Thinking of getting a new audio card, some advice please.

[d3fu5i0n]

Hey guys,
It's been a while since I have been on the amazing AnandTech forums!

~Sorry for the "wall of text"~

I've slowly become an audiophile after some maturing into respecting true audio quality for what it is.

My computer setup is using Logitech Z-2300s for audio. [Don't fancy 5.1/6 Channel or 7.1/8 Channel due to cables going across a small room].

I also own some reference consumer designed IEMs, UE TripleFi 10s. These are often used on-the-go, but I often use them with my computer as well.

Now I fancy having a much better audio experience, and know that my integrated audio designated on my motherboard is only hampering my audio experience being at it's fullest. The audio solution is the Analog Devices 'SoundMAX' chip on the ASUS P5Q Premium.

I had shopped around a little bit, and wasn't too keen on the ASUS audio cards (e.g. D2 and D2X). Mainly because of their size.
My main focus was drawn to the new Creative X-Fi Titanium HD.
Although, it only consists of two 3.5mm jack sockets that I would be using for my 2.1 setup and my IEMs.
My other consideration was the Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro card.

1. I listen to a lot of music across a massive range of genres and was assuming that the Titanium HD would be better suited for this.
2. PC gaming is one of the other things that I commonly do, which is of no surprise as most of us here are likely system builders wanting to game ^_^
(3). I also watch a fair amount of Blu-Ray films and download 1920x1080 films. So a good film experience would be nice. But this is not nearly as important and can happily be missed out, as gaming and music are my key importance.

...so, what should I go for? and, is there anything you would particularly say or advise?

Cheers...



P.S. I am also running on Windows 7 x64, so driver package reliability plays a part in this. This 'has' been where Creative have fallen over some hurdles before.

 

[kornphlake]

Honestly if you think your on board audio is holding you back I'd skip a sound card and use either toslink or usb connection to an external DAC, most have a headphone amp built in which higher quality headphones will really appreciate.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'd move up to optical or coax digital to a real receiver, then you can connect good bookshelf speakers and it will have a headphone jack. Doing the analog-to-digital conversion away from the PC will reduce any noise from RFI.

If the motherboard has optical or coax out, this doesn't require buying a soundcard. Digital is digital.

 

[Tiamat]

onboard soundcards aren't too bad unless they are injecting audible noise into your music. I just moved to windows 7 x64 and my EMU 0202 doesn't work properly which pisses me off. I use the onboard audio and haven't detected any errant noises. My laptop, on the otherhand does inject noise through my speakers (random frequent bleep/blurp sounds) so the EMU 0202 usb is used with the laptop.

For the biggest jump in audio quality, consider upgrading the speakers. AudioEngine frequently gets recommended for the A2 and A5. I just bought a pair of Swans M200MKIII and they are quite nice for the money. There are other alternatives in the 200-400$ range.

 

[JSt0rm]

get this

http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-usb

 

[Howard]

get this

http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-usb

Does this eliminate the nulls?

 

[d3fu5i0n]

get this

http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-usb

Well, the soundcards that I mentioned were around the price range I was aiming for. I don't have a grand (£1000)-ish to spend.

My motherboard does have a native optical-out so I could use TosLink.

Don't forget that I do a lot of PC gaming and I want the sufficient types of connectivity ports.

I am a comp. geek, but I've never truly explored deep into audio hardware [aside from physics understandings], so I am new to the scene and explanations shall help

Cheers.
Any more ideas? I'd say that £200 is my probable limit. Though I am proposing to spend a large sum of money on a big SSD soon...

 

[d3fu5i0n]

onboard soundcards aren't too bad unless they are injecting audible noise into your music. I just moved to windows 7 x64 and my EMU 0202 doesn't work properly which pisses me off. I use the onboard audio and haven't detected any errant noises. My laptop, on the otherhand does inject noise through my speakers (random frequent bleep/blurp sounds) so the EMU 0202 usb is used with the laptop.

For the biggest jump in audio quality, consider upgrading the speakers. AudioEngine frequently gets recommended for the A2 and A5. I just bought a pair of Swans M200MKIII and they are quite nice for the money. There are other alternatives in the 200-400$ range.

Well, my integrated/on-board sound chip is far greater than most. It's better than any Realtek audio I've tried, from my perspective.

