It may even be massive....BUT its going to be subjective on how large an improvement you notice. The Phoebus is not a cheap soundcard. It has a good headphone amp, but - and please do not take this the wrong way - thats not going to come into play in most games on your PC350s. The audio engine in the games you play AND the 350s will be the weakest link. Maybe its just the snob coming out in me but I find the 350s to be mediocre at best and I find a lot of games to not exactly be 'deep' when it comes to the sound layering they do. Directionality will be improved, but is that enough to warrant the upgrade price? The headphone amp on the ROG P should also add some clarity to the headset you got, but even with the added clarity....its only a 60-40 chance on you going "WOW". 60/40 is a large risk to take on a 2 bill soundcard.

Now if you had a good speaker setup OR if you had higher grade headphones / headset than the difference would be probably be night and day large and i would say "go for it!!". As it is, if you got the coin you certainly will NOT consider it a downgrade...but I cant say with 100% certainty that you will go "it was worth it". If you are finding your existing setup lacking than yeah....go for it. But if you are happy, wait another year and another gen and THEN upgrade. I wouldnt be surprised if the second gen ROG soundcard blows the first gen out of the water.

Right there is the ticket Bf3 for instance has horrible sound , I'm pretty sure I can make better sounds while taking a shit then what BF3 offers .

[Slik]

Originally Posted by terrybear

So would AKG sugest then that buying the Xonar card with the senheiser pc350 bundle is a better purchase at the moment then 1 of these ?

I happen to have the Phoebus and the Xense cards. As AKG said,if you need a set of headphones,and if you like the PC 350's the Xonar Xense bundle is an excellent choice. Problem is trying to find the Xonar Xense for sale anywhere. I use my PC for gaming only,and tested both sound cards using headphones with several games including BF3. In my opinion,the Xense is a better card for gaming. While the Phoebus is a very very good card,I found the Xense gave a better positional and surround sound for hearing where things are coming from. The Xense software is easier to use,and has much better pre-game settings etc. in my opinion. It's too bad the Xense is sold only as a package with the PC 350's. It's too bad you can't even find the package for sale. I have every top end Creative card available that is 5.1 analog,and believe me,the Xense or the Phoebus will blow Creative right out of the water. I also compared the Phoebus and Xense to the Auzentech cards and have the same opinion. Anyone who already has the Xonar Xense,will have no need for the Phoebus or any other card for that matter. That said,and the fact that the Xonar Xense appears to be unavailable,anyone looking for a super card will be more than satisfied with the Phoebus.

[RM - Ottawa]

Originally Posted by AkG

Oh I am saying there will indeed be an improvement. It may even be massive....BUT its going to be subjective on how large an improvement you notice. The Phoebus is not a cheap soundcard. It has a good headphone amp, but - and please do not take this the wrong way - thats not going to come into play in most games on your PC350s. The audio engine in the games you play AND the 350s will be the weakest link. Maybe its just the snob coming out in me but I find the 350s to be mediocre at best and I find a lot of games to not exactly be 'deep' when it comes to the sound layering they do. Directionality will be improved, but is that enough to warrant the upgrade price? The headphone amp on the ROG P should also add some clarity to the headset you got, but even with the added clarity....its only a 60-40 chance on you going "WOW". 60/40 is a large risk to take on a 2 bill soundcard.

Now if you had a good speaker setup OR if you had higher grade headphones / headset than the difference would be probably be night and day large and i would say "go for it!!". As it is, if you got the coin you certainly will NOT consider it a downgrade...but I cant say with 100% certainty that you will go "it was worth it". If you are finding your existing setup lacking than yeah....go for it. But if you are happy, wait another year and another gen and THEN upgrade. I wouldnt be surprised if the second gen ROG soundcard blows the first gen out of the water.

So if I want to get the Phoebus and be able to utilize the potential better than with pc350's, what headset would be a good choice, and how much would I need to spend on said headset? I am looking at getting a new card and headset combo, and am interested in knowing what headsets would better do the card justice, hopefully within the $300 headset range. I would rank music quality and great bass sounding as priority over having a microphone in this case. Looking for suggestions, thanks!

