Originally posted by: terentenet
I have both sound cards in my system. I have a Xonar D2/PM (PCI version) and one X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro. I use the Xonar for music and movies and the X-Fi for the rest.
There's a clear difference between the two. Gaming in Windows 7, the X-FI is clearly better and has better positional audio and the sound itself is more tailored for games (bass more boomy, recessed highs etc). There's no difference in FPS, but one thing I know for sure, Xonar with GX mode activated (for games) will give some headaches.
While listening to music and watching movies, the Xonar is in a whole different league. It has rich and natural bass, clear highs and you can hear the finest details. The music will sound 100% different from what you know it to sound like. You will hear instruments and notes that weren't there before.
So, get your sound card based on what you want the most. Xonar is very good (almost the best, beats the auzentech) in movies and music, X-Fi is the best for games.
As an all arounder, get the Auzentech. It games as good as an X-Fi and you have decent sound quality (better than regular X-Fi) in music and movies due to better opamps.
To really get the most out of these sound cards you will need a good speaker system. The Logitech Z-5500 will not cut it. You need to go the A/V receiver + standfloor or bookshelf speakers and a separate subwoofer to really have sound quality. It will cost some money, but once done it will last you for many years to come.
I had a Logitech Z-5500 system and it did indeed sounded good to me. Then I decided to build me a custom sound system. I ended up with:
Yamaha RX-V861 A/V Receiver
4 x Wharfedale Diamond 9.5 standfloors
Monitor Audio Bronze Series BRLCR center speaker
Monitor Audio RS-W12 subwoofer
This system is clearly superior to the Z-5500 and I highly recommend these components.