I don't get any 'blops' in audio (that tends to appear in VIA audio chips more). Although I still get the static signal [sound] appearing through. I am not too sure as to what that is from. Even I'm not sure; and isn't apparent when using a common speaker setup (for example, my 2.1 setup). But always seems to occur with any portable-like appliance that is used on the 3.5mm jack.

I am not planning on changing my speaker setup as it suits my personal needs, and cannot have it at high volumes as I do not wish to disturb fellow neighbours. My main focus is when using my TF10s (remember: music & gaming are the main importance, although I do not use my IEMs when gaming).

 

[frowertr]

Hey guys,
It's been a while since I have been on the amazing AnandTech forums!

~Sorry for the "wall of text"~

I've slowly become an audiophile after some maturing into respecting true audio quality for what it is.

My computer setup is using Logitech Z-2300s for audio. [Don't fancy 5.1/6 Channel or 7.1/8 Channel due to cables going across a small room].

I also own some reference consumer designed IEMs, UE TripleFi 10s. These are often used on-the-go, but I often use them with my computer as well.

Now I fancy having a much better audio experience, and know that my integrated audio designated on my motherboard is only hampering my audio experience being at it's fullest. The audio solution is the Analog Devices 'SoundMAX' chip on the ASUS P5Q Premium.

I had shopped around a little bit, and wasn't too keen on the ASUS audio cards (e.g. D2 and D2X). Mainly because of their size.
My main focus was drawn to the new Creative X-Fi Titanium HD.
Although, it only consists of two 3.5mm jack sockets that I would be using for my 2.1 setup and my IEMs.
My other consideration was the Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro card.

Snip...

Not sure if you have done any reading here but that is the place to start.

I was in the same boat as you were about a year ago. After all my research I went with the Asus Xonar STX and never looked back. I can honestly tell you it was the single handed best purchase I ever made for my machine. Do some reading on it. Google the reviews. They are all basically "glowing" for that card. I paired the sound card with the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 cans. After all, there is no point paying for a premium sound card if you don't have the cans (or speakers) to go with it.

When you hear the difference between a quality sound card versus on-board audio you will be amazed. It is really night and day.

I would stay away from the Creative cards. While the X-Fi Titanium HD is a great card (nearly identicle to the Xonar STX), Creative has the a bad habit of releasing buggy and bloated drivers.

My STX isn't huge either. I have a GTX 460 and the STX is not as long as the 460. Just keep in mind with a card that has a built-in headphone amp like the STX, you have to power the card with a PCI-E power dongle. Just something else to think about. I don't know if this is true for the X-Fi Titanium HD or not.

 

[darkswordsman17]

OP, I just got a Titanium HD and use it much like you will and its been stellar so far. I'm also on Win7 x64 and have had no software issues at all (I installed the latest driver and control panel from Creative's website, nothing else). Creative supposedly rewrote the drivers for this card to work specifically with Vista and Win7, and it seems to be a big step up from the past (I had an X-Fi like 5 years ago, and yeah, it was a bit of a pain, this is much better).

I can highly recommend it, but I will say you should upgrade your speakers as well to really take advantage of this card's potential. The Logitech should show some improvement, but you'd see a bigger improvement by just upgrading your speakers and using what you have now.

In my opinion, the best would be pairing some nicer speakers (and your headphones) with the Titanium HD or comparable DAC.

I'd move up to optical or coax digital to a real receiver, then you can connect good bookshelf speakers and it will have a headphone jack. Doing the analog-to-digital conversion away from the PC will reduce any noise from RFI.

If the motherboard has optical or coax out, this doesn't require buying a soundcard. Digital is digital.

My issue with that is that receivers are very aimed towards surround these days (and most stereo receivers don't have DACs), their DACs are just ok (I've had and listened to a lot of receivers and the Titanium HD is better than any of them that I've heard as far as stereo playback on my equipment), and he'd lose out on gaming features of the X-Fi. You'd end up with less money to spend on the speakers such that you'd likely end up with worse speakers than the active monitors mentioned, while spending about the same money. You'd gain in some aspects (DAC could be an improvement over onboard, and you'd hopefully get Blu-Ray decoding, although if he already gets that via software on his PC it doesn't matter).

