X-Fi Titanium HD vs. Recon3D ==> What's The Better Card?

[Sneaky]

Okay, so I have the following two sound cards already:


Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD PCIe x1

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/Sound-Blaster-X-Fi-Titanium-HD.aspx

and

Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe x1

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/sound-blaster-recon3d-pcie.aspx

Which is the overall better card if I mostly listen to music & audio ranging from V0 to 24-bit FLACs and do some gaming - primarily CS:GO?? I've got both card already, have been using the X-Fi Titanium HD since 2011, and absolutely love it - then I came across the Recon3D sound card in a pile of unused computer parts in my little brothers room. I was about to sell it until I realized it was a $100 sound card - now I want to know if it would be considered an upgrade to my existing X-Fi Titanium HD card.

If it matters for the critics and audiophiles, I currently have a set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers, Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones, and Bose IE2 earbuds.



Any input regarding this is greatly appreciated!

 

[sobe]

Titanium HD 100% without question is the superior card. The Recon3D was a failed sound card anyway, so I wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole, not to mention it being cheaper for a reason.

Don't worry too much about the critics, so long as YOU enjoy what YOU bought, that is what matters in the end of things. If you do want to look at headphone upgrade though, feel free to post

 

[NiHaoMike]

The first one you listed has 122dB SNR and the second only 102dB. However, the second has surround. That's probably of little importance in proper surround setups as they all use digital amplifiers nowadays, but there is a trick you can do by plugging some cheap analog speakers into the rear outs and turning them on when you want surround. (The quality of the rear speakers are much less critical than for the fronts.)

For the most part, it really only matters when using headphones. Good speaker setups use digital amplifiers that work every bit as well (no pun intended) with onboard.

 

[Sneaky]

Thank you very much! I didn't know squat about the Recon3D & Core3D cards, but I figured that the X-Fi Titanium HD was the superior card to begin with.

 

[sobe]

Glad to be of help