In my area prices are the following:
SB Z is €94
SB G6 is €158
SB AE-7 is €221.
I'm not really looking for best bang for buck depending on features. It's more like "My budget is AE-7 and everything below, and I want the best audio quality with my headphones." By justifiable a meant the increase in sound quality compared to other alternatives or even my current setup. For example, if SB Z gives me far better sound quality than the current onboard audio, then maybe I should buy it. Then if G6 is even better than SB Z in that only regard, then maybe I should buy G6. And if AE-7 is greatly superior to G6, then maybe buy the former.
But, if I understand correctly, none of the options will currently give me experience greater than that of a placebo.
Placebo is indeed the strongest kind of "Hifi" when it comes to getting digital signal into analog and out...
But that ALC887 is among the lowest Realteks and below entry/budget level sound cards like Audigy Fx.
So genuinely hearable differences are far from excluded.
And for gaming with headphones other things than plain audio components come into play.
We hear in 3D with two ears, because shape of the head causes direction dependant changes to signal received by both ears from sound source.
Modeling that sound wave behaviour mathematically (or using dummy head for recording) can be used to create two channel audio signal, which contains those binaural cues.
And if listener's head shape is close enough to average and headphones are good enough that can give even sense of distance besides directionality.
Unless game itself has HRTF algorithm, you need separate software set or sound card with it for that.
While your headphones probably aren't the greatest, instead of usual gaming trinket production HyperXes are made by honestly trying Takstar.
With sounds sources at different directions and distances
first minute/two of this is excellent quick test are headphones any good.
Besides directionality there's also feel of sounds coming from different distances with good headphones. (assuming your head shape is close to average)
While with bad headphones immersion is at "head in bucket under water" level...
Here's Creative's European shop page for B-stock G6:
Shop online at the Creative Store (Pan Euro). Earn member's points and enjoy free shipping on orders €99 and above!
en.creative.com
Now that's proper price level per features/performance...
Myself bought one in last spring (from Creative Nordic shop) as first external sound card after ~25 years with internal ones and except for sticker on box couldn't have told they weren't factory new.
Not true, the latest incarnation of the SBZ-SE(not the SBZ, visit the link I provided) does indeed have a headphone amp on the board, as advertised, and it is a quality offering for the price. That card was designed with gamers and streamers in mind while not leaving out features PC users have come to expect while at the same time being affordable.
SE is same old Z with differences only in software feature set. (and lack of accessory mic)
Even card in pic has same old SB1500 product code.
And that
max 2 Vrms output is completely mediocre and no different from most sound cards over the years.
Including those not advertising any special headphone outputs...
Because also combined line/headphone outs typically max around that into higher impedances.
For comparison SB AE-line and SBX G5/6 go up to 5 Vrms.
SB X3 again has max 2.8 Vrms output according to product page and pretty sure bet that's the best case result.
