Ornstein

Sorry for the slight necro, but I have a 750W Sentey modular PSU and it works just great (except the plastic on the ends of the connectors is a bit flimsy). I RMA'ed my original PSU (due to my own error, not Sentey's) and their customer service is absolutely top-notch. I would say they are great budget PSUs.

Seems more of a playful slam on #Doritogate than anything.

Hmm, just looked again at the description. Yeah it does. I'll put this decision on the back burner for now until I can do a blind test of the 558s and go from there.

I really like the price point of this one. Definite possibility. I've actually been eyeballing this one for a while. The Sennheisers are 6.3mm by default with a 3.5 adapter, but like Forsaken said, that would mean another 6.3mm adapter for speakers which only adds extra cost. So basically looks like I'm down to $80 Fiio + adapter vs the $40-ish of the Syba.

So, I have some new headphones on the way and I am wanting the cleanest audio output for them and my speakers. Current Equipment: Sennheiser 558 headphones + CA-3602 speakers. Current Sound Driver: Onboard sound card on a GA-H97-D3H mobo. The Problem: Both current headphones and speakers output periodic crackles and other interference when plugged directly into sound card. Budget: Prefer $50-$75 range, but definitely under $100 My Needs: An external, USB DAC that will clear up interference and has inputs for both speakers and headphones (3.5mm for speakers & 6.3mm for headphones). I don't need extra frills, but if it happens to come with them in my price range that's fine. Any DACs out there that meet the above criteria?

Thanks for the input. I'll pass on the mod for now.

Ended up getting Sennheiser 558s. Will try them stock, then maybe do the earpiece mod and pair it with a FiiO E10K because supposedly you can get a 598 sound with the mod, and the E10K has a bass booster to make up for the bass lost from the mod.

No overclocking and dirvers are up-to-date. The card is actually fairly stable at the moment, but I've had lots of problems in the past. I've heard that Nvidia is overall more stable and has features like Gsync. Any specific model(s) you recommend?

Thanks I'll check it out. And the 290 has black screen problems sometimes as well as graphic glitches/artifacts sometimes while scrolling on webpages. Also on rare occasion, the amber "safe mode" light comes on when I am trying to shut down the PC and it gets stuck in a loop not allowing it to shut down properly.

What headphones would you recommend aside from the ATHs around that price range? Was looking to switch to Nvidia due to more stability. Although it's probably more a "down-the-road" upgrade.

This seems like the closest forum to post this in. So, I am looking for some PC peripheral/component upgrades and wanted to get input from the LTT community. I'm in the US, and my current system (Windows-based) is fairly powerful, used for gaming and everyday use (no content creation). If there is a work-around for any of these upgrades, feel free to let me know. Headphones: Currently have Razer Electra. Was looking at ATH-M50, which appears to be a great set at a nice price. Will I see improvements over the Electra? (Budget: $100-150 preferable) ADC Bass Boost/Amp: Even necessary? Would I see a noticeable improvement? I am currently using on-board sound from my GA-H97-D3H motherboard. (Budget: No more than $100) Graphics Card: Currently have a Gigabyte R9 290 Windforce, but am thinking of switching to Nvidia. What is the Nvidia equivalent or next step up? (Budget: Preferably around $400)

I am thinking of getting these. Any noticeable benefit from a DAC amp?

Same.

Not sure what they have against Swype input. I use it almost exclusively and it works great.

Ah thanks. I hate monthly fees but that's the way it goes I guess.