Just Ordered beardynamics DT 880 250 ohms

WolfStrong · February 22, 2014

Right, because that wasn't a rhetorical question at all.

Look, all I'm asking you to do is prove that a dedicated amp audibly improves the sound over a correctly-implemented run-of-the-mill realtek chip. That IS what you're claiming, right?

You said you know the lingo, I know I know the lingo, so it's not like you have to start from the ground up - if you're so certain of your claim then this'll be easy.

Even though I did make the mistake thinking he had an ROG board, the advice I gave still stands on my first post:

"As far as the original question: ...Try it, see if you like it, and if you do not, then consider upgrading."

As for addressing your first question, the issue lies in the question itself in me being able to answer it. In a perfect world, yes, those Realtek chips work great. I also already mentioned this: "The point is how well the circuit can control these". The issue lies in the fact that they are often thrown together in a poorly designed fashion, then stuffed into a PC chassis which itself is exposed to a LOT of noise. In theory, yes, those chips have the capability to drive a 250ohm Beyer headphone. In reality, I would be willing to bet it will not properly drive that headphone due to the way the amp is put together on the motherboard. None of us even knows which motherboard OP even has, so EVERYONE is guessing right now. Don't get on my case about backing up my claim when I am the only one who bothered to reference an article about the science behind amps for OP.

Proof? I proved it to myself long ago when a FiiO E07 brought a whole new world of life to my simple HD280's over the Realtek audio built into my laptop, and those only had 64ohms of impedance. Measured proof that I can provide over the internet? Let me again just repost what I already posted:

http://mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/ClassA-WebVersion.htm

NwAvGuy talking about Op Amps, and how the implementation of them is important. He talks about how they are often designed with the circuit in mind:

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/op-amps-myths-facts.html

Let me say this again so that my entire point may be emphasized: The OP wanted to know if onboard audio was good enough for the headphones he had. From my experience, while they will work, it will likely not drive the Beyerdynamic DT880 250ohm headphones to their full capacity, so my recommendation is to try it, see if you like it, then upgrade to a dedicated amp if you are not happy. I am not here to argue theoretical conditions, just making points to help the OP in his question.

Lauen · February 22, 2014

None of us even knows which motherboard OP even has, so EVERYONE is guessing right now.

He has a Gigabyte Z77 DS3H, says so on his profile, how else would I know that he didn't even have an ASUS board?

And in the newavguy article you linked, he said in the introduction that most people wouldn't be able to tell most op-amps apart. and what you say: a long time ago, the 07 sounded better than Realtek in a laptop. tell me: how long ago was that? cause I don't hear any differences between my laptop (HP Probook 4330s from work) which has some IDT audio, to my phone (Both iPhone 4 and Nokia Lumia 920) and my desktop, where I have both Realtek ALC892 onboard, and an ASUS Xonar D2X soundcard. no differences, with both my M50s and my Shure SRH440 with 840 pads.

and for your entire point: the onboard dac is GOOD. as good (audibly) as any other dac nowadays. and if an amp doesn't "drive the headphones to their full potential" it's either really bad, or broken. onboard audio is THAT good. loudness is subjective, if OP doesn't think it gets loud enough, he could get an amp.

ShearMe · February 23, 2014

-le snip-

I don't have beef with your recommendation to OP so I don't see why you keep bringing that up, especially when it's the same thing nearly everyone else in the thread said.

The first thing you said was, "An amp is not just an amp." and I just can't accept that without some evidence. The link you've provided twice was about how tube amps driving speakers distort differently depending on the class/configuration, but that's not what we're talking about here, is it? It's also funny that you linked ANYTHING from NwAvGuy, who rigorously believes that an amp is just an amp.

Sure, implementation is everything, but bad old laptop audio being beat by some FiiO product isn't surprising, and isn't what I'm refuting. Additionally, if OP's onboard was bad, simply buying a dedicated amplifier wouldn't solve the issue - at best nothing would change, and at worst it'd amplify the noise more than the signal, which is often what ends up happening.