Its not a terrible option though, but not my preference. After hearing some of the active monitors you can get though, they'd be my recommendation, they've been better than any of the receiver/amp with bookshelf speakers of comparable prices that I've heard.

You could also consider a vintage stereo integrated amp/receiver or a t-amp though if you can get one for cheap, but you give up features compared to the receiver (DAC, etc).

onboard soundcards aren't too bad unless they are injecting audible noise into your music. I just moved to windows 7 x64 and my EMU 0202 doesn't work properly which pisses me off. I use the onboard audio and haven't detected any errant noises. My laptop, on the otherhand does inject noise through my speakers (random frequent bleep/blurp sounds) so the EMU 0202 usb is used with the laptop.

For the biggest jump in audio quality, consider upgrading the speakers. AudioEngine frequently gets recommended for the A2 and A5. I just bought a pair of Swans M200MKIII and they are quite nice for the money. There are other alternatives in the 200-400$ range.

I agree, speakers will provide the biggest improvement right now, however, if he listens a lot with his headphones, then a better soundcard/DAC will show quite a bit of improvement. Ideally he'd do both, upgrade source and speakers.

Honestly if you think your on board audio is holding you back I'd skip a sound card and use either toslink or usb connection to an external DAC, most have a headphone amp built in which higher quality headphones will really appreciate.

The NuForce uDac would be good to consider. It won't be as good as the X-Fi's for gaming, and would probably somewhere around the same as the Titanium HD in just pure fidelity, but its definitely worth considering.

There's definitely quite a few other choices to consider as well (there's a ton of DACs, DAC/amps, etc on eBay or from small vendors for $100-300, although they're a pretty mixed bag in my opinion).

 

[d3fu5i0n]

Not sure if you have done any reading here but that is the place to start.

I was in the same boat as you were about a year ago. After all my research I went with the Asus Xonar STX and never looked back. I can honestly tell you it was the single handed best purchase I ever made for my machine. Do some reading on it. Google the reviews. They are all basically "glowing" for that card. I paired the sound card with the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 cans. After all, there is no point paying for a premium sound card if you don't have the cans (or speakers) to go with it.

When you hear the difference between a quality sound card versus on-board audio you will be amazed. It is really night and day.

I would stay away from the Creative cards. While the X-Fi Titanium HD is a great card (nearly identicle to the Xonar STX), Creative has the a bad habit of releasing buggy and bloated drivers.

My STX isn't huge either. I have a GTX 460 and the STX is not as long as the 460. Just keep in mind with a card that has a built-in headphone amp like the STX, you have to power the card with a PCI-E power dongle. Just something else to think about. I don't know if this is true for the X-Fi Titanium HD or not.

Yeah, as I was saying 'bad drivers' was my worry with Creative cards.
For audiophile purposes it was between the STX and the Titanium HD.

Meh, my XFX 650W XXX PSU can handle it. I've got plenty of PCIe 6-Pin cables [modular].

So... reckon that an Xonar STX would be well suited for my TF10s?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Not sure if you have done any reading here but that is the place to start.

I was in the same boat as you were about a year ago. After all my research I went with the Asus Xonar STX and never looked back. I can honestly tell you it was the single handed best purchase I ever made for my machine. Do some reading on it. Google the reviews. They are all basically "glowing" for that card. I paired the sound card with the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 cans. After all, there is no point paying for a premium sound card if you don't have the cans (or speakers) to go with it.

When you hear the difference between a quality sound card versus on-board audio you will be amazed. It is really night and day.

I would stay away from the Creative cards. While the X-Fi Titanium HD is a great card (nearly identicle to the Xonar STX), Creative has the a bad habit of releasing buggy and bloated drivers.

My STX isn't huge either. I have a GTX 460 and the STX is not as long as the 460. Just keep in mind with a card that has a built-in headphone amp like the STX, you have to power the card with a PCI-E power dongle. Just something else to think about. I don't know if this is true for the X-Fi Titanium HD or not.

From what I've seen ASUS has had plenty of driver issues as well. I know they're considered just as bad in that regard as Creative is on the Head-Fi forums.

The STX isn't a bad card, far from it, but I'd take the X-Fi for the better gaming as the only thing the ASUS offers is the headphone amp which is a mixed bag. It might be something worth it if you have high impedance headphones, but I don't think its going to make a big difference with his IEMs.

