Do I need an amp? What is a good sound card for $50?

[josh woot]

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/gaming-headset-g4me-one

 

I am buying the Sennheiser G4ame One headphones and a few have said that I need an amp to enjoy the 'full' sound that it offers.

 

 

A few questions:

-Do I need an amp/soundcard?  ((((Impedance of 50 Ohmz,Frequency 15-28000hz))))

 

-What is the best sound card I can get for $50 or less (give or take $10)

 

 

 

I just want to be able to record on my mic and I guess have enough power for the headphones. Thank you!!

 

 

 

 

[LancerBG]

Try the headset as is and you might like it just fine. No need to buy one if you like the way they sound with what you got now. 

[josh woot]

YES YOU NEED A AMP!!! I personally use them and without an amp, there not that great. I defiantly suggest using an amp with them to unlock their potential

I am also going to buy the adapter thingy.. Have you tried listening to music on a portable device yet? And do you know of a good $50 amp/sound card?

[EmoRarity]

Depends on how much money you hate right now. Because they arenot that hard to drive and are nota good value on the first place. Getting an amp wont even change how they sound, will just make you feel better about ypur purchase.

[vlkn´]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0ZX2C31178 should be able to handle

BUT I would get the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007 it is much louder.

[Lutkeveld]

Depends on how much money you hate right now. Because they arenot that hard to drive and are nota good value on the first place. Getting an amp wont even change how they sound, will just make you feel better about ypur purchase.

 

If you measure it: no. If you listen to it:yes. If your headphone doesn't go loud at all, increasing the volume (with an amp) can make it sound better (to some extent ofcourse).

This is because of the low sensitivity of human hearing to low frequency sounds on low SPL (see equal loudness contour / fletcher-munsson curve).

When you turn it up, bass will sound louder.

[EmoRarity]

If you measure it: no. If you listen to it:yes. If your headphone doesn't go loud at all, increasing the volume (with an amp) can make it sound better (to some extent ofcourse).

This is because of the low sensitivity of human hearing to low frequency sounds on low SPL (see equal loudness contour / fletcher-munsson curve).

When you turn it up, bass will sound louder.

Ah, pardon me for not reading up on my headfi-ian, I forgot electricity has special rules for audio. 

[Lutkeveld]

Ah, pardon me for not reading up on my headfi-ian, I forgot electricity has special rules for audio. 

 

Did you even read what I wrote?

[EmoRarity]

Did you even read what I wrote?

Which is purely and utterly subjective with no electrical foundation. 

[BrianPena]

Which is purely and utterly subjective with no electrical foundation. 

Just another troll, move along.

 

And yes it is suggested you get an amp to drive the headphones, they will more than likely sound way better compared to without an amp.

 

This sound card works pretty well and its a cheap easy solution. http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417684065&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+xonar+dgx

 

Of course you will need an extra pci-e slot.

[EmoRarity]

Just another troll, move along.

 

And yes it is suggested you get an amp to drive the headphones, they will more than likely sound way better compared to without an amp.

 

This sound card works pretty well and its a cheap easy solution. http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417684065&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+xonar+dgx

 

Of course you will need an extra pci-e slot.

They aren't that hard to drive, unless your preferred listening levels involve ear eviction. But if you are to get something, get something external just to get away from the emi. 

[Lutkeveld]

Which is purely and utterly subjective with no electrical foundation. 

 

 

Just another troll, move along.

 

Are you f**king kidding me guys.

 

 

If you can't be bothered to check my arguments, don't comment any further.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher%E2%80%93Munson_curves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson%E2%80%93Dadson_curves

 

Of course if you increase voltage the physical response won't change, it will just increase the power.

This is psychoacoustical, not electrical.

[Joshua Ondangan]

lol actually couple of guys above are kinda correct but some what not.

 

in the first place sound is kinda different to everyone (or to a lot of people).

 

if TS has money to splash just go grab either an external one or a sound card whichever makes him happy.

 

if he's happy with his current sound level but wants to spend he should spend.

 

OT: pretty much you don't really need an amp for that so long as you can hear stuff just fine but with a possible better experience (depends on your ears though) try looking up some cheap fiio that is good enough but won't break the bank. 

although there are some of those older asus dg something which was good back in the days but I don't know how good is your current audio specs and the old one is probably not that good compared to alternatives which are available in the market right now.

[BrianPena]

Are you f**king kidding me guys.

 

 

If you can't be bothered to check my arguments, don't comment any further.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher%E2%80%93Munson_curves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson%E2%80%93Dadson_curves

 

Of course if you increase voltage the physical response won't change, it will just increase the power.

This is psychoacoustical, not electrical.

I was on your side FYI .

