DAC + amp or this soundcard?

[zindan]

Headphones - Beyerdynamic dt 990 - https://www.4sound.se/dj/tillbehor/horlurar/beyerdynamic-dt-990-pro-250-ohm

So, this soundcard: ASUS Strix Raid Pro - https://www.netonnet.se/art/datorkomponenter/ljudkort/internt-ljudkort/asus-strix-raid-pro/245216.9000/

OR

This amp:ART HeadAmp4 - https://www.4sound.se/studio/signalprocessorer/studiokontroller-/art-headamp4

+ Some DAC 


I am a gamer, I am not a music producer or something like that. I will only game and listen to music. What do you guys think?

THANK YOU IF YOU REPLY!
 

[EsaT]

100 ohm output impedance of that Asus is horrible:

https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/amp/asus-strix-raid-pro.php#rw3

I can't understand why Asus copied that crap feature from one line of Xonars.

(to prove that big money hyped gaming brand means mediocre product?)

 

While 250 ohm Beyers would have OK damping factor it wouldn't be good either.

And that output impedance would just crap damping factor with fashionable low impedance headphones if you ever got other:

Ideally output impedance should be at most 1/8th of headphone impedance.

 

And that Art Headamp isn't either any good with 47 ohm output impedance

http://artproaudio.com/headphone_amps/product/headamp_4/

 

Sound BlasterX AE-5 would have proper output with 1 ohm output impedance and top level DAC.

https://www.pricerunner.se/pl/48-4235300/Ljudkort/Creative-BlasterX-AE-5-priser

https://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?p=4426969

[zindan]

13 hours ago, EsaT said:

100 ohm output impedance of that Asus is horrible:

https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/amp/asus-strix-raid-pro.php#rw3

I can't understand why Asus copied that crap feature from one line of Xonars.

(to prove that big money hyped gaming brand means mediocre product?)

 

While 250 ohm Beyers would have OK damping factor it wouldn't be good either.

And that output impedance would just crap damping factor with fashionable low impedance headphones if you ever got other:

Ideally output impedance should be at most 1/8th of headphone impedance.

 

And that Art Headamp isn't either any good with 47 ohm output impedance

http://artproaudio.com/headphone_amps/product/headamp_4/

 

Sound BlasterX AE-5 would have proper output with 1 ohm output impedance and top level DAC.

https://www.pricerunner.se/pl/48-4235300/Ljudkort/Creative-BlasterX-AE-5-priser

https://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?p=4426969

so I should get that blaster soundcarD? are you sure man, please don't trick me into buying some crappy shit.

[Max_Settings]

First off get the DT800, they are better than the DT990. And get something like the Schiit Fulla 2.

[zindan]

11 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

First off get the DT800, they are better than the DT990. And get something like the Schiit Fulla 2.

In what way are they better?

[Max_Settings]

2 hours ago, zindan said:

In what way are they better?

DT990 has too much treble and is painful to listen to.

[zindan]

41 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

DT990 has too much treble and is painful to listen to.

treble? What is treble?

[Max_Settings]

5 hours ago, zindan said:

treble? What is treble?

Things like string instruments, the highs.

[EsaT]

On 7/22/2018 at 2:07 PM, zindan said:

so I should get that blaster soundcarD? are you sure man, please don't trick me into buying some crappy shit.

It's that "audiophile" stuff which has all kinds of expensive no real purpose snake oils.

Those fashionable tube amplifiers, claimed to sound good by some, are actually just more inaccurate in their signal reproduction than semiconductors.

And even some of big brand "audiophile" amplifiers also have high output impedances, which are total BS for accurate signal.

Anyway getting accurate enough analog signal doesn't need any special components:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733-19.html
 

And for gaming use other features/things than that technical signal conversion from digital to analog come into play.

Human hears in 3D with two channels, because head and outer ears cause direction dependant changes to signal received by ears from sound source.

Binaural sound recorded with mics in ears of dummy head gives very real feeling immersion with good headphones.

Those binaural cues can be simulated also mathematically (using same average head shape) which is something most sound cards have had for decade.

While lacked by fashionable "DACs".

 

Without that you don't get much immersion from most games.

Only very few games (like CS:GO and Overwatch) have actual sound settings for producing binaural signal for headphones.

And when ever games see Windows using stereo/2.0 output configuration, they think you're using speakers and produce speaker mix.

Which doesn't even give proper smooth left-right directionality with headphones, but only artificial "sound inside left or right ear or in center of head" feel.

Because without binaural cues brain just can't position sounds elsewhere.

 

 

20 hours ago, zindan said:

treble? What is treble?

DT990's treble is nothing little adjustment of equalizer's 8kHz band doesn't change.

Anyway it's safer to tone something down than for example try to boost bass: There's no risk of signal clipping.

[Drake Mallard]

1 hour ago, EsaT said:

It's that "audiophile" stuff which has all kinds of expensive no real purpose snake oils.

Those fashionable tube amplifiers, claimed to sound good by some, are actually just more inaccurate in their signal reproduction than semiconductors.

And even some of big brand "audiophile" amplifiers also have high output impedances, which are total BS for accurate signal.

Anyway getting accurate enough analog signal doesn't need any special components:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733-19.html
 

What the actual hell are you talking about? Of course Tube Amplifiers are inaccurate they create distortion; but they create specific distortions and sound that people find compliment the sound of their headphones and speakers. As for the "audiophile stuff" dacs and amps which YOU sometimes call "fashion dacs" most do more than just amplifying the sound. Some add clarity, highs, soundstage, and/or lowend. Have you actually own anything besides the Soundblaster AE5 that you keep promoting so much? I don't don't mind you recommending the AE5 but please don't go around spreading misinformation just so people will buy what you own instead.

[EsaT]

3 minutes ago, Drake Mallard said:

What the actual hell are you talking about? Of course Tube Amplifiers are inaccurate they create distortion; but they create specific distortions and sound that people find compliment the sound of their headphones and speakers.  As for the "audiophile stuff" dacs and amps which YOU sometimes call "fashion dacs" most do more than just amplifying the sound. Some add clarity, highs, soundstage, and/or lowend. Have you actually own anything besides the Soundblaster AE5 that you keep promoting so much?

And how much of that has been proven in scientifically valid testing?

Any sighted testing is always biased by psychological factors, like expectation bias.

While human hearing doesn't even know what's the accurate signal, because of being anything else than absolute measuring instrument.

So that actual accuracy of sound is down to technical measurements of frequency response etc.

Again if we give up goal of having as much of signal chain as possible neutral, why should some certain sound signature be automatically better than other?