Headphone amp , for gaming rig.

Why did you buy those particular headphones? They are not exactly what you want for gaming unless you really need them to block out noise. Anyway, they are meant for portable use so any decent sound card would do very well with them. Using an amp = onboard would not sound as good. You would need a dac and an amp. Like the Fioo E17 for example.

I would consider returning those headphones for something like a Sennheiser 598 and a Creative Z sound card for optimal sound.
 
you should look at the Schiit Modi / Magni (dac and headphone amp respectively) these have been getting high praise they are made in America and cost $99 each.

i have a FiiO E9 /E07K combo which is fine but i'd have bought the Schiit Modi / Magni if it had been released at the time if i had it to do over again.


as for you headphone choice ..can't say don't know anything about those polks I like polk's speakers and all but haven't listened to their headphones at all.


I use Audio Technia ATH-M50 headphones for my gaming and they are just fantastic... i love them.
 
oh for gaming... ummm if it just for games than the other poster might well be right that you might want to look at creative sound cards .... i personally can't stand creative and have been f*cked over by their drivers enough times to not want anything to do with them.

I use my E07K / E9 (dac + headphone amp) combo for gaming and I have no complaints with gaming sound

before i was using a $14 Asus Xonar DG which also was just fine for me in games ..but i may not be as picky as some about gaming audio... I think I am more picky about music audio than games.
 
40mm drivers with 32ohm impedence and Frequency Response of 8Hz - 28kHz is not for hardcore gaming, i say cancel the order.

they are portable headphones for laptops, phones, ipod like devices, etc.
 
My rig has six 140mm case fans and two 120 mm cpu fans in a push pull water cooling config. That and with with the two evga gtx 680 classified's in sli, it sounds like a jet.....


Plus I got the headphones at 50% off...
 
lundrog said:
My rig has six 140mm case fans and two 120 mm cpu fans in a push pull water cooling config. That and with with the two evga gtx 680 classified's in sli, it sounds like a jet.....


Plus I got the headphones at 50% off...
Click to expand...

Ah ok. They might be ok. I have no idea but suspect that they don't have a big sound stage. Look music oriented aka beats so I am pretty sure they will be a bit cramped sounding for games.

For BF3, you need the sound stage to be large. Otherwise it is all cramped and good luck hearing where the fire is coming from. So then your pc is noisy huh? Ok then. Good sealing closed gaming headphones are rare but the Beyerdynamic DT770 does well in that regard around $150-200. I would also consider a sound card if you have room or a little usb dac/amp if not.

My pc is a bit noisy too but I can't really tell when playing bf3 and I have the Senn 558 which is essentially the 598 after I modded it a bit. They are open but so loud and clean, you can't hear shit else.
 
my i5-2500K @ 4.3Ghz with two Gelid Silent 12PWM fans in push pull w/ hyper 212+ plus 2x Gelid silent 12 1K rpm case fans and a Sapphire HD7950 w/ 2x 120mm fans is near silent at idle and not very loud at all in games.

I love having a near silent most of the time rig certainly i have no idea how anyone puts up with a noisy pc anymore honestly....

i am gaming at 1080P so my rig's performance is excellent and the low noise is even better.
 
i'm working on trying to hit 4.9 ghz stable.... ha.

Here are the reviews I used when looking at the headphones..

http://www.gadgetreview.com/tag/polk-ultrafocus-8000
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413017,00.asp
http://gamingnexus.com/Article/Polk-Audio-UltraFocus-8000-Headphones/Item3752.aspx
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Polk-Audio-UltraFocus-8000-Headphones-Review.shtml
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparative-review-high-end-noise-canceling-headphones-page-3

I have a little room in my case, but not alot, thats why I was thinking amp/dac.

Photo%20Jan%2011%2C%203%2049%2041%20PM-XL.jpg


Bottem, line, I want to get the best sound out of these headphones.

I have looked at the FiiO E9 /E07K products, and worried about having to charge the device every day..

