Looking for a headphone amp

[CarlosG]

Hey guys!!! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and i just bought an ATH-M50X and really liking it. I have a small dilemma that i think that might be hopefully solved by people that have better experience in this area. My headphone wires keep getting in the way because they have to be hooked up to the front of my build to get the best quality out of it(because the back of my motherboard is set up for 7.1 surround). So I sit here wondering; would i be better off getting a headphone amp or should i get a sound card or something in between? also could you recommend some?

[Mr. Tsao]

7 minutes ago, CarlosG said:

Hey guys!!! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and i just bought an ATH-M50X and really liking it. I have a small dilemma that i think that might be hopefully solved by people that have better experience in this area. My headphone wires keep getting in the way because they have to be hooked up to the front of my build to get the best quality out of it(because the back of my motherboard is set up for 7.1 surround). So I sit here wondering; would i be better off getting a headphone amp or should i get a sound card or something in between? also could you recommend some?

An external amp would be better than a sound card. Onboard motherboard audio is generally as good as discrete soundcards

[CarlosG]

1 minute ago, Mr. Tsao said:

An external amp would be better than a sound card. Onboard motherboard audio is generally as good as discrete soundcards

Awsome!! is there an amp that you would recommend??

[Mr. Tsao]

11 hours ago, CarlosG said:

Awsome!! is there an amp that you would recommend??

It's dependent on your budget, but this one looks pretty good for the price. You might still want to do a little research and shopping around though.

 

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1467131093&sr=8-6&keywords=headphone+amp

[Dackzy]

there is some recommendations there.

[rhyseyness]

I use a FiiO E10K so I can output to my headphones and home cinema at the same time.

Build quality is good and it does a good job of amplifying my headphones, without colouring the sound (I have ATH-M50's)
Highly recommend it

Hope this helps.

NOTE: I bought this before reading Dackzy's guide, and would probably get something off of there instead- if I was buying a new headphone amp today.