 

[d3fu5i0n]

I agree, speakers will provide the biggest improvement right now, however, if he listens a lot with his headphones, then a better soundcard/DAC will show quite a bit of improvement. Ideally he'd do both, upgrade source and speakers.

Well, as I've said, my speakers are quite new and I'd rather not change them just yet. As I'm a teen I don't exactly have much money to spend.

As mentioned before; the soundcard being helpful for the IEMs are the main focus.

There are too many people voicing different opinions. Especially at my current experience I generally want to receive two or three overall opinions that would be easily purchasable and affordable. So what would 'really' match my TF10s?

I do feel a bit worried about the drivers due to Creative's past. Although I have also heard about the re-written drivers for Vista/7; but am still slightly inclined to go for the Xonar STX otherwise.

Don't forget though - Music [IEMs and speakers; mainly IEMs] & Games [speakers, as with constant audio from shooting and not focusing on audio quality to the highest degree, it isn't a worry as it's quite difficult to distinguish much of a difference in clarity between my IEMs and my speakers].

 

[d3fu5i0n]

From what I've seen ASUS has had plenty of driver issues as well. I know they're considered just as bad in that regard as Creative is on the Head-Fi forums.

The STX isn't a bad card, far from it, but I'd take the X-Fi for the better gaming as the only thing the ASUS offers is the headphone amp which is a mixed bag. It might be something worth it if you have high impedance headphones, but I don't think its going to make a big difference with his IEMs.

Hmmh, so if I were to delve into the Creative cards, should it be the X-Fi Fatal1ty Titanium Pro or the slightly more expensive Titanium HD [with optional & interchangeable Op-Amps]?

 

[frowertr]

Yeah, as I was saying 'bad drivers' was my worry with Creative cards.
For audiophile purposes it was between the STX and the Titanium HD.

Meh, my XFX 650W XXX PSU can handle it. I've got plenty of PCIe 6-Pin cables [modular].

So... reckon that an Xonar STX would be well suited for my TF10s?

I am unfamiliar with those cans. However if they are of decent quality, then yes, the STX will drive them just fine. The STX was truly built around being the best headphone sound card around. That is the reason it has a dedicated headphone amp. They are 3 gain setting in the STX software so that it can drive high impedence headphones with ease.

From what I've seen ASUS has had plenty of driver issues as well. I know they're considered just as bad in that regard as Creative is on the Head-Fi forums.

The STX isn't a bad card, far from it, but I'd take the X-Fi for the better gaming as the only thing the ASUS offers is the headphone amp which is a mixed bag. It might be something worth it if you have high impedance headphones, but I don't think its going to make a big difference with his IEMs.

Meh. All hardware companies have bad drivers from time to time. I just remember the old bloated Creative drivers from back around 1999-2000 so I have been turned off from them since then.

I honestly doubt one could tell the difference between the X-Fi HD and an STX unless they had a very well trained ear. Both are superb cards and one wouldn't be "wrong" if they chose either...

Hmmh, so if I were to delve into the Creative cards, should it be the X-Fi Fatal1ty Titanium Pro or the slightly more expensive Titanium HD [with optional & interchangeable Op-Amps]?

If you have your heart set on Creative, I see no reason why you shouldn't "splurge" a little and get the X-Fi Titanium HD. I have never desired to change the OPAMP on my STX. The damn thing sounds so good I can't image I would ever want to fool with it.

 

[d3fu5i0n]

If you have your heart set on Creative, I see no reason why you shouldn't "splurge" a little and get the X-Fi Titanium HD. I have never desired to change the OPAMP on my STX. The damn thing sounds so good I can't image I would ever want to fool with it.

Hmmmh, well it's to do with one's preference of a sound signature isn't it :\ [Changing out Op-Amps].

Anyhow, what should I go for? Although, some people are rooting for Creative when gaming.

But what would your opinion be, for the best match with my UE TF10s?

I haven't particularly got my 'heart set' on anything. Other people have better experience with audio equipment than myself, so I want it to be the right purchase.

 

[frowertr]

Hmmmh, well it's to do with one's preference of a sound signature isn't it :\ [Changing out Op-Amps].

Anyhow, what should I go for? Although, some people are rooting for Creative when gaming.

But what would your opinion be, for the best match with my UE TF10s?

