Headphones and a Sound Card/DAC

[Tyranade]

I am looking at in the next month or so getting myself a Really decent pair of headphones and I want them to well be decent. I will be using them for Gaming (I have a stand alone Mic) and Listening to all different Genres of music. And I was wondering what I should get. 

 

Also I was wondering what kind of DAC or Sound Card I should buy. I have TONS of music and I am kinda new to this whole Sound Card / DAC business and was wondering what to buy. I don't use speakers I am a headphones person if that makes any difference but I am a bit eh on this whole External DAC thing because I am kinda worried I will loose it so I really would prefer a sound card.

 

Also I am going to be getting the Maximus VI Gene and was wondering if the On-Board Audio on that negates the need for a Sound Card with a Decent pair of Headphones.

 

So yeah I was wondering what should I buy.

 

I have a maximum limit of £150-200 on the Headphones and £100 for a DAC/Sound Card.

[MayflowerElectronics]

Whatever you buy, don't buy a sound card. Buy an external solution.

 

For headphones, I recommend the DT990 for mixed genre's.

 

If you get any DT headphones, make sure you get the 80 ohm version, the onboard audio is pretty decent, don't waste your money.

[Tyranade]

Whatever you buy, don't buy a sound card. Buy an external solution.

 

For headphones, I recommend the DT990 for mixed genre's.

 

If you get any DT headphones, make sure you get the 80 ohm version, the onboard audio is pretty decent, don't waste your money.

 

Why shouldn't I go for a Sound Card? Also what External Solution would you recommend?

 

I wan't something that will allow me to change the EQ Settings on it.

 

I found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT990-PRO-Headset-250/dp/B0011UB9CQ its 250 Ohms o.0.

[MayflowerElectronics]

Why shouldn't I go for a Sound Card? Also what External Solution would you recommend?

 

I wan't something that will allow me to change the EQ Settings on it.

 

Not to come off as an ass, but read the FAQ at the top of the audio forum, it will tell you why sound cards are bad, and it will have a few recommendations for external solutions.

 

If you want to EQ just use software inside your media player. Hardware EQ is useless at your price range.

[Tyranade]

Not to come off as an ass, but read the FAQ at the top of the audio forum, it will tell you why sound cards are bad, and it will have a few recommendations for external solutions.

 

If you want to EQ just use software inside your media player. Hardware EQ is useless at your price range.

 

Okay. I did read it yesterday but I seem to have forgotten bits of it. Guess I should Re-Read it XP.

[MayflowerElectronics]

Okay. I did read it yesterday but I seem to have forgotten bits of it. Guess I should Re-Read it XP.

 

If you want a nice setup (more or less exactly what I use)

 

Get an objective2 amp, and a DT990 250 ohm.

 

If you want a more neutral headphone, look at 558's or AD700x's.

[Tyranade]

If you want a nice setup (more or less exactly what I use)

 

Get an objective2 amp, and a DT990 250 ohm.

 

If you want a more neutral headphone, look at 558's or AD700x's.

 

Okay. I have just gone over the FAQ again but I don't understand something. 

 

that Objective2 Amp the specs say "Max Output 33 Ohms" So how can it power a 250 Ohm headphones o.0.

[MayflowerElectronics]

Okay. I have just gone over the FAQ again but I don't understand something. 

 

that Objective2 Amp the specs say "Max Output 33 Ohms" So how can it power a 250 Ohm headphones o.0.

 

That's just an example - It's saying at 33 ohms the amp can supply "x" amount of power.

 

The objective2 can handle 600+ ohm headphones with no problem.

[Tyranade]

That's just an example - It's saying at 33 ohms the amp can supply "x" amount of power.

 

The objective2 can handle 600+ ohm headphones with no problem.

 

Oh okay. What about the Fiio Olympus E10? Would that be able to do the job?

[MayflowerElectronics]

Oh okay. What about the Fiio Olympus E10? Would that be able to do the job?

 

I wouldn't get them for the 250 ohm, I know they say it can go up to 300 ohm headphones, but it only hooks up to USB which doesn't have much power along with it. I know @ShearMe will yell at me for this, but if you want a fiio, get the 80 ohm version.