[Slik]

Originally Posted by RM - Ottawa

So if I want to get the Phoebus and be able to utilize the potential better than with pc350's, what headset would be a good choice, and how much would I need to spend on said headset? I am looking at getting a new card and headset combo, and am interested in knowing what headsets would better do the card justice, hopefully within the $300 headset range. I would rank music quality and great bass sounding as priority over having a microphone in this case. Looking for suggestions, thanks!

Consider the Razer Tiamat 7.1 analog headphones. $180.00. There is no better set available with analog surround. This is the only 7.1 analog set you can buy,but sound equally good at 5.1 analog. Analog is the true surround. Pair these with the Phoebus sound card,and you won't be sorry. Great for gaming AND music etc.

[AkG]

Originally Posted by RM - Ottawa

So if I want to get the Phoebus and be able to utilize the potential better than with pc350's, what headset would be a good choice, and how much would I need to spend on said headset? I am looking at getting a new card and headset combo, and am interested in knowing what headsets would better do the card justice, hopefully within the $300 headset range. I would rank music quality and great bass sounding as priority over having a microphone in this case. Looking for suggestions, thanks!

Hmm interesting question. 3 bills opens up a LOT of potential. I like the way you think. But would probably stick to 2 bills or under. UNTIL you know what you like or dont like :)

Full disclosure...its been awhile as I found a couple cans I like and have NOT kept up on the latest trends. Jackie is more a 'can man' than me. I would drop him a PM and see what he says as well. BUT off the top of my head:

(IIRC these are all in the 1-2 bill range)
Beyerdynamic DT 860
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (not as much bass...but good cans none the less)
Ultrasone HFI-2400
Ultrasone HFI-780 (same drivers as the 24's but closed...so more bass BUT less detail)
beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (classic...what can I say)

Dark horses that are more $$$:
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro
AKG 550
Ultrasone Pro 900 (basshead dream...but above your 3bill range)


IIRC all these are under or CLOSE to 3 bills. ALL are different. All are pretty damn good. First pick would probably be the DT 860s. I would probably stay away from the 600 ohmers as while the soundcard does technically handle 600 ohms....Its not as good as a real amp needed to power high end cans. ;)

These are all stereo cans. Silk's recommendation on 7.1 analogs is good. :)

[ilya]

If you're a competitive gamer and don't mind open headphones, there's honestly nothing under $500 that matches the gaming detail of the AKG K701's. (and in theory the K702/Q701) They can be difficult to drive if you want to unlock the full potential for music though.

My personal gripe with the Beyers and the ATH-M50 is the quantity of bass. Great for casual gamers, but if you're a hardcore fragger it can be a significant hindrance.

[RM - Ottawa]

Hey all, I just got back and have now picked up the new Phoebus card and a pair of Razer Tiamat 7.1's. While Canada Computers did have the AKG 701's in online stock, I was happy to be able to grab the Tiamat's on the spot. I am now wondering whether I would be better served to keep the Tiamat's, or to return them and order a pair of AKG 701's. One thing to consider is that the AKG 701's are $400 while the Razer is $180. Do yall think I made a good decision with the headset? This is my first sound card purchase after all, I am not sure what to expect :) I do know that I will not open the box until I hear feedback, as I am perfectly willing to be patient.

The 2 options I see right now are:

A) Keep the Razer Tiamat 7.1 as a gaming headset, and see how it does with music/bass on the Phoebus card, and if need be invest in a dedicated music headset in the near future or
B) Return the Tiamat, and order a pair of AKG 701's to pair with the Phoebus.

What would you guys do? I guess what I'm thinking is, I don't want to waste the Phoebus on a headset that is inadequate, but I also saw good review on the Tiamat and like gaming.. and the phoebus is a gaming card. :)

[Slik]

Keep the Tiamat's Once you have them plugged in,you will know exactly why I say this. As far as me or other people telling you what to do,the only person you have to satisfy is yourself. Only you will know how they sound to you. Know what I mean? Keep what you have. You will be more than happy. In my opinion. Good luck!