I plan to upgrade my PC system very soon. Currently, the Logitech Z5500's are connected to an Asus Xonar Phoebus soundcard that has been giving a lot of issues. I used the 3 stereo-mini 3.5mm jacks to connect to this soundcard in 6-channel direct mode. The system also has outputs for Digital S/PDIF optical and coaxial. The built-in dac on this system is not great. I also regularly game so I use a stereo headset almost as frequently.
Since the card has been giving issues, I plan to drop it when I buy my new PC hardware. The motherboard I'm looking at only has inputs for SPDIF out & headset mic/out. There are other motherboards with the full range of audio connectivity (3.5mm jacks etc) but they are quite a bit more expensive.
What is the best way to continue to use this 5.1 surround sound speaker system with my future build? Will an on-board optical SPDIF connection suffice? As I'm trying to avoid using any sort of sound card due to lack of support of drivers and software, should I instead get a budget DAC + Amp combo? If so, what kind of connectivity should I aim to be using with one?
Any recommendation on a budget Dac+Amp combo would also be appreciated, thanks!
Since the card has been giving issues, I plan to drop it when I buy my new PC hardware. The motherboard I'm looking at only has inputs for SPDIF out & headset mic/out. There are other motherboards with the full range of audio connectivity (3.5mm jacks etc) but they are quite a bit more expensive.
What is the best way to continue to use this 5.1 surround sound speaker system with my future build? Will an on-board optical SPDIF connection suffice? As I'm trying to avoid using any sort of sound card due to lack of support of drivers and software, should I instead get a budget DAC + Amp combo? If so, what kind of connectivity should I aim to be using with one?
Any recommendation on a budget Dac+Amp combo would also be appreciated, thanks!
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