 

You don't really need a DAC since your source is pretty good. I would go 990 80ohm with fiio to save some money, or 990 250 ohm with o2 to get better sound/more power.

[Tyranade]

I wouldn't get them for the 250 ohm, I know they say it can go up to 300 ohm headphones, but it only hooks up to USB which doesn't have much power along with it. I know @ShearMe will yell at me for this, but if you want a fiio, get the 80 ohm version.

 

You don't really need a DAC since your source is pretty good. I would go 990 80ohm with fiio to save some money, or 990 250 ohm with o2 to get better sound/more power.

 

Hmm okay. So I think I would probably get the E10 on the 80ohm headphones then. Will there be a difference in sound quality between the 80 and 250 ohm versions?

[MayflowerElectronics]

Hmm okay. So I think I would probably get the E10 on the 80ohm headphones then. Will there be a difference in sound quality between the 80 and 250 ohm versions?

 

Yes there will be. By how much I can't tell you, because there's no need for me to have both the 80 ohm and 250 ohm.

[Tyranade]

Yes there will be. By how much I can't tell you, because there's no need for me to have both the 80 ohm and 250 ohm.

 

I can't seem to find the DT990 80ohm version on Amazon I can only find the DT770 80ohm version.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379725739&sr=1-7&keywords=DT990

 

EDIT: Screw it I'm gunna buy the 250 ohm headphones and that DAC you said I should get.

[MayflowerElectronics]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379725928&sr=1-7&keywords=DT990 - 80 ohm

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT990-PRO-Headset-250/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379725928&sr=1-1&keywords=DT990 - 250 ohm

[ShearMe]

Oh okay. What about the Fiio Olympus E10? Would that be able to do the job?

 

Hmm okay. So I think I would probably get the E10 on the 80ohm headphones then. Will there be a difference in sound quality between the 80 and 250 ohm versions?

 

The E10 would do the job, for both.  :rolleyes:

 

The is a difference in sound between the different versions, but if it's noticeable at all it'll be a matter of preference. They'll both sound like Beyerdynamics.

 

[Tyranade]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379725928&sr=1-7&keywords=DT990 - 80 ohm

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT990-PRO-Headset-250/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379725928&sr=1-1&keywords=DT990 - 250 ohm

 

I can't seem to find a site in the UK that sells that DAC you said to get for the 250 ohm version.

 

The E10 would do the job, for both.  :rolleyes:

 

The is a difference in sound between the different versions, but if it's noticeable at all it'll be a matter of preference. They'll both sound like Beyerdynamics.

 

 

Wait so I can get the E10 and Power the 250 ohm headphones with it?

[MayflowerElectronics]

I can't seem to find a site in the UK that sells that DAC you said to get for the 250 ohm version.

 

 

Wait so I can get the E10 and Power the 250 ohm headphones with it?

 

Don't know if anyone sells the o2 in UK, we ship internationally though.

 

http://www.mayflowerelectronics.com/products.html

[Tyranade]

Thanks for the help guys. I think I know what I am going to buy. I should hopefully be ordering the Headphones and DAC next month.

[Godlygamer23]

Not to come off as an ass, but read the FAQ at the top of the audio forum, it will tell you why sound cards are bad, and it will have a few recommendations for external solutions.

The FAQ do not state sound cards are a bad idea at all.

[MayflowerElectronics]

I have a low impedance headset. People tell me that onboard audio is terrible and a dedicated soundcard will improve my audio experience. How much will it really improve?