I haven't particularly got my 'heart set' on anything. Other people have better experience with audio equipment than myself, so I want it to be the right purchase.

My opinion? Well its only worth .02¢ but if you really want it...

Asus Xonar Essense STX

But again, you won't be dissapointed with the X-Fi HD. Both cards are top of the line for our market segment and you won't find anything better in their price range. They are a toss up really. Flip a coin if you can't decide.

 

[d3fu5i0n]

My opinion? Well its only worth .02¢ but if you really want it...

Asus Xonar Essense STX

But again, you won't be dissapointed with the X-Fi HD. Both cards are top of the line for our market segment and you won't find anything better in their price range. They are a toss up really. Flip a coin if you can't decide.

Well, I have just read that the Titanium HD apparently doesn't have a headphone amp.

Hmmh, the STX will be fine though? [As the audio chip is PCI and uses a bridge chip to translate to PCIe signalling].

Also... would the STX include adaptors from it's 6.3mm ports to 3.5mm ones?
Don't forget my speakers and IEMs [and my TF10s are also using a Null Audio Lune cable ;P] will still use 3.5mm jacks, which the Titanium HD has two of, I believe.

The Titanium HD I can get for £143.58 with the Xonar STX being £133.78

Quite a difference in my case.



Although, regarding the ports, my Z-2300s 'may' have come with an adaptor from the sub. to it's natural RCA. I could then connect the 2.1 setup to the STX via RCA... hmmh.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I am unfamiliar with those cans. However if they are of decent quality, then yes, the STX will drive them just fine. The STX was truly built around being the best headphone sound card around. That is the reason it has a dedicated headphone amp. They are 3 gain setting in the STX software so that it can drive high impedence headphones with ease.



Meh. All hardware companies have bad drivers from time to time. I just remember the old bloated Creative drivers from back around 1999-2000 so I have been turned off from them since then.

I honestly doubt one could tell the difference between the X-Fi HD and an STX unless they had a very well trained ear. Both are superb cards and one wouldn't be "wrong" if they chose either...



If you have your heart set on Creative, I see no reason why you shouldn't "splurge" a little and get the X-Fi Titanium HD. I have never desired to change the OPAMP on my STX. The damn thing sounds so good I can't image I would ever want to fool with it.

Yeah, they all do, and I think Creative has finally gotten some that are decent. They're still pretty big in size (but there's also more they do in handling the X-Fi processor), but I haven't had any issues at all. I've had experience with their terrible drivers and software from the past, and this is much better. I agree, I don't think you'd tell much difference between them. The Creative is a better gaming card though and more or less equal in other aspects while also being less expensive, which is why I'd have a hard time recommending the ASUS over it.

Hmmh, so if I were to delve into the Creative cards, should it be the X-Fi Fatal1ty Titanium Pro or the slightly more expensive Titanium HD [with optional & interchangeable Op-Amps]?

The Titanium HD. I really wouldn't bother with the other Creative cards (maybe the regular USB HD one, but that one wouldn't be good for you as it doesn't have the gaming ability of the Titanium HD).

Well, I have just read that the Titanium HD apparently doesn't have a headphone amp.

Hmmh, the STX will be fine though? [As the audio chip is PCI and uses a bridge chip to translate to PCIe signalling].

Also... would the STX include adaptors from it's 6.3mm ports to 3.5mm ones?
Don't forget my speakers and IEMs [and my TF10s are also using a Null Audio Lune cable ;P] will still use 3.5mm jacks, which the Titanium HD has two of, I believe.

The Titanium HD I can get for £143.58 with the Xonar STX being £133.78

Quite a difference in my case.



Although, regarding the ports, my Z-2300s 'may' have come with an adaptor from the sub. to it's natural RCA. I could then connect the 2.1 setup to the STX via RCA... hmmh.

The headphone amp really isn't even worth making a fuss over and is more aimed at people that have full-sized high impedance headphones (like 300-600 ohm). For IEMs it might actually be worse as it might not give you much volume play (meaning you turn the volume up much at all and it becomes unlistenably loud). The headphone out isn't a weakness on the X-Fi, I know first hand (have W5000s and they sound some of the best I've heard them sound straight out of the headphone jack). Your IEMs are much less sensitive to amplification.

