What's the best way to drive high-end headphones on a gaming console?

[puffthemagicdragon]

What would be the best and most economical way to drive my audiophile-grade headphones on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 console for a novice? Most 'gaming' headsets seem so underwhelming in performance and any that have a mix amp or base station typically have a few presets on the EQ which is why I opted for higher end headphones.

I'd like to get more customization with the sound for each console and game if possible. Would a 7.1 home theater receiver be the best option to drive my headphones? Or would some type of audio interface be more ideal? Perhaps something else? Budget around $140. Any suggestions would be helpful!

 

[jevans64]

I use an Emotiva DC-1 DAC to drive Sennheiser HD-650 cans as well as handling digital and analog audio sources ( using an SP-1 break-out box for 2 or more analog sources + turntable. ) The DC-1 is way out of your price range at $500, but I doubt ANY receiver under that price will be able to drive a decent pair of cans. In order to fully answer your question, we will at least need the make and model of your cans so we can look up the power-handling on them.

The DC-1 headphone amp ( you get two amps ) power-handling are...

• Headphone Amplifier Output Power (from digital sources):
  2.5 VRMS max into 10 Ohms @ < 0.01% THD (625 mW)
  7.1 VRMS max into 47 Ohms @ < 0.02% THD (1070 mW)
  7.26 VRMS max into 100 Ohms @ < 0.02% THD (525 mW)
  7.32 VRMS max into 300 Ohms @ < 0.02% THD (175 mW)
  7.35 VRMS max into 600 Ohms @ < 0.02% THD (90 mW)
• Headphone Amplifier Output Power (from analog input):
  (note: 2.5 VRMS analog input required for full output into 47 ohms or higher)
  2.5 VRMS max into 10 Ohms @ < 0.003% THD (625 mW)
  7.1 VRMS max into 47 Ohms @ < 0.003% THD (1070 mW)
  7.2 VRMS max into 100 Ohms @ < 0.006% THD (510 mW)
  9.23 VRMS max into 300 Ohms @ < 0.004% THD (280 mW)
  9.27 VRMS max into 600 Ohms @ < 0.007% THD (140 mW)

Emotiva does have a regular 2-channel amplifier that can also be used as a headphone amp called the BasX A-100 for $230. Its specs for driving headphones are as follows...

Headphone output power (normal mode):
8 Ohms: 60 mW / channel
33 Ohms: 200 mW / channel
47 Ohms: 250 mW / channel
150 Ohms: 430 mW / channel
300 Ohms: 440 mW / channel
600 Ohms: 350 mW / channel

Headphone output power (direct drive mode):
(requires internal jumper; USE WITH CAUTION)
8 Ohms: 50 watts / channel
33 Ohms: 12 watts / channel
47 Ohms: 8.5 watts / channel
150 Ohms: 2.6 watts / channel
300 Ohms: 1.3 watts / channel
600 Ohms: 0.6 watts / channel

 

[Nirvana2112]

If you want a cheaper option you could use the creative soundblasterx g1 it is 41.95 and it says it can drive up to 300 ohms