What about the Audioengine D1 24-Bit Digital to Analog Converter?

even this looks interesting, but expensive... NuForce Icon HDP High Performance Headphone Amp, DAC and Pre amplifier
 
lundrog said:
i'm working on trying to hit 4.9 ghz stable.... ha.

I have a little room in my case, but not alot, thats why I was thinking amp/dac.


Bottem, line, I want to get the best sound out of these headphones.

I have looked at the FiiO E9 /E07K products, and worried about having to charge the device every day..

What about the Audioengine D1 24-Bit Digital to Analog Converter?

even this looks interesting, but expensive... NuForce Icon HDP High Performance Headphone Amp, DAC and Pre amplifier
Click to expand...


yeah... i don't know how i feel about having the E07K charging all the dang time... at the time i got the E9 it was all i could afford (at $80~) for the headphone amp..except some stuff on ebay ... I added the E07K cause I already had the E9 .... it is working good but if i had it to do again right now

I'd without a doubt get the schiit Modi/Magni.... but the NuForce is good as it the Audioengine D1 there are some other pretty well reviewed things out there.

such as this

Audinst HUD-mx1

http://www.amazon.com/Audinst-HUD-m...UTF8&qid=1358387538&sr=8-124&keywords=usb+dac

i've heard good stuff about that one.

there are a other options like the Maverick Audio D1 / D2
 
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atarione said:
yeah... i don't know how i feel about having the E07K charging all the dang time... at the time i got the E9 it was all i could afford (at $80~) for the headphone amp..except some stuff on ebay ... I added the E07K cause I already had the E9 .... it is working good but if i had it to do again right now

I'd without a doubt get the schiit Modi/Magni.... but the NuForce is good as it the Audioengine D1 there are some other pretty well reviewed things out there.

such as this

Audinst HUD-mx1

http://www.amazon.com/Audinst-HUD-m...UTF8&qid=1358387538&sr=8-124&keywords=usb+dac

i've heard good stuff about that one.

there are a other options like the Maverick Audio D1 / D2
Click to expand...

Link for schiit Modi/Magni?

EDIT, wouldn't I want something that has a optical / digital input?
 
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lundrog said:
My rig has six 140mm case fans and two 120 mm cpu fans in a push pull water cooling config. That and with with the two evga gtx 680 classified's in sli, it sounds like a jet.....


Plus I got the headphones at 50% off...
Click to expand...

Sup forum brother :D

I was going to question your choice in cans in the other thread @ EOCF but I did not want to break your heart, especially since you don't know me that well yet lol.

But I would return them and look for something a bit better. I said better... as in do research... not more expensive.
 
jmilcher said:
Sup forum brother :D

I was going to question your choice in cans in the other thread @ EOCF but I did not want to break your heart, especially since you don't know me that well yet lol.

But I would return them and look for something a bit better. I said better... as in do research... not more expensive.
Click to expand...

I have four ipads, and three iphones in this house, so I figured the value can always be for those devices. I can always apply this amp / dec to a different headphone.
 
At 32 ohm the best sound is going to be un-amped. Amps do not increase sound quality, they increase gain.

Measurements

But then Tyll says they aren't very good at noise cancelling in the review you posted:
Here

The headphones you bought are perfectly fine for gaming. As for the question of source -- whatever DAC with toslink and a volume control would be ideal. Audio-GD NDB-12.1 would be a good example of that, but you could also go with a cheap FiiO D3 and a passive volume control such as the SM Pro Audio NanoPatch+ for less total expense. The reason you want a volume control is that if you adjust the volume digitally in your mixer, you're throwing out bits (dynamic range.) Even if the volume control on the DAC is digital, it'll likely do a better job than the Windows mixer, and may even pad up by design to account for that loss.
 
Farkle said:
At 32 ohm the best sound is going to be un-amped. Amps do not increase sound quality, they increase gain.