A 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable is cheap (you can get one at Monoprice for like $2, and you can probably get one from Radioshack for dirt cheap as well). Sorry, I see you're in the UK, so neither of those probably helps you, although I'm sure you should still be able to find one of those cables for cheap.

I just saw, the Creative is actually more expensive for you? Here its often ~$50 cheaper, but its what $25-30 more expensive for you? I'd say its a wash then. I do believe the Creative is a better card for you since gaming is important and the amp really isn't something that would benefit you, but you honestly can't go wrong either way. They're both excellent.

Just noticed, apparently you were under the impression that running your speakers from the headphone amp jack would be better. I don't think it would, and you generally wouldn't want to do that.

 

[d3fu5i0n]

Yeah, they all do, and I think Creative has finally gotten some that are decent. They're still pretty big in size (but there's also more they do in handling the X-Fi processor), but I haven't had any issues at all. I've had experience with their terrible drivers and software from the past, and this is much better. I agree, I don't think you'd tell much difference between them. The Creative is a better gaming card though and more or less equal in other aspects while also being less expensive, which is why I'd have a hard time recommending the ASUS over it.



The Titanium HD. I really wouldn't bother with the other Creative cards (maybe the regular USB HD one, but that one wouldn't be good for you as it doesn't have the gaming ability of the Titanium HD).



The headphone amp really isn't even worth making a fuss over and is more aimed at people that have full-sized high impedance headphones (like 300-600 ohm). For IEMs it might actually be worse as it might not give you much volume play (meaning you turn the volume up much at all and it becomes unlistenably loud). The headphone out isn't a weakness on the X-Fi, I know first hand (have W5000s and they sound some of the best I've heard them sound straight out of the headphone jack). Your IEMs are much less sensitive to amplification.

A 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable is cheap (you can get one at Monoprice for like $2, and you can probably get one from Radioshack for dirt cheap as well). Sorry, I see you're in the UK, so neither of those probably helps you, although I'm sure you should still be able to find one of those cables for cheap.

I just saw, the Creative is actually more expensive for you? Here its often ~$50 cheaper, but its what $25-30 more expensive for you? I'd say its a wash then. I do believe the Creative is a better card for you since gaming is important and the amp really isn't something that would benefit you, but you honestly can't go wrong either way. They're both excellent.

Just noticed, apparently you were under the impression that running your speakers from the headphone amp jack would be better. I don't think it would, and you generally wouldn't want to do that.

Yes, I think numerous adapters will just cause frustration and if the Creative card handles games better it'd most likely be the more appropriate option.

Hmmh, I think I'll jump for it [soon].

Also... when using a front 3.5mm port [with any computer] you always receive static signals. Is it okay to purchase an extension cable and run my IEMs to the back of my computer/sound card? What I'm basically asking is if extension cables are a bad idea or not. Especially when going from the quality of my Null Audio Lune cable.

 

[JSt0rm]

Does this eliminate the nulls?

cute.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yes, I think numerous adapters will just cause frustration and if the Creative card handles games better it'd most likely be the more appropriate option.

Hmmh, I think I'll jump for it [soon].

Also... when using a front 3.5mm port [with any computer] you always receive static signals. Is it okay to purchase an extension cable and run my IEMs to the back of my computer/sound card? What I'm basically asking is if extension cables are a bad idea or not. Especially when going from the quality of my Null Audio Lune cable.

Sorry I didn't check back before.

I'm personally not a big believer in cables myself, just make sure its a decent quality one and keep it as short as you can and it shouldn't give you any problems. The Null Lune is a nice cable though, I checked it out back when I had Westone customs, and probably would've bought it as it was about the most reasonably priced cabled I could get long enough and wasn't much more expensive than the stock cables.

 

[d3fu5i0n]

Sorry I didn't check back before.

I'm personally not a big believer in cables myself, just make sure its a decent quality one and keep it as short as you can and it shouldn't give you any problems. The Null Lune is a nice cable though, I checked it out back when I had Westone customs, and probably would've bought it as it was about the most reasonably priced cabled I could get long enough and wasn't much more expensive than the stock cables.

Heh, okay.
Would you mind recommending an extension cable please. I don't really want to have to flip my computer round having the back facing forwards [to me].

Unless I can plug the front panel connector into the audio card itself [on the inside of the computer] and use the front panel 3.5mm port. Although I still may receive static, I guess... :\