Audio Guidance

[Guest Kloaked]

I love my music, particularly rock and metal. My old Asus Maximus motherboard had some good on-board sound and could power my Sennheiser HD280's pretty well. I noticed a clear improvement while switching between a source without any kind of dedicated audio hardware (an iPad) then to the motherboard. Bass was more punchy, instruments more clear and so on. But since one of my PCIE slots died I had to buy a new motherboard, but I wasn't able to get another Asus Maximus board, so I had to settle for an ASRock z77 Extreme4 and it has terrible audio compared to the Asus one.

tl;dr - I need some help in choosing between an external sound card and a DAC/AMP setup. I have an idea on what I need if I go the DAC route, but I do not think I'm well informed on what exactly a DAC actually does other than "makes audio sound better" and so on. I want my punchy bass and overall clarity back.

[creatip123]

Before getting any hardware, try the 'soft' approach, optimizing settings and such. Google 'optimizing X brand sound card', should get a lot of hits. For example, I googled 'optimizing xonar DG', and got tons of hits.

 

Secondly, this is new to me: get foobar2000 (this one is not new, as I've been using this as default music player) + wasapi plugin (this is the new one). From what I read, directsound 'ride' on top of the wasapi of the windows 7 and above. So by using the wasapi plugin, you actually bypassing the processing of the directsound, and set up a straight connection between foobar and the sound card (or DAC). I found this to have quite different sound (as opposed to using directsound), the mids and highs are much clearer on my headphone. The downside, I think, is that wasapi is only able to provide 2 channels (stereo-left and right), so no multi-channels output (I think multi-channels output and upmixing is what directsound do). Furthermore, if you play a music file that's encoded with multi-channels (like dolby or DTS), you must use the 'downmixing to stereo' plugin in foobar.

 

This is what I read and could understand, though, maybe some wrong assumptions. But I definitely like the music better when using the wasapi plugin/output.....

 

Edit: after reading your post again from the top, perhaps your problem is that the new onboard audio doesn't have the amp powerful enough to optimize the 280. Maybe get a separate headphone amp. I've personally used the Fiio E6, and they're awesome, for the price of under 30 bucks (in amazon)

[EmoRarity]

I would follow the software advice and if that does tickle you pickle. Fiio E10 is about all I would go for

[Guest Kloaked]

Changing anything to do with the software won't do anything for me, and I was already sure of this, haha. But I tried the Foobar plugin anyways and it didn't do anything at all. I guess one of those amps you guys suggested would be the way to go.

 

But I still do not understand what a DAC actually does. I know it converts a digital signal into an analogue signal, I just don't understand what it does to the sound. I've watched a few videos from Linus (he doesn't go in-depth about it at all) and some videos from Tek Syndicate and I really don't have a clear answer. Is it one of those things like you'd have to try it to know?

[EmoRarity]

Well beyond converting ones and zeros to a sine wave, a dac does nothing more. Their are a couple of features that some have that others don't, but they all work the same way and they all sound the same.

[ShearMe]

Changing anything to do with the software won't do anything for me, and I was already sure of this, haha. But I tried the Foobar plugin anyways and it didn't do anything at all. I guess one of those amps you guys suggested would be the way to go.

 

But I still do not understand what a DAC actually does. I know it converts a digital signal into an analogue signal, I just don't understand what it does to the sound. I've watched a few videos from Linus (he doesn't go in-depth about it at all) and some videos from Tek Syndicate and I really don't have a clear answer. Is it one of those things like you'd have to try it to know?

 

Straight from the FAQ:

 

A DAC is a Digital to Analog Converter. It takes the digital data stored in your music files and processes it into a linear function of electrical pulses that can drive headphones and speakers. However, it's usually used in chain with an amplifier mainly because the output of a DAC is rarely a good driver of either speakers or headphones. A sound card usually combines a DAC with an amplifier.

AMP/DACs (an external amplifer and a DAC either together or stacked) are usually outside the computer case and contained in their own case(s). Normally they interface with your computer over USB and are recognized by your computer like any other soundcard on your computer. Some need drivers, and some use Window's standard USB class 1 audio device driver. Most are compatible with Window, Mac, and Linux.

In Theory, neither is better than the other since soundcards ARE the same thing as a Amplifier and Digital to Analog Convertor combined. However, in practice, noise can become an issue for soundcards inside of computer cases. (Thanks to Blade of Grass for this answer!)

[Guest Kloaked]

Straight from the FAQ:

I read that already. I just wanted a more specific answer other than what it is. I wanted to know what it actually does to the sound since I see audiophiles swear on AMP/DAC's over soundcards. 

[ShearMe]

I read that already. I just wanted a more specific answer other than what it is. I wanted to know what it actually does to the sound since I see audiophiles swear on AMP/DAC's over soundcards.

I feel like you didn't really read all of it...

[EmoRarity]

I feel like you didn't really read all of it...

If we believe hard enough, anything can be true. 

[creatip123]

I read that already. I just wanted a more specific answer other than what it is. I wanted to know what it actually does to the sound since I see audiophiles swear on AMP/DAC's over soundcards. 

 

I'd say the reason that they'd swear an external DAC is better than internal soundcard is this:

 

 

In Theory, neither is better than the other since soundcards ARE the same thing as a Amplifier and Digital to Analog Convertor combined. However, in practice, noise can become an issue for soundcards inside of computer cases. (Thanks to Blade of Grass for this answer!)

 

The 'noise' issue. In written, it makes sense, but I've never used an external DAC myself, so no comment about true or false. I think there's also the issue of 'output impedance', being soundcards jacks have high numbers, and external DAC supposedly have low numbers, which is better for lower impedance headphones.

[EmoRarity]

I'd say the reason that they'd swear an external DAC is better than internal soundcard is this:

 

 

The 'noise' issue. In written, it makes sense, but I've never used an external DAC myself, so no comment about true or false. I think there's also the issue of 'output impedance', being soundcards jacks have high numbers, and external DAC supposedly have low numbers, which is better for lower impedance headphones.

Amusingly one of the only things Grass got right. 

Its not that soundcards are bad per say, its that they are no better then onboard (while more powerful, not better) and subject to the same issues. 

So in a nutshell they solve nothing, do nothing better, and cost money. Making them a bad investment and value. Though sometimes, once in a blue moon, a soundcard is a solution for a person. 

[Musikman]

I would follow the software advice and if that does tickle you pickle. Fiio E10 is about all I would go for

I second this.