External Amp or onboard sound card

[creekcastles84]

hi, i recently bought myself Sennheiser HD6's, which i want to get full potential of sound out of. i am at my computer all day everyday as a designer of many trades, so i listen to heaps of music while I'm doing my work. i currently only have the onboard audio of Realtek 6.0.1.8142, which i know isn't going to do my headphones any justice. so i am wondering, internal or external amp. i have a Dell XPS 15 desktop running the i7-7700 and GTX 1070 with very few PCI-e lanes being mainly x4 and x1 (which is a pain as i was hoping to add another graphics card while still maintaining a warranty over the whole PC while i burn it to the ground.) any ideas on the best way to get the most out of my headphones while keeping the cost to hopefully a minimum. 

 

thanks

[grimreeper132]

I am no audiophile etc. but from what I hear external amps give you the better sound quality over a sound card, so get it. The sound card on your PC is normally pretty decent you only really need one unless it is one of the only improvements you can do, or you get an extreamly good one (which I imagine will cost a pretty penny)

[3 Minute Reviewer]

100% get the external. The ability to use it with different gear and usually not having to worry about software is awesome. Check out the Fulla 2 as a good budget entry for a DAC/Amp unit.