DAC?

[Seisatto]

Hi,

I am very confused about onboard audio. If I were to buy a cheap Gigabyte mITX board would I be able to tell the difference between the onboard audio on it vs. say something like the Sniper m5 (I know it is matx)? My headphones are high quality. The second part to my question is that if the difference is noticeable should I just buy an AMP/DAC? Does this replace the onboard audi card. I have read other posts but I don't think it answers my question well enough. If anyone could explain I'd be very grateful.

Thanks in advance.

[helping]

1) define high quality

2) Yes.

3) No, it doesn't replace onboard completely. It replaces the sound output of onboard only. 

[Sors]

Depending on the kind, a DAC/AMP could replace completely the onboard sound,  USB is a basically a whole new soundcard, if you were using a DAC that plugs through optical or coaxial then it would still be using part of the onboard sound.

[Hoppa]

@Seisatto

Please specify your headphone so we can decide what the exact quality of the headphone is. Because high quality is based on peoples opinion. (if you know what I mean)

You'll only need an AMP/DAC if your headphones have a high impedance, because the onboard sound can't deliver enough power (resulting in low sound volume)

[Feveredbike]

It can really depend on the quality of headphones that you have.

[mr moose]

well, to be honest it mostly comes down to the colour of your underwear and what you ate for breakfast.  Assuming a good diet and red undies you won't tell them apart, but if you had a donut and your undies are already a brown colour then I am afraid your going to have to buy a valve amp....

 

 

 

Now seriously, can you give us the model numbers for the two boards you are comparing, what your headphones are or are going to be and well do our best to appraise the situation and confirm, deny or advise.

[Dayone]

Probably not is my experience. A DAC will likely colour the sound somewhat but it won't make it objectively better. It'll give more power for louder headphones or it'll relieve some of the strain of audio processing for the cpu (only noticeable in audio production). 

 

This is using a USB DAC of course. 

[Lauen]

Probably not is my experience. A DAC will likely colour the sound somewhat but it won't make it objectively better. It'll give more power for louder headphones or it'll relieve some of the strain of audio processing for the cpu (only noticeable in audio production). 

 

This is using a USB DAC of course. 

Color the sound? if you're getting an ancient and bad one, sure. more power? in a dac? you need an amp for more power mate. relieve strain? not noticeable ever, I'd say.

[Dayone]

Color the sound? if you're getting an ancient and bad one, sure. more power? in a dac? you need an amp for more power mate. relieve strain? not noticeable ever, I'd say.

Well I'm using an audio interface, which is kind of a dac/amp/soundcard combo. I guess I got my acronyms mixed up

[ShearMe]

you need an amp for more power mate.

 

[Seisatto]

@Seisatto

Please specify your headphone so we can decide what the exact quality of the headphone is. Because high quality is based on peoples opinion. (if you know what I mean)

You'll only need an AMP/DAC if your headphones have a high impedance, because the onboard sound can't deliver enough power (resulting in low sound volume)

Sorry I don't really know what they are. I do know that they are meant to play the sound the way it was meant to be played with out additional base or highs etc. They are a model by Audio Technica.

[Seisatto]

well, to be honest it mostly comes down to the colour of your underwear and what you ate for breakfast.  Assuming a good diet and red undies you won't tell them apart, but if you had a donut and your undies are already a brown colour then I am afraid your going to have to buy a valve amp....

 

 

 

Now seriously, can you give us the model numbers for the two boards you are comparing, what your headphones are or are going to be and well do our best to appraise the situation and confirm, deny or advise.

Sure

Gigabyte G1 Sniper m5

Gigabyte GA z87n WiFi

I have a pair of open audio technica headphones. I don't know the model but they were around $150-$200

[Lauen]

Do you mean a pair of these? 

[Lays]

snip

 

Probably ad900x or 700x, They're around that price mark.

 

I got my 900x's for around that price if memory serves right

 

 

@Op it says on the side what model they are (if it's one of those two atleast it should say)

[Lauen]

It says on most headphones I've ever seen. 

[mr moose]

Sure

Gigabyte G1 Sniper m5

Gigabyte GA z87n WiFi

I have a pair of open audio technica headphones. I don't know the model but they were around $150-$200

Well, with the sniper the sound quality will be dependant on which op amp you have in it (swappable op amps), To be honest I am not in favour of swappable op amps because a circuit works best when they are specifically designed to work with a particular op-amp, in these applications the circuits are pretty generic and so are average with a range of chips rather than good with just one.   

 

The realtek chip on the wifi board however is a known performer and sounds great with almost all headphones. 

 

I would say the best option would be to get the wifi board with the realtek chip, because that will perform adequately,  in the rare event that you get headphones it cant drive, all you would need to do is add a decent headphone amp.   Which I believe would sound better than the sniper board, that and the price difference between the boards would more than enough to pay for a decent headphone amp (even an O2). 

 

And if you don't need to add an amp (which is my prediction) then you pocket the $130 odd difference.

[Seisatto]

Probably ad900x or 700x, They're around that price mark.

 

I got my 900x's for around that price if memory serves right

 

 

@Op it says on the side what model they are (if it's one of those two atleast it should say)

 

 

Do you mean a pair of these? 

yes those are the ones.