Dac vs good onboard to drive a 600 ohm headphone?

[jasonvp]

3 minutes ago, thunderflame2 said:

I knew that. I don't think most motherboard amps are rated to drive 600 OHM headphones.

OK, good.  And you're likely correct, but our OP won't know if he can appreciate the sound until he tries first.  There's literally no point in purchasing an amp unless the resulting sound from his motherboard is something he doesn't like.

 

Quote

I would recommend an external amp and DAC.

I wouldn't, until our OP tries first, and then also decides what he's going to be doing with his system.  External DACs are not a good solution for things like gaming.  But if he's just watching movies or listening to music, then sure: a DAC may improve things for him.  Assuming he can hear the difference.

 

Headphones first.

Amp second.

DAC third.

[Slazyel]

What do you guys think about the DAC/AMP combo Topping DX3 Pro? Prices here where i live are a lot overpriced, so aliexpress is my only way to buy it.

[dwang040]

2 hours ago, jasonvp said:

External DACs are not a good solution for things like gaming. 

 

Why wouldn't an external dac be good for gaming? It's the setup I use and I've never felt that I was at a disadvantage. Tbh, I think it was better because usually the software that comes with drivers always add on "annoying" effects like their game awareness, bass boosted, etc. And even with them turned off, I still felt that the external dac amp was just slightly better. Of course, I would like to try this with a better unit than the one I am currently using, but I guess in other words, there's nothing wrong with using an external dac. But like you said, in the OP's case, the dac should be the last one purchased. 

 

38 minutes ago, Slazyel said:

What do you guys think about the DAC/AMP combo Topping DX3 Pro? Prices here where i live are a lot overpriced, so aliexpress is my only way to buy it.

1,000 mW x 2 at 32 ohms, 125 mW x 2 at 300 ohmsX3 Pro. Taking the numbers from massdrop: "1,000 mW x 2 at 32 ohms, 125 mW x 2 at 300 ohms" I believe you'll be fine and should have no issues with it. Seems to have good reviews as well. 

[jasonvp]

5 minutes ago, dwang040 said:

Why wouldn't an external dac be good for gaming?

This is my opinion, based on my (very long) experience with gaming on PCs.  Your opinion and your experience may be different.  But:  External DACs aren't equipped with DSPs.  And a DSP is as important for directional audio (if not more so) than a DAC is.  It does depend on the games you play AND how good a job the game designer did with their audio.  But the FPS games I play have always benefited from a GOOD discrete sound card with an excellent DSP.

 

If you're happy with your DAC and gaming, cool.  I'm not.  I've tried several, and none of them give me the same sense of being IN the game as my Sound Blaster does.  And that's down to the DSP and the Creative drivers.  The ZxR's DAC, on the other hand, may be better than average, but I certainly wouldn't put it up against top tier ones at all.

[dwang040]

That would be up to the OP to decide then if he/she wants to go with a standard dac + amp, dac amp combo, or go with a soundcard option. 

[Nizkus]

34 minutes ago, jasonvp said:

Snip

So you are talking about some hrtf software that comes with the sound card/its drivers or am I missing something?

[jasonvp]

1 minute ago, Nizkus said:

So you are talking about some hrtf software that comes with the sound card/its drivers or am I missing something?

The driver working together with the sound card's DSP.

[Nizkus]

1 minute ago, jasonvp said:

The driver working together with the sound card's DSP.

Isn't that same thing as using razer surround or other software only solutions that try to emulate surround sound.

[jasonvp]

Just now, Nizkus said:

Isn't that same thing as using razer surround or other software only solutions that try to emulate surround sound.

Yep, but in this case there's hardware helping.