Speakers + Headphones + Soundcards = Dilemma

[Enigmatic]

Okay guys, I've tried to figure out a solution with no luck, so maybe one of you guys can help me. A hearty thanks in advance (and this is for a new build).

I'm gonna pick up a Sennheiser HD555, sound quality is important to me, so I was going to pair it with an ASUS Xonar Essence STX, as the built in amp is a must. I'm not a hardcore audiophile or anything, just want the music to sound good and my Shure in-ear headphones just haven't been cutting it.

I also need a solid set of 2.1 speakers for the gamers of the house. Something that would be great for games and movies. I was going to go for the Razer Mako, at ~$250 CDN I think it's a fair price considering the pretty good sound quality.

Hence, my dilemma. Pairing the Mako with the Essence STX seems like a waste as it doesn't really offer a true EAX experience, which is necessary for gaming. Yet, it is the soundcard to get for headphones.

My motherboard is the MSI 790FX-GD70 with the Realtek® ALC889 chipset. I've never been a fan of integrated audio, but would this suffice (maybe plug in the Mako into mobo audio and use the STX for the HD555s?). Or should I get a second soundcard (an X-Fi) for gaming (running two soundcards seems like a pain in the ass, and I don't know if I even have the space in my mobo as I'm running two 4870s in crossfire).

Or is there another soundcard with a good integrated amp that is also appropriate for gaming (I was looking at the Auzentech Forte, but it doesn't seem to be in stock at any major Canadian retailers).

A quick summary of my final options:
-Mako with integrated audio/HD555 with STX
-Mako with 2nd soundcard/HD555 with STX
-Mako with STX/HD555 with STX <--not sure how the STX's "simulated" EAX would sound
-Or some other soundcard that you guys know of that solves all my problems
-Or some other solution that I haven't yet thought of

Thanks again. Apologies for long-windedness, but I wanted to give a clear understanding of my scenario.

 

[WraithETC]

EAX isn't going to make that much of a difference especially with 2.1 . The only game that I really thought made it shine was Battlefield 2.

I say get the STX and run both the headphones and speakers on it.

 

[Fayd]

X-fi is worthless, especially with new OS's. don't bother.

the razer mako looks wierd to me. i honestly dont know what to make of it.

i just recommended that my dad buy the klipsch promedia 2.1's for my brother. they seem like good speakers.

getting 2 sound cards is just silly. TMK, vista/7 breaks EAX, and x-fi requires another piece of software to get some functionality back. if you're deadset on the asus xonar, then go with it.

if you really want x-fi for some reason, auzentech made an x-fi card.

 

[Enigmatic]

Thanks for the tips! Yeah, I suppose EAX wouldn't make that much of a difference on a 2.1 setup regardless. Think I'm just gonna go for the Xonar STX, I'll post an update here after everything comes in. And to fayd, yeah I was debating between the Z-2300, Promedia, and Mako. I think they're all good speakers, personally, I just prefer the Mako (and I kind of like how it looks).

Out of curiosity, say if I decided to game using the Sennheiser HD555s, do you think EAX would make a notable difference in that scenario?

 

[Fayd]

Thanks for the tips! Yeah, I suppose EAX wouldn't make that much of a difference on a 2.1 setup regardless. Think I'm just gonna go for the Xonar STX, I'll post an update here after everything comes in. And to fayd, yeah I was debating between the Z-2300, Promedia, and Mako. I think they're all good speakers, personally, I just prefer the Mako (and I kind of like how it looks).

Out of curiosity, say if I decided to game using the Sennheiser HD555s, do you think EAX would make a notable difference in that scenario?

the reason i dont like the logitechs is because of their construction. they are all glued together, including the panels. thus, you arent able to do any end user repairs on them. my brother's last speaker set died when the subwoofer had a component go bad inside..out of warranty. so that became a criteria for us.

i can't even recognize the difference that EAX gives.