AthlonXP
Fully [H]
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2001
- Messages
- 20,588
I want to keep using my current headphones/mic setup (Sennheiser PC360) and wanted to know which sound card/DAC should I look to get? Want good overall gaming sound and audio.
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How was the o2 amp dac combo a waste of money?
And don't listen to the audiophiles that might lurk here, DAC's and solid state amps are no different in sound quality (not sure about the tube amps, never tried one), all the quality differences they hear are just mismatched volume levels and placebo. My o2/odac combo was a complete waste of money. I wish I had gotten the LCD2's with the money I could save on the dac/amp.
The 02 amp and dac goes for about $275.00
It's the best for the price and it can power 99% of all head phones. The sound quality rivals hi end dacs and amps that are thousand dollars.
The 02 amp and dac goes for about $275.00
It's the best for the price and it can power 99% of all head phones. The sound quality rivals hi end dacs and amps that are thousand dollars.
The Amp on most sound cards cannot power alot of the higher ohm head phones correctly. Look at the specs and compare
The Amp on most sound cards cannot power alot of the higher ohm head phones correctly. Look at the specs and compare
The Amp on most sound cards cannot power alot of the higher ohm head phones correctly. Look at the specs and compare
For example? For now we know exactly that hd650's can be powered by just about anything that has resonable headphone out including some laptops, of course if the audiochip implementation is decent, without noise.
Cambridge DAC Magic 100.
What made you pic that over NAD, Audioengine and the billion other options? I'm not criticizing your purchase, but I am curious since it is very hard to find reviews from people who have tested many options as well as make a definitive recommendation.
Not sure why devices like these have 2 coaxial inputs and only 1 toslink/optical...not multi-console owner friendly.
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@ the OP. I had a pair of PC 360's for two weeks paired with both an SBZ and Denon 1713 receiver, both of which are wasted on such an overpriced, bass-less pair of headphones. The PC 360's are like the Razer Krakens (extremely bassy) reverse-twin, but cost >3x more. The SBZ is the only product worth buying due to the low price.
I use AKG K712's with my receiver (it doesn't add any lag; tested with the Leo Bodnar device) and have a Stax SRM-1/MK2 headphone+amp combo (it was free).
I literally just picked a random DAC.
And I can't tell the damn difference.
Any newer realtek sound chip found in any decent mobo will suffice, unless you hear the static noise from your pc components.
If you want perceivable audio improvements you should spend your money on better headphones.
I would recommend getting hd650's, these are incredible cans, with a bit of warmth to the sound but detailed as well. Just attach your mic to them somehow.
However, for gaming you might as well consider something with larger soundstage, for example akg q701.
And don't listen to the audiophiles that might lurk here, DAC's and solid state amps are no different in sound quality (not sure about the tube amps, never tried one), all the quality differences they hear are just mismatched volume levels and placebo. My o2/odac combo was a complete waste of money. I wish I had gotten the LCD2's with the money I could save on the dac/amp.
I have to agree with this. Sound cards, external DACs, and solid state amps are a waste of money in most cases, unless you're picking up EMI or your speakers or headphones aren't getting loud enough. If you're running a modern enthusiast desktop board with something like the Realtek ALC1150, they will not sound any better than your onboard. A tube amp might be worthwhile, but only if you like the way tube amps sound. They introduce distortion, but it's distortion that many people find pleasing. If you want better sound quality, get better headphones or speakers. It's really as simple as that. The soundcard and DAC industry is mostly a lot of snake oil salesmanship to get people to pay far too much for something they probably don't need.
I think tap water vs bottled water is a good comparison. The US has some of the cleanest tap water on the planet and you already pay for it through your taxes. People buy expensive bottled water and think it tastes better, but it's mostly placebo, and that Placebo effect correlates directly with how expensive the water is. In fact tap water is often cleaner than bottled water. On Penn and Teller Bullshit, they gave people tap water from a garden hose, but made them think it was expensive imported water and served it in an upscale restaurant. People thought it tasted significantly better than tap water.
You're already paying for a good DAC/Amp when you buy your enthusiast level motherboard that's going to sound just as good as a sound card or external DAC. The sound cards and DACs might have fancy marketing or look cool, but they won't sound any better. It's all placebo. You may as well just use what you already paid for when you bought your motherboard.
The only reason to buy a soundcard or DAC/Amp is if you are picking up EMI or something isn't getting loud enough. That's it. And even then, don't overspend because they all sound pretty much the same. As far as the guy above me, it sounds like the Fiio DAC/Amp was probably a necessary purchase, but you are describing the Schiit stack mostly in terms of how it made you feel, which is typical of someone describing placebo effect.
And actually just returning your motherboard and getting something else if the onboard sound is picking up EMI is probably a wiser and cheaper course of action.
The only reason to buy a soundcard or DAC/Amp is if you are picking up EMI or something isn't getting loud enough. That's it. And even then, don't overspend because they all sound pretty much the same. As far as the guy above me, it sounds like the Fiio DAC/Amp was probably a necessary purchase, but you are describing the Schiit stack mostly in terms of how it made you feel, which is typical of someone describing placebo effect.
And actually just returning your motherboard and getting something else if the onboard sound is picking up EMI is probably a wiser and cheaper course of action.
Don't bother trying that NAD. No matter what you try, when you find that there are no differences, he's going to blame it on you or tell you to buy another thing instead. It's on him to prove the difference. You can tell when people really have no idea what they're talking about when they not only pretend that there is a difference but also that the difference is very significant. He didn't use the phrase "night and day difference" so he is far from the worst offender, but most golden ears use that phrase.
I've owned NAD receivers, the T761 and T753. Never in my life have I heard a headphone output with as much hiss as those things. I'm sure the purpose-oriented products from them will be better in that regard, but you're still not going to hear a difference otherwise. Both receivers had a lot of hiss on the regular speaker outputs. I got more hiss out of those receivers on my ~85dB 1W/1m speakers than I have out of any headphone setup I've had. Again, this is probably not the case for their headphone-specific stuff, or at least I hope not. That stuff is probably just fine. But it won't be an improvement. I also hear that newer receivers than the T7x3 series improve on this.
That said, they were both pretty nice receivers otherwise. The hiss wasn't too bad with speakers at least.
Its really tedious the everything sounds the same argument tbh... either you cannot hear properly or you have not actually used various dacs / amps... They don't sound exactly the same... I could list all the characteristics of all the dacs I have used then look online and see people saying exactly the same thing... Maybe everyone is having the same placebo effect???? ... anyway biggest difference is the headphones so spend most of your money on that and try a dac later...