Headphone amplifier for pc

L

lsdinc

n00b
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
4
Hi All

I listen to a lot of music in work on my computer but the volume and sound quailty is not good enough. Is the a sort of amplifier I can put into sound card that I can just attach headphones too so get a really good sound from?

I have a set of speakers that plugged in and had a line out so was able to use them for amplification but dont have em anymore.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Les
 
Was thinking of getting a usb sound card that can attach cans too. Is attaching to work computers so cant really do internal ones.
 
lsdinc said:
Was thinking of getting a usb sound card that can attach cans too. Is attaching to work computers so cant really do internal ones.
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Not sure about your work, but most places won't allow you to install a new device (drivers, etc) which a USB sound card would require. Just pick up a Fiio E9 or something if you need an amp (there are probably cheaper options also).

lsdinc said:
I doubt it, I have not seen new computers yet as have not started the job :)
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Wait, then how do you know the volume isn't loud enough?
 
Forceman said:
Wait, then how do you know the volume isn't loud enough?
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from experience. All places have worked before have had cruddy sounds. Was not till I had these speakers that i could plug headphones into that I really noticed that have been listening to rubbish the whole time :)
 
I've had my E10 for a few weeks now, first of the 2nd production batch. Reviews put the E10's DAC ahead of the E7's DAC, and even the Nuforce if I remember. I'm using my bass-less Corsair HS1A headset for a couple more weeks, and this tiny little box has made a world of difference already. Zero hiss even at max volume, everything is super clear, no extra noise when my GPUs ramp up, etc. Can't wait to plug in my Christmas cans!
 
The nuforce products have gotten kind of a bad rep as of late. I don't know the specifics, but I've seen people dismiss them in multiple places now. Some stuff about reliability or compatibility or something. Might be worth looking into before you consider anything from them.

I'm having some occasional trouble with my XFi Titanium HD getting fuzzy and staticy. Either changing the mode on the card from audio creation to entertainment or gaming, fixes it, but sometimes only temporarily. If I really want it to go away for a long time I have to do a full reboot, which sort of reeks of driver stupidity. It's a shame because it was working perfectly for a long long time after I bought it. Problems just started cropping up here in the last few weeks.

That said, my DAC shopping led me to the Maverick Audio Tubemagic D1 because I can't find anything else that reviews as well that has all the same features for that kind of price. Plus it's going to fix a lot of weird issues I have with my current setup.
 
ThinJ said:
That said, my DAC shopping led me to the Maverick Audio Tubemagic D1 because I can't find anything else that reviews as well that has all the same features for that kind of price. Plus it's going to fix a lot of weird issues I have with my current setup.
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Surprised to see anyone else mention what I thought was a somewhat underground/niche product. I went through the same ordeal as OP this summer and ended up with the D1 myself. I really didn't want to spend $200 on a DAC, but after so many hours of frustrated research, I realized there simply wasn't anything else that completely fit my needs.

- The E7 has a digital volume control; I really didn't want to reach across my desk and push the little "up" button 15 times every time I wanted to turn up the music. Plus, to get a dedicated line-out for speakers (bypassing the headphone amp) requires purchasing an additional accessory that has mixed reviews.

- The uDac2 switches automatically from line-out to headphone out when you plug in headphones. I wanted to leave my cans plugged in all the time and switch between them and speakers at my leisure.

- There are even cheaper options like the UCA222 with their own sets of compromises.

I've been completely happy with the D1 so far, other than still wishing it had more mainstream, mass-produced competition that might be more affordable. It's a great all-in one solution for headphones, speakers, and even additional inputs (I now have a TV plugged into the S/PDIF input, so I can switch between my PC audio and that using the "source" dial). I can't really speak to the quality of the tube amp output, as I don't use it.

EDIT: The Fiio E10 wasn't out when I did my research... from a quick glance, it almost looks like precisely what I wanted... assuming its line out functions even with the headphones plugged in. Certainly worth checking out before plunking down 2.5x the cash on a D1, unless you need its extra inputs and outputs.
 
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brettjrob said:
EDIT: The Fiio E10 wasn't out when I did my research... from a quick glance, it almost looks like precisely what I wanted... assuming its line out functions even with the headphones plugged in. Certainly worth checking out before plunking down 2.5x the cash on a D1, unless you need its extra inputs and outputs.
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That looks like a really good budget option. It wouldn't work so much for me (I want the multiple inputs) but it would probably work great for a lot of other people. Reviews are extremely positive too.
 
I second, or third, the FiiO E10. I had a chance to play with one and I liked it quite a bit. It will be my next purchase to pair with my laptop.
 
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I use the FiiO 7 and it works pretty nice.
 
ultra said:
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I use the FiiO 7 and it works pretty nice.
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Most reviews that compare the E7 and the E10 lean toward the E10 as being the better quality part. The fact that it's actually about $20 cheaper is just a bonus.
 
I have a dg xonar...is this good enough of a soundcard to go for a amp? I have senn 565's atm with zalman mic.
 
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