Upgrade question...

[Silvercall]

Hi. First line of business: I know very little about audio and the components.  I have already read through the FAQ but would like more advice if any is possible. I have a question regarding upgrading/changing from a sound card to an DAC/amp.  My current sound card that I have in my PC is a Creative Sound Blaster Fatality Champion that I probably purchased in 2008/2009.  I believe it is this: http://us.store.creative.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-XFi-Titanium-Fatal1ty/M/B001BDPLJA.htm 

I currently own a pair of HD558's and will be getting a a pair of Audioengine 5+ speakers.  

 

My question is what, if any, improvement will I see/hear if I switch out to an external DAC.  I know my headphones probably don't need an AMP, but would I need to get something like this? http://www.mayflowerelectronics.com/desktop-objective2-with-odac.html

 

I mainly play PC games on my PC along with listening to music and the occasional movie or show if the wife is busy in the main TV room.  

 

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

[h264]

>upgrade

 

your magic words have summoned me...

 

First of all, IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE, KEEP IT!  Generally this the first rule of being a sophisticated consumer in any area, but you definitely should observe it with audio, trust me and @ShearMe on this one!

 

Secondly, getting an external DAC won't add any extra features, and your HD558s aren't hard enough to drive to really benefit from an O2+ODAC.  However, one issue you have with that card is a major output impedance mismatch.  To put it in a nutshell, your headphones have an impedance of ~50 Ohms, and your soundcard's headphone out jack is around ~10 Ohms.  The effects of this are most noticable to some than others, but it is definitely an audible lack of bass in most cases, at about 1-2dB difference if you measured it (With some headphones, it's actually the treble that can get rolled off instead, so this isn't always true!).

 

I'd try using your onboard first and see if you think that sounds 1) better 2) worse or 3) about the same.  If it's 2 or 3, don't bother.  If 1, then a FiiO E10 might be a nice thing to have, but those headphones should be fine to drive off your onboard alone, and if it's a Realtek chip it probably DOES NOT have the impedance mismatch issue.

[ShearMe]

You might hear an improvement with those headphone simply because of soundcards' high output impedance. Outside of that, there's usually very little audible difference between sources, especially compared to the difference between two headphones.

 

A nice DAC does provide other benefits: Analog volume control, zero drivers, and because it's outside of the PC case there'll be no EMI.

 

 

Generally this the first rule of being a sophisticated consumer in any area, but you definitely should observe it with audio, trust me and @ShearMe on this one!

 

Woah, how'd you know I'd post before I clicked the button? You truly are a god.

[Silvercall]

@h264 and @ShearMe, Thanks for the quick replies.  I'll try what you recommend and wont be too quick pulling the trigger on a new purchase.  If I did go with the FiiO E10, I would plug my speakers into this unit or into the mobo?  

[ShearMe]

The FiiO E10 has a line out which outputs a signal alongside the front headphone jack, so that's perfect for powered speakers. If you have a fancy system that accepts Coaxial S/PDIF, the FiiO has that too.

[needmorewood]

try your sound card first with the headset and speakers 

 

no point in buying an external dac if u have a sound card that does the job nicely