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Dac or amp

Cl1362
By Cl1362
in Audio
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3 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

The classic answer here - it depends. What are you going to be using as a source for your audio? I would say for most people the amp would be more important but that is not always the case.

Gaming music on my Sennheiser hd600

 

Suggestions ?

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45 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

What kind of Motherboard are you using? Does it have dedicated audio? How much are you looking to spend?

Asus Crosshair vi hero

From what I see it was amazing on board audio.

But I'm a novice at audio.

Not much 

Under $200 per unit

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Posted

A DAC doesn't work without a amp, but a amp works without a DAC. So what is your budget for a amp.  Oh nvm I saw the budget now. You can maybe get a Asgard 2 used,  which would be really nice.

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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7 minutes ago, JohnT said:

You need both to hear sound from a digital source though

True, but luckily he already has a DAC on his mobo. 

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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8 minutes ago, Cl1362 said:

So a amp would be good enough for now ?

It is the only one of then that can function without having the other one externally. You could go for a modi 2 and magni 2 for 200$ or get a Asgard 2 and then wait for a DAC or wait until you can get a NFB 11.28.

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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26 minutes ago, Cl1362 said:

So a amp would be good enough for now ?

Yeah I would suggest just the Amp for now. A cheap/inexpensive DAC probably wouldn't result in much of an improvement over your onboard audio- I have the Fulla 2 and I didn't notice a difference compared to my MSI M5 onboard audio but did notice a sizeable difference on my work laptop. An amp would definitely help drive those headphones so they can get to a volume that is more enjoyable than barely being able to hear it. You can always buy a DAC later on if you save up some more money.

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5 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

Yeah I would suggest just the Amp for now. A cheap/inexpensive DAC probably wouldn't result in much of an improvement over your onboard audio- I have the Fulla 2 and I didn't notice a difference compared to my MSI M5 onboard audio but did notice a sizeable difference on my work laptop. An amp would definitely help drive those headphones so they can get to a volume that is more enjoyable than barely being able to hear it. You can always buy a DAC later on if you save up some more money.

What amp would you recommend

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7 minutes ago, Cl1362 said:

What amp would you recommend

That is a better question for @Dackzy as I am still fairly new to the audio world as well. However, I would say that Schiit makes some really nice looking, good performance, made in America options. I have the Fulla2 DAC/amp combo from them and I've really enjoyed it so far. They are a pretty good place to start along with anything else that the man tagged has to suggest.

 

Also check out the pinned post at the top of the audio section

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28 minutes ago, Cl1362 said:

What amp would you recommend

Personally I would go for a Schiit Vali 2.

Its a great amp that pairs great with the HD600/HD650

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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8 minutes ago, spwath said:

Personally I would go for a Schiit Vali 2.

Its a great amp that pairs great with the HD600/HD650

How "Tubey" is that amp? I'm interested in getting a tube amp relatively soon and I'm torn between the Vali and Darkvoice for my 6xx's

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12 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

How "Tubey" is that amp? I'm interested in getting a tube amp relatively soon and I'm torn between the Vali and Darkvoice for my 6xx's

  not especially, as its a hybrid

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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