Will a sound card with headphone amp benefit my Audio setup?

[thekanabolt]

I have a basic audio setup where where my PC is connected to my Logitech Z623 speakers with my Razer Carcharias headset plugged into the head phone port on one of the satellites. So my question is seeing as the headphones will not be plugged directly into the sound card will I still notice the effects of a normal sound card vs a sound card with a headphone amp? Also sound card suggestions? (Budget $100)

[LIZZARD]

I'm not sure wether it will work or not. I can recommend you a sound card. The ASUS Xonar DG(X) is unbeatable for its pricepoint.

[thekanabolt]

Ok thanks will look into it. I just wasn't sure weather I needed a headphone amp?

[Caravetta]

I would say get the sound card and plug the headset into the sound card the sound will be well worth it.

[Cheesebaron]

Your headphones are designed to be driven directly from a sound card without any amplification, so they will probably not benefit greatly from being amped. You could try at some point putting a cheap Cmoy amp in between and see if you notice anything greatly different except from volume boost. The Cmoy amps can be found as kits or pre-made on ebay for quite cheap.

[1337_SP33K]

Im going to be honest here. I dont think you will notice any amping difference because of the headphones. I recommend you buy a better pair of audiophile headphones if that is an option if you are looking for good audio e.g. Sennheiser, Audio-technica, Beyerdynamic, AKG etc.

Regarding the soundcard I recommend a Asus Xonar DG as it is a very good starting sound card.

[WaiseCoo]

Yep, The Xonar DG is pretty much the best in that price range, even when you are comparing it to much much more expensives soundcards. What comes for the amping, your Carcharias won't benefit of it even if you plug them directly to the soundcard, becouse they have quite low impedance. You will still find huge improvement in sound quality and in overall sound.

Buy the Xonar DG or The Xonar DGX depending what slot you have available.

[Arkatek]

The soundcard would give marginal improvements for sound quality on gaming headsets, it will very noticeable if you owned a pair of audiophile headphones. Basically you are limited to the performance of your headset. Audiophile headphones tend to have high impedance drivers therefore the need of an amp to provide the extra power needed for booming bass and general volume of the source. This limits them to mostly in home use as most mobile devices can't power them properly. In a nutshell the benefits of a soundcard would not be as astounding with a pair of gaming headphones as apposed to a soundcard + audiophile headphones.

[Jurgen]

Yep' date=' The Xonar DG is pretty much the best in that price range, even when you are comparing it to much much more expensives soundcards. What comes for the amping, your Carcharias won't benefit of it even if you plug them directly to the soundcard, becouse they have quite low impedance. You will still find huge improvement in sound quality and in overall sound. Buy the Xonar DG or The Xonar DGX depending what slot you have available.

I agree, I'm using the Xonar DX and you can hear the difference between the dedicated soundcard or onboard.

[WaiseCoo]

The soundcard would give marginal improvements for sound quality on gaming headsets, it will very noticeable if you owned a pair of audiophile headphones. Basically you are limited to the performance of your headset. Audiophile headphones tend to have high impedance drivers therefore the need of an amp to provide the extra power needed for booming bass and general volume of the source. This limits them to mostly in home use as most mobile devices can't power them properly. In a nutshell the benefits of a soundcard would not be as astounding with a pair of gaming headphones as apposed to a soundcard + audiophile headphones.

No matter what headphones or speakers you are using, you will always find a difference in the soundquality when upgrading from onboard.

And it really doesen't matter whether they are gaming headphones or audiophile headphones, if the sound pronouncing is good they sound good. Doesen't matter if they are intented for gaming or something else.

I admit the Carcharias aren't necessarily the best headphones, but you will definitely hear a difference when upgrading from onboard.