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A humble request to the audio gods (regarding the purchase of an amp/dac)

post #1 of 8
1/26/11 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 

Greetings oh great ones,

 

After scrounging up about two months worth of ramen rations, I am finally at the point of being able to buy an amp/dac (nfb-12). I am just having some last minute doubts, seeing as this will make my wallet start weeping in agony. I would just like some input as to how much of a noticeable difference this purchase will make while listening with a set of dt990/600's. I know there have been other posts like this (even made a few myself) but I have a bit of a conundrum. While I completely understand that the best way to decide this issue is to listen, I have no way of doing so. Being a college student, I don't have much (any..actually) access to audio gear other than Dre Beats and iPhones frown.gif. So while I wish I could hear what effect a dac and an amp have on headphones, I just have no way of actually knowing. I hear people saying that a dac gets rid of having computer "noise" in your sound, but I honestly don't think I'll be able to know what that is until I experience hearing something without it. Same kind of logic goes for an amp, never heard one. I guess what I'm trying to ask is: Will buying an amp/dac make a SIGNIFCANT difference in my listening experience? I absolutely don't mind selling my soul for better sound, but I better not have to be in a soundproof room squinting my ears and telling myself that I can hear a difference. Btw...I'm running my headphones straight out of my laptop which has a xi-fi titanium sound card, if that makes a difference. 

 

 

-Just a lowly audio dweeb

 

 

Oh, and I apologize for writing a novel...

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post #2 of 8
1/26/11 at 7:12pm

On DT990/600, I think you will see a significant difference with a NFB-12 over the x-fi titanium. Is it going to be $200 better, as in the same upgrade as buying your DT990 headphones initially? Nope. But even with the 250-Ohm DT990, there is a significant difference between my Xonar DX and the NFB-12.

 

Other than saying everything is "simply better", the major differences that are most apparent is the sound separation - everything is much less congested when the headphones are powered properly, bass will have a faster kick and go deeper (since bass requires the most power), and overall there's just better clarity.

 

I'd say it's definitely worth it. If you use your headphones everyday, for hours on end and you're going to keep them for years and years... this kind of investment is a no brainer.

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post #3 of 8
1/26/11 at 10:09pm

When I brought my D5000 to work, my coworker listened to it through her workstation while I went to look for a USB cable for my FiiO e7/e9.  She was not impressed. She is no audiophile and she thought that it was good, but wasn't what she was expecting after hearing my talk about it.  After I hook up the dac/amp and had her give it another go, she was wowed which made me real happy.  I am not familiar with your onboard sound and headphone, but I think it should be a worthwhile investment.  At worst, you will lose a few bucks reselling it and be content with the knowledge that your setup is pretty good unless you throw even more money at it.  (ie, $500+ dac and $500 amp or something like that...)

 

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post #4 of 8
1/26/11 at 10:20pm

Do it and don't look back.  You'll love having a DAC and an AMP.  Also, the NFB-12 is on promo isnt it?  You'll be able to get your money back in the future if you dont like it.

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post #5 of 8
1/26/11 at 10:36pm

Not only that it is still at promo price, which some estimate to go up 10-15% ($20-$30) but if you also place the order in Jan (China is couple hours ahead, so do it early!), you will also get a 5% discount ($10) which will definitely help you when you resell later to people who are comparing used price to the normal new price of NFB-12.

 

 

 

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post #6 of 8
1/27/11 at 8:39am

If I was living off instant ramen the last thing I would be worried about is audio electronics. I have tried extreme diets similar to yours before, and I can't possibly imagine the physical and mental consequences worth it to get a piece of audio gear. I'm not even going to describe the sort of hearing and nervous system dysfunction you can get through malnutrition that would imo totally mitigate owning "better" audio reproduction equipment, you should just keep audio gear out of your mind until you deal with your diet. Please don't be offended by what I said, but I think it's just plain wrong to compromise your diet for material goods, because you will pay consequences not just in the future but right now for trying to make your body survive on flour fluff and sodium packets. I'd suggest you spend that money on a few essential supplements and eat food that actually have nutritious value and fiber.

 

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Synergy-Energy-Multi-Vitamin-240-Capsules

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Mega-EFA-Omega-3-EPA-DHA-2-126-grams-per-serving-240-Softgels/?bnPageBox=pp_frequentlyboughttogether

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Coral-Calcium-with-Magnesium

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post #7 of 8
1/27/11 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 

Haha no worries haloxt, I have plenty of normal  healthy food. My ramen budget is just some extra money and is my equivalent of going out to eat(except around a thousand times cheaper!). Thanks for the advice though, hopefully I'll never be quite that crazed L3000.gif

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post #8 of 8
1/31/11 at 3:27pm

Its a joke man, people used to say it on these boards all the time.  With that 2008 join date though, i'm not surprised he doesnt know.

 

It used to be like a figure of speech around here.

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