Measurements

But then Tyll says they aren't very good at noise cancelling in the review you posted:
Here

The headphones you bought are perfectly fine for gaming. As for the question of source -- whatever DAC with toslink and a volume control would be ideal. Audio-GD NDB-12.1 would be a good example of that, but you could also go with a cheap FiiO D3 and a passive volume control such as the SM Pro Audio NanoPatch+ for less total expense. The reason you want a volume control is that if you adjust the volume digitally in your mixer, you're throwing out bits (dynamic range.) Even if the volume control on the DAC is digital, it'll likely do a better job than the Windows mixer, and may even pad up by design to account for that loss.
Click to expand...

The Audio-GD NFB-12.1? Do you have a link?
 
Farkle said:
At 32 ohm the best sound is going to be un-amped. Amps do not increase sound quality, they increase gain.

Measurements

But then Tyll says they aren't very good at noise cancelling in the review you posted:
Here

The headphones you bought are perfectly fine for gaming. As for the question of source -- whatever DAC with toslink and a volume control would be ideal. Audio-GD NDB-12.1 would be a good example of that, but you could also go with a cheap FiiO D3 and a passive volume control such as the SM Pro Audio NanoPatch+ for less total expense. The reason you want a volume control is that if you adjust the volume digitally in your mixer, you're throwing out bits (dynamic range.) Even if the volume control on the DAC is digital, it'll likely do a better job than the Windows mixer, and may even pad up by design to account for that loss.
Click to expand...

yes, I was interested in this from that review.

" think of the Ultrafocus 8000 as headphones with a built in amp and a bit of noise canceling thrown in for good measure." more in the video.

So, I assume then these have a built in amp, so I really just need a DAC. wish I could get a FiiO with a external power source.
 
lundrog said:
yes, I was interested in this from that review.

" think of the Ultrafocus 8000 as headphones with a built in amp and a bit of noise canceling thrown in for good measure." more in the video.

So, I assume then these have a built in amp, so I really just need a DAC. wish I could get a FiiO with a external power source.
Click to expand...

FiiO D3 works fine with an external power source. It's their amps that have the no charge while you listen problem.
 
own the combo FiiO E9 /E07K myself and love it, makes my HD595's sounds so much better!
 
lundrog said:
Thoughts on that unit with these headphones?
Click to expand...

I think it's a good budget solution. Is it going to be the best? No. A Sound Blaster Z or Asus Xonar STX would exceed the performance levels (unless of course you have a hidden ground loop.) I don't however think you'll really notice a big difference. There really isn't much to synergy between well implemented DAC and headphones, that goes into the realm of purposeful distortion and psychoacoustics. The D3 is a neutral DAC with solid performance, taking shots at competitors' boutique products of up to around the $100 bracket. As far as the "best" is concerned, look to Lavry, Mytek, Benchmark, Cranesong, Lynx, Weiss, dCS, Grace and Prism. Then come back down to reality that you don't want to spend a grand or more on a source for these headphones :D Just pick something that is well reviewed and not flavor of the month at Head-Fi and you'll be fine.
 
lundrog said:
How does the Audioengine D1 compare?
Click to expand...

Based on reviews (grain of salt), it's going to compare more to:

Arcam rPAC
Schiit Modi
HRT Music Streamer II

I haven't heard the Audioengine D1 so I can't definitively say, but on paper it looks to be a decent enough interface. It'll likely be a little better than the FiiO D3, but at an entry price of $120 more, the law of diminishing returns definitely plays its role here. Is it going to be $120 better? No clue! That all depends on how bad you've been bit by this audio bug. Anecdotally, there are many reviews placing the FiiO E10 at the same audio quality as the Audioengine D1, which still has a price gap between it. I'm not over the moon about the FiiO E10 compared the D3 and a run of the mill banjo depot haggled Presonus HP4 myself. These same subjective reviews also seem to have a fondness for Cambridge DACMagic and AudioQuest DragonFly. I've heard the DACMagic 100 (but not the original DACMagic), and I wasn't overly impressed at the price point -- but had it been $150? I would have been impressed, and would have recommended it to anyone looking for a DAC in that price range. Similarly the DragonFly doesn't sound that much better than a simple Echo Indigo DJ from years past. Seriously, there are just so many well designed options out there, it's hard to go wrong with any modern DAC implementation for playback. This "must have best sound" grass is greener syndrome (or upgraditis) plagues almost all audiophiles, and we like to psyche ourselves out quite a bit that x component sounds better "for the money" to not only justify our purchases, but to also be able to relay and talk down our experiences on the uninitiated. In reality, any well designed modern source components we're using at around the $75-$150 price point perform much better than the speakers and headphones we have available to us at double and sometimes triple that price point. Get a sound card with a decent surround headphone simulation mechanism for that last PCI-E slot, throw whatever DAC and volume control at it that gives you the warm fuzzies to look at, plug the toslink cable in and call it a day, man.
 