[creatip123]

Well, as far as my understanding, the main purpose of an additional/external amp is to amplify the source signal that you already got. If the initial signal is already loud enough, then an additional amp won't serve you much purpose, in the context of making sounds louder (unless going for dangerous loudness levels)

 

The side purpose of an additional/external amp are:

 

- Perhaps gives a lower output impedance than the initial source (depending on the initial device's impedance rating, of course)

- Alter the sound, due to components used (op-amp chip, caps, resistor, circuit implementation, etc). This is mainly subjective, and needless to say, depends on the amp used, headphone used, and the ears used. Ears play a big part in this. Some people can hear the difference between a Fiio E10 vs E07k (same brand, same level), others can't hear the differences between a $100 amp and a $5000 amp. 

[BoredErica]

Well, as far as my understanding, the main purpose of an additional/external amp is to amplify the source signal that you already got. If the initial signal is already loud enough, then an additional amp won't serve you much purpose, in the context of making sounds louder (unless going for dangerous loudness levels)

 

The side purpose of an additional/external amp are:

 

- Perhaps gives a lower output impedance than the initial source (depending on the initial device's impedance rating, of course)

- Alter the sound, due to components used (op-amp chip, caps, resistor, circuit implementation, etc). This is mainly subjective, and needless to say, depends on the amp used, headphone used, and the ears used. Ears play a big part in this. Some people can hear the difference between a Fiio E10 vs E07k (same brand, same level), others can't hear the differences between a $100 amp and a $5000 amp. 

Well, another possibility is lower noise/distortion etc which is typically not that audible but as you know may be in crap-o onboards.

 

I don't think a sound card is needed for that headphone. Brianpena (or was it some other guy) was posting some BS and then Jayz popped up to post more crap about this headphone and amplification... Does it go loud enough? Are you clipping? No? Kk.

[creatip123]

i tried listening on a music device,there not ment to be driven by mobil devices. these tings require a lot of power to drive. 

 

One of 2 possibilities:

 

1. The game one, 116dB, 50 ohms needs more power to go loud, compared to:

 

- 103dB, 300 ohms HD650, which I could run very loud straight off Ipad 3

- 93dB, 110 ohms LCD-3, which I could run straight off a shitty $35 Nokia phone, can't go very loud, but about just the right level

 

2. You're listening at a VERY dangerous level, and it's only a matter of time before a permanent hearing loss occurs

 

*possibility number 1 amazingly defy laws of electrical physics, by the way.

[BoredErica]

I've brought my HD800s to all sorts of devices - My cell phone with a stupid high noise floor, my O2 amp, my onboard, my netbook's onboard (which can barely run Chrome). All of them can take the HD800s up to a volume loud enough to make me uncomfortable. I can't believe people listen this loudly.

[Lays]

I've brought my HD800s to all sorts of devices - My cell phone with a stupid high noise floor, my O2 amp, my onboard, my netbook's onboard (which can barely run Chrome). All of them can take the HD800s up to a volume loud enough to make me uncomfortable. I can't believe people listen this loudly.

 

 

BUT YOU NEED 60 DB HEADROOM FOR DYNAMICS MAN

[BrianPena]

Well, another possibility is lower noise/distortion etc which is typically not that audible but as you know may be in crap-o onboards.

 

I don't think a sound card is needed for that headphone. Brianpena (or was it some other guy) was posting some BS and then Jayz popped up to post more crap about this headphone and amplification... Does it go loud enough? Are you clipping? No? Kk.

This forum has a cool function where you can put an @ infront of the username so the person gets a notification, just in case you didn't know. You obviously still don't understand what I said a couple of weeks ago so I will try to explain again. I have tried the G4ME one's/zero and they were both lack luster without an amp, most of the issues were with the bass. Since these headphones don't have that much bass to begin with it wasn't an enjoyable experience at all until i plugged them into an amp. Also in the case with the G4ME Zero's there WAS clipping. And again, that problem was fixed with an amp. Simple as that, not all headphones are the same. Hopefully in the future you can refrain from using my username without that handy @ button because this wouldn't be the first time .

 

I've brought my HD800s to all sorts of devices - My cell phone with a stupid high noise floor, my O2 amp, my onboard, my netbook's onboard (which can barely run Chrome). All of them can take the HD800s up to a volume loud enough to make me uncomfortable. I can't believe people listen this loudly.

Like I said earlier all headphones are different, just because the HD800's are $1500 doesn't mean that they are going to be the hardest headphones in the world to drive. Pretty irrelevant, just saying.

[creatip123]

Like I said earlier all headphones are different, just because the HD800's are $1500 doesn't mean that they are going to be the hardest headphones in the world to drive. Pretty irrelevant, just saying.

