dac? do I need a DAC for my setup

[Jehnau]

Hello everyone and happy Easter,

I'm starting to get in Audiophile hardware but I don't know much about it.

 

I mainly use my setup for Gaming, Music and watching movie/series.

 

My setup is:
Mainboard - Asus Prime x470-pro
Speakers - Logitech Z906
Headphones - now Sennsheiser hd 4.5 BT

 

Headphones i want to use - Beyerdynamic BT 900 Pro X 48 Ohm or BT 990 Pro 250 Ohm.

 

The Z906 Subwoofer (all connections are there) is connected to the pc via the black/green/pink jack.

 

The controller is connected to Subwoofer via a VGA connector? Looks like it.

 

I connect the HD 4.5 to the jack output on the Z906 controller, it's decent but I hear noice when I go louder.

 

Now if I want to use either the 900 pro X or 990 pro, should I just connect them to the Z906 controller jack, pc audio jack output or buy a DAC and connect it to PC?

 

I know if you have Headphones with more Ohm you need an AMP/DAC for them to use fully.

 

So my question is:
If i get the 900 Pro X 48 Ohm can I use them without DAC and the sound is clear or do I need a DAC if i choose the 990 pro 250 Ohm?

 

Thanks in advance

[saintlouisbagels]

You don't need a DAC unless you "think" you need one (i.e. placebo), or if your audio outputs have serious issues (e.g. digital noise). Digital audio is a solved problem, and a lot of audiophilia is people thinking they hear big a difference even though properly-made DACs and headphone amps SHOULD NOT have a sound signature.

 

Since you said you hear noise, you could either use your desktop computer's audio outputs, or buying an external DAC. Both options will require you to swap the audio output on the Windows side.

 

Best value in the US is the $9 Apple USB-C to 3.5mm or the Abigail CX31993 if you're outside of the US.

Qudelix-5k is a common recommendation.

 

Schiit, Topping, and SMSL make good products. Pick the one with the features you need.

I like JDS Labs products as well - their measurements are perfection.

[Jehnau]

1 hour ago, saintlouisbagels said:

You don't need a DAC unless you "think" you need one (i.e. placebo)

I mean with DAC you should get the "UMF" while using more powerful headphones, right?

[Jehnau]

1 hour ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Since you said you hear noise, you could either use your desktop computer's audio outputs

With a DAC i should be able to control the volume if I buy one with controller, but I like my Z906 controller. Could I get sound from DAC and still controll it with the z906?

 

Thanks for the explanation

[saintlouisbagels]

9 hours ago, Jehnau said:

With a DAC i should be able to control the volume if I buy one with controller, but I like my Z906 controller. Could I get sound from DAC and still controll it with the z906?

 

Thanks for the explanation

The computer is outputting audio to the Z906/controller. That is 1 audio output.

 

If you plug the headphones into your computer, or if you plug your headphones into a DAC and then plug that DAC into the computer, it becomes another audio output. You have to switch between outputs on the Windows-side if you're not going to plug your headphones into the Z906/controller.

 

Normally you could get an audio switch (Schiit SYS) or you would plug the speakers into the new external DAC, but it sounds like you're using your Z906 set for more than just Stereo usage (more than just the single stereo 3.5mm plug), so it would not work in your situation.

 

9 hours ago, Jehnau said:

I mean with DAC you should get the "UMF" while using more powerful headphones, right?

Placebo.

 

Digital audio to Analog conversion (DAC) is a solved problem. 16-bit, 44.1 KHz is already the maximum human hearing for MOST people. 48KHz, 24-bit, etc. etc. is all placebo. If you hear a difference, you either have great hearing, OR the version you found was mastered differently from the version you're comparing to (e.g. Spotify versus Apple Music versus Tidal, CD versus Vinyl).

 

People tend to play their headphones louder after buying a headphone amp because there's more power available. When volume matched, there's almost always no difference unless you happen to buy headphones that really need all that extra power.

 

Again, if you THINK you need a DAC/headphone amp, then you should buy one  it doesn't matter if it's objective or subjective. If the purchase brings more enjoyment, then it was worth it.

[Jehnau]

1 hour ago, saintlouisbagels said:

The computer is outputting audio to the Z906/controller. That is 1 audio output.

 

If you plug the headphones into your computer, or if you plug your headphones into a DAC and then plug that DAC into the computer, it becomes another audio output. You have to switch between outputs on the Windows-side if you're not going to plug your headphones into the Z906/controller.

 

Normally you could get an audio switch (Schiit SYS) or you would plug the speakers into the new external DAC, but it sounds like you're using your Z906 set for more than just Stereo usage (more than just the single stereo 3.5mm plug), so it would not work in your situation.

 

Placebo.

 

Digital audio to Analog conversion (DAC) is a solved problem. 16-bit, 44.1 KHz is already the maximum human hearing for MOST people. 48KHz, 24-bit, etc. etc. is all placebo. If you hear a difference, you either have great hearing, OR the version you found was mastered differently from the version you're comparing to (e.g. Spotify versus Apple Music versus Tidal, CD versus Vinyl).

 

People tend to play their headphones louder after buying a headphone amp because there's more power available. When volume matched, there's almost always no difference unless you happen to buy headphones that really need all that extra power.

 

Again, if you THINK you need a DAC/headphone amp, then buy the DAC/headphone amp  it doesn't matter if it's objective or subjective. If the purchase let's you enjoy the headphones more then you made a good purchase!

Allrighty, I get it now, thanks foe explaining,  I get the 900 pro X and I'm set

[rice guru]

14 hours ago, Jehnau said:

Allrighty, I get it now, thanks foe explaining,  I get the 900 pro X and I'm set

Yup, if you got the 990 I would have said yeah personally. Newer beyers are thankfully pretty easy to drive.