Farkle said:
Based on reviews (grain of salt), it's going to compare more to:

Arcam rPAC
Schiit Modi
HRT Music Streamer II

I haven't heard the Audioengine D1 so I can't definitively say, but on paper it looks to be a decent enough interface. It'll likely be a little better than the FiiO D3, but at an entry price of $120 more, the law of diminishing returns definitely plays its role here. Is it going to be $120 better? No clue! That all depends on how bad you've been bit by this audio bug. Anecdotally, there are many reviews placing the FiiO E10 at the same audio quality as the Audioengine D1, which still has a price gap between it. I'm not over the moon about the FiiO E10 compared the D3 and a run of the mill banjo depot haggled Presonus HP4 myself. These same subjective reviews also seem to have a fondness for Cambridge DACMagic and AudioQuest DragonFly. I've heard the DACMagic 100 (but not the original DACMagic), and I wasn't overly impressed at the price point -- but had it been $150? I would have been impressed, and would have recommended it to anyone looking for a DAC in that price range. Similarly the DragonFly doesn't sound that much better than a simple Echo Indigo DJ from years past. Seriously, there are just so many well designed options out there, it's hard to go wrong with any modern DAC implementation for playback. This "must have best sound" grass is greener syndrome (or upgraditis) plagues almost all audiophiles, and we like to psyche ourselves out quite a bit that x component sounds better "for the money" to not only justify our purchases, but to also be able to relay and talk down our experiences on the uninitiated. In reality, any well designed modern source components we're using at around the $75-$150 price point perform much better than the speakers and headphones we have available to us at double and sometimes triple that price point. Get a sound card with a decent surround headphone simulation mechanism for that last PCI-E slot, throw whatever DAC and volume control at it that gives you the warm fuzzies to look at, plug the toslink cable in and call it a day, man.
Click to expand...

With my motherboard, you think I would need a dedicated card and a dac? I was thinking going optical out to the dac..
 
lundrog said:
With my motherboard, you think I would need a dedicated card and a dac? I was thinking going optical out to the dac..
Click to expand...

I only glanced at your motherboard manufacturer link. You have THX TruStudio as a feature, but I'm not sure what type of mix-down you have. On most Creative cards for example, you can go into your windows speaker configuration and set it to 5.1 channels, then plug into the headphone port (or stereo-mix out over toslink/spdif in "Headphone" mode) and it'll mix that down to stereo for you with all of the effects passing through. I'm not concerned about the audio quality of your onboard sound (especially paired with an external DAC, since it'll be all digital), I'm concerned with the features since you're adamant about the best quality gaming audio for your headphones. If it is capable of the surround technologies you need or you don't particularly like how such virtualized matrices sound, by all means use your onboard audio and be happy.
 
Great card though IDK why people are still buying it with the Xonar Phoebus out in the market.

The Phoebus is easily a better card, the STX can be considered rather old nowadays.
 
I recommend the D1. I did a review on it here and continue to feel it was an excellent purchase.
 
johnnydoe said:
Great card though IDK why people are still buying it with the Xonar Phoebus out in the market.

The Phoebus is easily a better card, the STX can be considered rather old nowadays.
Click to expand...