 

The main factor that determines how hard a particular headphone (or speakers, in bigger scope) can be driven is: sensitivity/efficiency. Basically the number like 100dB/mW, 110dB/V, etc. The smaller the number, the more power it requires to reach the designated volume/loudness.

 

The lesser factor would be the headphone impedance that determines how many voltage is needed to overcome the impedance rating (similar to resistance, but we're talking AC signals here, hence, impedance). The higher the number, the higher voltage it requires to counter the impedance.

 

He's putting HD800 as a comparison, NOT because it's a $1500 headphone, but because the factors' rating is worse, in the context of harder to drive, than the headphone in discussion, the game one:

 

HD800:

Sensitivity: 102dB

Impedance: 300 ohms

http://www.cnet.com/products/sennheiser-hd800/specs/

 

Game One:

Sensitivity: 116dB

Impedance: 50 ohms

http://www.cnet.com/products/sennheiser-g4me-one-headset-g4meone/specs/

 

Both factors compared, HD800 is harder to drive than the Game One, so if a HD800 can be driven properly almost anywhere like he said, you can take an educated guess of how hard to drive the Game One.

 

So again, the HD800 was brought into comparison NOT because it's a $1500 headphone, but because it's harder to drive. It's better to stop assuming, and start analyzing, don't you think? Just saying.

[BrianPena]

The main factor that determines how hard a particular headphone (or speakers, in bigger scope) can be driven is: sensitivity/efficiency. Basically the number like 100dB/mW, 110dB/V, etc. The smaller the number, the more power it requires to reach the designated volume/loudness.

 

The lesser factor would be the headphone impedance that determines how many voltage is needed to overcome the impedance rating (similar to resistance, but we're talking AC signals here, hence, impedance). The higher the number, the higher voltage it requires to counter the impedance.

 

He's putting HD800 as a comparison, NOT because it's a $1500 headphone, but because the factors' rating is worse, in the context of harder to drive, than the headphone in discussion, the game one:

 

HD800:

Sensitivity: 102dB

Impedance: 300 ohms

http://www.cnet.com/products/sennheiser-hd800/specs/

 

Game One:

Sensitivity: 116dB

Impedance: 50 ohms

http://www.cnet.com/products/sennheiser-g4me-one-headset-g4meone/specs/

 

Both factors compared, HD800 is harder to drive than the Game One, so if a HD800 can be driven properly almost anywhere like he said, you can take an educated guess of how hard to drive the Game One.

 

So again, the HD800 was brought into comparison NOT because it's a $1500 headphone, but because it's harder to drive. It's better to stop assuming, and start analyzing, don't you think? Just saying.

And like I said before, all headphones are different. By simply listing numbers from their respective sensitivities and impedance is looking at it in a very linear point of view. I have seen people in other forums talk about how surprisingly good the HD 800's sound without an amp. Just like @Dark_wizzie said.

 

Also by that logic my G4me Zero's would sound perfectly fine without an amp, WHICH THEY DON'T. I am going off experience, not numbers from a website. Just saying.

[creatip123]

And like I said before, all headphones are different. By simply listing numbers from their respective sensitivities and impedance is looking at it in a very linear point of view. I have seen people in other forums talk about how surprisingly good the HD 800's sound without an amp. Just like @Dark_wizzie said.

 

Also by that logic my G4me Zero's would sound perfectly fine without an amp, WHICH THEY DON'T. I am going off experience, not numbers from a website. Just saying.

 

So now you're talking about the way it sound, not how easy/hard it can be driven

 

If you're talking about the way it sound, then yes, potentially it could sound better with a good amp.

 

If you're talking about how hard or not it's driven, in other word how much power it needs, which you did:

 

 

Like I said earlier all headphones are different, just because the HD800's are $1500 doesn't mean that they are going to be the hardest headphones in the world to drive. Pretty irrelevant, just saying.

 

then no, an additional amp is not needed when the source signal is already strong enough to drive it. 

 

It's about which point of view you want to look at and discuss, driven properly (power), or sound good/better.

 

Game One is easier to drive than HD800, that's the fact. Now if you say Game One sounds like shit without a (good) amp, that's different from hard/easy to drive. 

 

It's like, F1 vs Mercedez Benz, which one is better? Depends, if you're looking for speed, acceleration, power, of course F1 is miles better. If you're looking for comfort, usability, durability, then Mercedez Benz is miles better. 

 

Pick one and stick with it, driven properly, or sound good/better. 

[BoredErica]

Meow meow woof woof

[Lutkeveld]

Pick one and stick with it, driven properly, or sound good/better. 

 

Those can go together, as I pointed out with my argument earlier on in this thread.