Is the DAC on the Gigabyte Aorus Master a gimmick?

[SOLO_AVENGER]

As the title suggests, I'm wondering if the ESS 9118 SABRE DAC on the Gigabyte Aorus Master is a gimmick when compared to the Asus crosshair hero viii or the asrock taichi. I know similar DACs are used in some sound cards so has anyone heard a noticeable difference in sound quality when using decent headphones or speakers?

[Jurrunio]

Gimmick as in I'd rather have it replaced by something cheap? Yes. Those care about audio enough will have their seperate DAC PCIe card already.

[Srnewbee]

 

3 hours ago, SOLO_AVENGER said:

As the title suggests, I'm wondering if the ESS 9118 SABRE DAC on the Gigabyte Aorus Master is a gimmick when compared to the Asus crosshair hero viii or the asrock taichi. I know similar DACs are used in some sound cards so has anyone heard a noticeable difference in sound quality when using decent headphones or speakers?

 

3 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

Gimmick as in I'd rather have it replaced by something cheap? Yes. Those care about audio enough will have their seperate DAC PCIe card already.

yup always a good advice J. But going a step further, you want the dac to be completely removed from the system, as in usb dac. This will create the best sound. Even PCIe is too close to electrical interference.  I suggest the audio engine d1. I have this and it is decent.

[Jurrunio]

8 minutes ago, Srnewbee said:

 

 

yup always a good advice J. But going a step further, you want the dac to be completely removed from the system, as in usb dac. This will create the best sound. Even PCIe is too close to electrical interference.  I suggest the audio engine d1. I have this and it is decent.

Well, i do mean separate dac but not aware where different types differ.. Tbh I'm the bunch who don't really care so I'd rather have better boards on the cheap  

[Srnewbee]

5 hours ago, SOLO_AVENGER said:

As the title suggests, I'm wondering if the ESS 9118 SABRE DAC on the Gigabyte Aorus Master is a gimmick when compared to the Asus crosshair hero viii or the asrock taichi. I know similar DACs are used in some sound cards so has anyone heard a noticeable difference in sound quality when using decent headphones or speakers?

just as a general guideline, your dac should equal the cost of your headset. So for instance, if the dac is $200, expect to pay $200 for your headphone as well. However, if you are not keen on going the entry audiophile route, you should just get "fun sounds" from any gaming device manufacturer. If this is the case, any dac will do. I think you should go for those 7.1 surround sound. TBH, in terms of gaming, I prefer fun sounds over accurate ones. Games werent designed with audiophiles in mind so the sound can be a bit underwhelming at times.

 

All in all, my recommendation to you is, if you got 400usd to waste, come experiment. At least your music collection will sound much more pleasing. And plus, while I do prefer fun sounds during gaming session, accurate sounds are not horrible by any means.