How cheap should i go? (amp/dac)

[Mokad]

I'm buying the DT990 Pro 250ohm soon which i will use with onboard sound for a week or two then i will buy and amp and dac or sound card. Any suggestions?

I am trying to stay as cheap as maybe £50-£75 for now.

 

 

Thanks

[Laputacake]

Fiio E10

[steffen_anywhere]

Welcome to the LTT Forums!

 

Schiit Magni/Magni2 is what I'd look at. $99 so it fits your price range if available in the UK.

 

EDIT: Use Onboard audio to get an analogue signal to the amp, the board audio is usually perfectly fine. But 250 Ohms are not gonna be driven by onboard audio, that's why you want an amp.

 

EDIT2: Soundcards are kinda obsolete. No reason to get one. Also, someone posted Fiio E10, which is a good option as well.

[ShearMe]

SMSL SD793II should be sufficient if your motherboard is inadequate.

[Mokad]

Welcome to the LTT Forums!

 

Schiit Magni/Magni2 is what I'd look at. $99 so it fits your price range if available in the UK.

 

EDIT: Use Onboard audio to get an analogue signal to the amp, the board audio is usually perfectly fine. But 250 Ohms are not gonna be driven by onboard audio, that's why you want an amp.

why not just use usb to the magni?

[ShearMe]

why not just use usb to the magni?

Magni is an amp only.

[Mokad]

Magni is an amp only.

oh right thank, i got the names mixed up, so i shouldnt really need a dac unless the onboard is giving noticeable interference/noise, right? 

[ShearMe]

oh right thank, i got the names mixed up, so i shouldnt really need a dac unless the onboard is giving noticeable interference/noise, right?

Right.

[Mokad]

Right.

one last question, why just the magni amp, over the e10(k)(amp/dac)?

[ShearMe]

one last question, why just the magni amp, over the e10(k)(amp/dac)?

I didn't recommend the Magni, someone else did.

I'd recommend spending less by getting the FiiO E10 or SMSL SD793II

[Mokad]

Welcome to the LTT Forums!

 

Schiit Magni/Magni2 is what I'd look at. $99 so it fits your price range if available in the UK.

 

EDIT: Use Onboard audio to get an analogue signal to the amp, the board audio is usually perfectly fine. But 250 Ohms are not gonna be driven by onboard audio, that's why you want an amp.

 

EDIT2: Soundcards are kinda obsolete. No reason to get one. Also, someone posted Fiio E10, which is a good option as well.

why e10(k) over schiit magni? or vice versa? isnt it worth getting e10 which is an amp/dac instead of just the magni amp?

[creatip123]

why e10(k) over schiit magni? or vice versa? isnt it worth getting e10 which is an amp/dac instead of just the magni amp?

 

E10 is aimed for portable uses. It's bus powered. Some power hungry (or current hungry, to be technical) can't be driven properly with bus powered devices.

[SSL]

I strongly suggest waiting until you have the headphones before you pull the trigger on a source. Unless you really, really want to spend another $70 potentially for no reason.

 

If you get anything, the SMSL SD793-II has numerous advantages:

• Mains powered; not limited to USB power output and isolated from your PC power fluctuations
• Optical-in, completely isolates from PC interference
• Line-out can be used for speaker amp or powered speakers
• Has a power switch that shuts off the amp, DAC stays on to output to other devices
• Price, value

Disadvantages:

• Non-adjustable gain, may not work well with sensitive IEMs.