Computer Audio + Headphones

[veganbond]

Hi,

I have recently bought nice pair of headphone Z55 Samson.  They Sound awesome however

I noticed that the headphones sounds better on my PS4\Razer Blade laptop then on the pc. On pc I can hear all the dynamic range but something feel tired in the overall sound

I cant really describe it better its like its pitched down 0.001% especially when i listen to music.

I never taught in the direction of getting a DAC or AMP or even get a normal sound card and not the realtekHD 

But now maybe i do need? 

I also have 27$ spare to spend in BH as store credits. 

i thought getting a entry level DAC\Amp\Sound card up to 50$

But i have no idea what the best option....... I am leaning toward external other then card 

just because it will let me use it at the office as well as my home computer.

 

Happy to be enlighten in anyway

 

Thanks 

 

Main PC specs.

I have on my mother board. 

I have a gaming GIGABYTE mother with these specs:

GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz Memory: 16 GB RAM (15.95 GB RAM usable).

 

 

[Himommies]

3 minutes ago, veganbond said:

i thought getting a entry level DAC\Amp\Sound card up to 50$

not reccomended

 

[Frankenburger]

Even though most people say "onboard audio is good enough" nowadays, IMHO if you want a pair of headphones, you probably won't get the most out of a gaming grade or audiophile grade headset unless you're using a dedicated sound card.

 

The Asus Xonar DGX is right in your price range and should drive your Z55's without any issue.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK

[veganbond]

13 minutes ago, Frankenburger said:

Even though most people say "onboard audio is good enough" nowadays, IMHO if you want a pair of headphones, you probably won't get the most out of a gaming grade or audiophile grade headset unless you're using a dedicated sound card.

 

The Asus Xonar DGX is right in your price range and should drive your Z55's without any issue.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK

Wow thanks that looks like it. 

However i stumbled upon this 

ASUS Xonar U3 Mobile Headphone Amp USB Sound Card will that be equivalent  to Asus Xonar DGX

 

Again Thanks,

[Frankenburger]

4 minutes ago, veganbond said:

Wow thanks that looks like it. 

However i stumbled upon this 

ASUS Xonar U3 Mobile Headphone Amp USB Sound Card will that be equivalent  to Asus Xonar DGX

 

Again Thanks,

The U3 gives you the advantage of being able to use it with your laptop, but you're sacrificing 96KHz and 24bit sound. The Xonar DGX will sound better, though whether or not you can perceive the difference will both depend on your subjective person and the quality of your headsets. If you're satisfied with how your Z55's perform on your laptop, then I'd go with the DGX. But if you wanted to use the U3 for a little extra oomph with your laptop when you're gaming on the go, then I doubt you'll be disappointed with it.

[veganbond]

Thanks for the elaborate answers! 

Is there a USB device that can output 96/24 bit or that is t a huge jump in price range? 

 

But yeah I am leaning towards the dgx also will it hook to the case front mic audio jack?

 

[manikyath]

1 hour ago, Frankenburger said:

IMHO if you want a pair of headphones, you probably won't get the most out of a gaming grade or audiophile grade headset unless you're using a dedicated sound card.

IMHO, the amount of money spent (and potential problems, lots of offerings tend to suffer from buzzing issues) is not worth the little gain you get.

 

to match something audiophile grade.. maybe. to match something thats beyond build quality not really special in any way.. you're spending money in the wrong places. Besides, in the price bracket OP is talking, anything you'll find is literally on-par or worse than a modern on-board solution.

[Frankenburger]

6 minutes ago, manikyath said:

Besides, in the price bracket OP is talking, anything you'll find is literally on-par or worse than a modern on-board solution.

I disagree. My Sound Blaster Play 3 is heaps better than my desktop's integrated sound, and in a completely different league to my laptop's integrated sound while only costing me $24. No buzzing, no feedback, no popping. Drives my old Sennheiser HD650 and current Cloud Revolver beautifully.

[kokakolia]

59 minutes ago, Frankenburger said:

I disagree. My Sound Blaster Play 3 is heaps better than my desktop's integrated sound, and in a completely different league to my laptop's integrated sound while only costing me $24. No buzzing, no feedback, no popping. Drives my old Sennheiser HD650 and current Cloud Revolver beautifully.

Yeah...some laptops (I am looking at you! Dell) come with really poor sound cards. So a decent sub $100 external DAC makes a world of difference! However, I'd say that my MSI B150m Bazooka has good enough sound and I don't see myself needing an external DAC. So it depends... At the very least, you're guaranteed to have good sound with something like a Fiio K1 or Audioquest Dragonfly. But you're not guaranteed a clear upgrade over a phone/desktop/laptop with a good built-in DAC. 

[Frankenburger]

31 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

Yeah...some laptops (I am looking at you! Dell) come with really poor sound cards. So a decent sub $100 external DAC makes a world of difference! However, I'd say that my MSI B150m Bazooka has good enough sound and I don't see myself needing an external DAC. So it depends... At the very least, you're guaranteed to have good sound with something like a Fiio K1 or Audioquest Dragonfly. But you're not guaranteed a clear upgrade over a phone/desktop/laptop with a good built-in DAC. 

Yep. Onboard audio is hit or miss. Most laptops don't have much in the way of high impedance, which is why a USB sound card is a good go-to. My Cloud Revolvers are only 30 ohms, and plugged directly into the laptop the sound is extremely weak and bass is lackluster.

[Spuriae]

Which motherboard? Front or rear headphone jack?

[kokakolia]

1 hour ago, Nimrodor said:

Which motherboard? Front or rear headphone jack?

Always rear

[Spuriae]

4 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

Always rear

Depends on the mobo. Front is usually better amped.

[veganbond]

http://www.gigabyte.us/Motherboard/GA-Z170XP-SLI-rev-10#ov

 

thats the mother board i got, i connect my headphone to the front... is that affecting the performance?

[veganbond]

WOW Connecting the headphone to the back port made a day to night difference!! its crazy that mother board has and amp and dac! 24/192 lol but only thro the back ports.

 

Thanks for the enlightenment! that is kinda crazy the difference.

 

now this is on a different par from the razer and ps4! lol its so crisp and punchy and clear in remarkable 

 

again thanks.  

[Hiya!]

3 hours ago, Nimrodor said:

Depends on the mobo. Front is usually better amped.

How?

[Spuriae]

28 minutes ago, Hiya! said:

How?

The audio codec has a line out and (differential!) amplified output. One goes to the front, one goes to the back. On slightly fancier boards one of the two (usually line out) will have an additional amplification stage, making it the better output. On very fancy motherboards the codec is used as an I2S interface for an additional DAC and both outputs are usually amplified.

 

In most cases the better amplified output (whichever it happens to be) is used for the front, but sounds like it wasn't for this particular board.

[Tz000]

SMSL M3 or FX Audio Dac X6

 

Both sub 100.00$ entry level USB DAC+AMP combos will drive nearly any headphone and both sound great for the price you pay.  If you have a bigger budget check out some of the other options here:

 

 

[veganbond]

thanks for the breakdown !