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Help a Noob choose a Soundcard!

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Hello forum-goers, I'm searching for a soundcard or amp setup to fit my recent purchases. 

I've been slowly upgrading everything about my computer gaming/ music listening setup and recently I received my Audio Technica ATH-M50's and although they're AMAZING, my onboard audio doesn't provide the greatest experience and I find myself struggling with slight background noise/static and such. 

My plan was to buy an internal Sound card for my rig, as I also want something to run a mic through as well, (Just a basic Antlion Mod Mic 4.0 for now but I do plan on updating that soon enough so i'd like to future proof a bit, as well as hopefully mitigate background noise/feedback etc. from the admittedly aging on-board connection.) 

My current PC Specs are: (not sure if it matters being as i'm ultra noob)
Gigabyte R-7850 OC 2gb
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+
AMD FX-4130 Zambezi @ 4.1ghz
650 watt Corsair RM series psu
8gb of corsair dominator RAM


I'm not opposed to an External Amp/DAC like the O2, I'd just prefer something with a Mic connection for Voice chats/ Recording 

Any recommendations for the very lenient ~$150 Price range? i'd be willing to spend up to~250 or so if the 02/comparable amp were THAT worth it...

Thanks!
 

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I'm running a Creative Sound Blaster Z and all the noise you hear from most HyperX cloud mics is 100% gone and its surround feature works very well. I can recommend it and it's pretty cheap

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Sound cards are really bad, it's a pretty stupid investment of money because sound cards are about the same grade of components as onboard sound. The only reason you may eliminate some sound is because the sound card is not in the depths of your case and is possibly covered by a shroud. But the quality is poor, I would recommend the audioengine DAC/AMP combo it's great

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There is a lot of stuff out there saying dedicated sound cards are a waste of money and do not provide a tangible benefit over the onboard stuff.  

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So what would my best bet be, Scratch better mic quality all together and just go for an AMP/DAC combo? or is there a solution that solves both problems i'm not finding? 

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Get yourself a good pair of headphones like the akg k612 pro instead.

Spoiler

Samung Tab S 8.4

 

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everyone going to tell you a sound card is a waste of money ^ like those guys. but with m50s you're gonna hear shit like that if you're not playing anything, but if its volume you're looking for a dac would be much better. there no reason to buy a soundcard for audio inputs like a mic. you'll be fine with onboard.

 

 

 

 

 

Get yourself a good pair of headphones like the akg k612 pro instead.

 

 

Wow. you didn't read the post all. And stop linking that video. just since a youtube says it's a waste of money doesn't mean it is.but it is.

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So what would my best bet be, Scratch better mic quality all together and just go for an AMP/DAC combo? or is there a solution that solves both problems i'm not finding? 

Amp/dac combo is only useful for high end (and high impedance) headphones. If you don't have something that is more than 200 ohms your integrated will do a good job.

Spoiler

Samung Tab S 8.4

 

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Amp/dac combo is only useful for high end (and high impedance) headphones. If you don't have something that is more than 200 ohms your integrated will do a good job.

No, it's not. if he thinks it's too quiet. then it's too low. an amp would be be better than a soundcard.

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Syba DAC is a good option : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009WN7QT4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2YRSLSP26UFTG&coliid=I18HJ7O8WQXXPG

PC Build in LTT Gallery - JBL J88 - Fostex T50RP (Modded) - Pioneer SE-A1000 vs audio-technica ATH-AD500X - Skullcandy Aviator  
audio-technica ATH-T400 - CHC Silverado and Laredo - Clip-On Headphone Roundup - Sony LinkBuds

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Amp/dac combo is only useful for high end (and high impedance) headphones. If you don't have something that is more than 200 ohms your integrated will do a good job.

 

Actually it's not so much about the impedance.

 

The 35 ohms HE400 needs amp more than the 300 ohms HD650, personal experience. The 50 ohms HE6 is much, much harder to drive properly than the 600 ohms Beyer's T1.

 

The companies (soundcard and other sound devices) lead people to the wrong direction, that it's determined by the impedance alone (with their famous 'can power up to X ohms headphones' remark). Let's try to lead them back to the correct direction, shall we?

HE-400 personal review , ATH-AD700 personal review, Aune T1 MK2 personal review, Lepai A2020+ personal review, Field report of Jakarta USF

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Let's try to lead them back to the correct direction, shall we?

It's an up-mountain battle.

PC Build in LTT Gallery - JBL J88 - Fostex T50RP (Modded) - Pioneer SE-A1000 vs audio-technica ATH-AD500X - Skullcandy Aviator  
audio-technica ATH-T400 - CHC Silverado and Laredo - Clip-On Headphone Roundup - Sony LinkBuds

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