 

 

Click for Answer 

The short answer is, not very much, unfortunately. 90% of the time, onboard audio chipsets like the Realtek ALC889 are actually more suitable for your favorite gaming headset than fancy add-on cards. WHY?!? The long answer is much more complicated. First of all, most -- if not all -- gaming headsets have a low impedance and a high efficiency, meaning that driving them does NOT take special amplification. While you could certainly plug your headset into a Xonar Essence STX, for example, and it would get plenty loud, you'd only be able to use about 30% of the volume control before it blows your ears off, and if you ever set it too high by mistake it can even damage your headphones or even worse, your hearing. Basically, it's overkill in most cases for low impedance headphones. Second, and most importantly, as you'll see below the output impedance of most dedicated soundcard amps is relatively high, in the Essence STX's case it's 10 Ohms as opposed to the Realtek ALC889's 2 Ohms. That's around 1.6 db of extra distortion, and is AUDIBLY detrimental to the fidelity of your audio. Please take pause before you write off the onboard you already have as inherently worse than a dedicated card which could cost you a lot of extra money. A lack of power is the main issue with onboard chipsets such as the Realtek chips, and higher impedance headphones will be hard to drive with these chips. There are lots of other issues with the quality of onboard audio solutions, such as drivers, latency, and other software-based issues, but as you've seen from posts on this board, NO SOUNDCARD is immune to these issues. The Xonar Essence STX for example, is NOT a true pci-e device, but a pci to pci-e bridge card, meaning that a pci bus is attached to the pci-e card and requires exactly an extra 6 ms of latency to transfer the data across that bridge. The Creative driver problems need no introduction. If you really want hassle free sound, your best bet is a class 1 usb audio device like the O2+ODAC or FiiO E10. These are driven by windows native drivers and are plug-and-play.

 

 

This is the first post. It doesn't come out and say directly that sound cards are bad word for word, but read a little bit closer.

[ShearMe]

The FAQ do not state sound cards are a bad idea at all.

 

Depends on how you read it. 

 

 

 

I have a low impedance headset. People tell me that onboard audio is terrible and a dedicated soundcard will improve my audio experience. How much will it really improve?

 

The short answer is, not very much, unfortunately. 90% of the time, onboard audio chipsets like the Realtek ALC889 are actually more suitable for your favorite gaming headset than fancy add-on cards. WHY?!? The long answer is much more complicated. First of all, most -- if not all -- gaming headsets have a low impedance and a high efficiency, meaning that driving them does NOT take special amplification. While you could certainly plug your headset into a Xonar Essence STX, for example, and it would get plenty loud, you'd only be able to use about 30% of the volume control before it blows your ears off, and if you ever set it too high by mistake it can even damage your headphones or even worse, your hearing. Basically, it's overkill in most cases for low impedance headphones. Second, and most importantly, as you'll see below the output impedance of most dedicated soundcard amps is relatively high, in the Essence STX's case it's 10 Ohms as opposed to the Realtek ALC889's 2 Ohms. That's around 1.6 db of extra distortion, and is AUDIBLY detrimental to the fidelity of your audio. Please take pause before you write off the onboard you already have as inherently worse than a dedicated card which could cost you a lot of extra money. A lack of power is the main issue with onboard chipsets such as the Realtek chips, and higher impedance headphones will be hard to drive with these chips. There are lots of other issues with the quality of onboard audio solutions, such as drivers, latency, and other software-based issues, but as you've seen from posts on this board, NO SOUNDCARD is immune to these issues. The Xonar Essence STX for example, is NOT a true pci-e device, but a pci to pci-e bridge card, meaning that a pci bus is attached to the pci-e card and requires exactly an extra 6 ms of latency to transfer the data across that bridge. The Creative driver problems need no introduction. If you really want hassle free sound, your best bet is a class 1 usb audio device like the O2+ODAC or FiiO E10. These are driven by windows native drivers and are plug-and-play.

[Godlygamer23]

I've read that part many times. I still do not get the idea that sound cards are a bad thing. Also, Creative driver problems are mostly gone with the newer cards released.

[Tyranade]

I just found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008J26ZL4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A239IQQWTRS75Q Would that be suitable for 250 ohm headphones? It says up to 600 ohm so I am a bit worried that is too powerful.

[ShearMe]

It basically says that for low impedance headphones (ie, most headphones) on board is just as good, if not better.

[ShearMe]

I just found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008J26ZL4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A239IQQWTRS75Q Would that be suitable for 250 ohm headphones?

 

You need an E7k or E17 DAC if you want a full solution, and at that price you might as well just get something nicer.