New != better. The Phoebus can easily be considered inferior to the ST(/STX) when sound quality is of the only concern. The ST has the better DAC, rollable op-amps, and high quality components. I would much prefer the X-Fi Titanium HD over the Phoebus.
 
killmenow said:
New != better. The Phoebus can easily be considered inferior to the ST(/STX) when sound quality is of the only concern. The ST has the better DAC, rollable op-amps, and high quality components. I would much prefer the X-Fi Titanium HD over the Phoebus.
Click to expand...

I'm not completely sure how the Phoebus compares to the STX to be honest, since I only checked out it's PCB.

But the Phoebus shits over the Titanium HD. The Titanium HD is full of solid caps thrown across which are NOT suited for audio, where as the Pheobus uses Nichicon Fine-Gold audio caps. Together with film caps for the outputs.

Also, it doesn't have that hot running old X-Fi chip, which nowadays is barely any use.

Titanium HD is nothing more than a decent card. A number of Auzen, Asus and HT Omega cards shit over it.

People like it only because it's not all that expensive and is a "good Creative card".
 
Probably not much benefit in amping those kind of headphones
You're way better off getting a sound card with a decent amount of output power, such as the Titanium HD or the Essence STX (I'd stay away from the Phoebus or Recon3D)

The Essence STX...
Sounds a bit brighter than the HD
Uses Dolby Headphone for headphone surround emulation.
Has a built-in headphone amp (It's nothing to write home about, but "kind of decent")
Drivers are more solid

The Titanium HD...
Sounds a bit warmer than the STX
Uses Creative CMSS-3D for headphone surround emulation
Doesn't have a headphone amp but a very powerful analog out which defeats the need of an amp with most headphones
Can convert DirectSound3D audio libraries to OpenAL for usage with Windows 7 (only cool when you like older games)
Supports EAX (only cool when you like older games)
Drivers can sometimes be a bit iffy when chaning modes or enabling/disabling headphone surround (mostly while OpenAL is in use), they're stable and don't crash though
 
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lundrog said:
Thoughts on that unit with these headphones?
Click to expand...

I have a D3, and the only thing you have to be wary of is the output voltage. I upgraded because the output voltage was not suited to my amp and I had to crank the knob too far right to reach desired output.

Ended up with Schiit Asgard/Bifrost and JDS O2/Odac. I prefer S/PDIF to USB in nearly all applications.
 
Alright, i'm looking at returning the STX. I bought a new motherboard, a Asus P8Z77 WS. I am putting in four Video cards in SLI. Therefore, I will not have any pcie slots to put the card in.

So, I am looking at options again.

For the record, you can REALLY hear the difference without the sound card. The headphones drivers vibrate on your ears with the Xonar STX, I'm talking about base so loud it moves the headphones. without it, even having volume at 100% with loudness on, and bass boost enabled; you can barely hear the base.,
 
lundrog said:
Alright, i'm looking at returning the STX. I bought a new motherboard, a Asus P8Z77 WS. I am putting in four Video cards in SLI. Therefore, I will not have any pcie slots to put the card in.

So, I am looking at options again.

For the record, you can REALLY hear the difference without the sound card. The headphones drivers vibrate on your ears with the Xonar STX, I'm talking about base so loud it moves the headphones. without it, even having volume at 100% with loudness on, and bass boost enabled; you can barely hear the base.,
Click to expand...

base? lol look at your sentence again. sorry pet peeve. especially when you spell it correctly once and wrong twice.

anyway, there is an asus usb dac you can get. plus plenty of other good options. so look into a usb dac/headphone amp.
 
johnnydoe said:
Great card though IDK why people are still buying it with the Xonar Phoebus out in the market.

The Phoebus is easily a better card, the STX can be considered rather old nowadays.
Click to expand...

Phoebus has garbage drivers for Win 8 64. Easily the worst drivers in the current sound card market. I own one and can vouch for their pathetic driver support. I can't even use the XBOX Live Music app that ships with Win 8 64 because the new drivers cause the kernel to block it. I can't even flash my Phoebus to the newest firmware because I'm using an Asus motherboard under Win 8 64.

If you don't believe me check out the ROG forums.
 
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