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need help to improve sound quality

post #1 of 19
4/18/11 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 

i just bought my sennheiser hd 518. when i plug into my pc and listen to music, i found out the music is just not good as an audiophile headphone should be performed. my motherboard is asus maximus iv extreme and the build in audio driver is realtek alc889. is it the problem come from the build in sound card or lack of amp? any other suggestion?

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post #2 of 19
4/18/11 at 12:15pm
Yes all built-in sound cards are not intended for serious music listening so to fix the problem u have two options either buy a dedicated sound card with dedicated headphones amp Asus Xonar Essence STX for example or to get external DAC/AMP which u connect using usb port
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post #3 of 19
4/18/11 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by olegausany View Post

Yes all built-in sound cards are not intended for serious music listening so to fix the problem u have two options either buy a dedicated sound card with dedicated headphones amp Asus Xonar Essence STX for example or to get external DAC/AMP which u connect using usb port


or optical or coax if available on the motherboard.

 

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post #4 of 19
4/18/11 at 1:39pm
Its true
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post #5 of 19
4/18/11 at 1:44pm

A Tiangyung ZERO amp/DAC is a good place to start.

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post #6 of 19
4/18/11 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 

for my sennheiser hd 518, sound card or DAC/amp combo will be better for my case? for my motherboard, it has a s/pdif out connector. but i dont know how it function exactly, how to connect coxial or optical cable to it.

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post #7 of 19
4/18/11 at 7:46pm

Stop. Hold yourself back from looking at buying more gear to fix the problem, and run through this checklist:

 

1. How do you know what "the music is just not good as an audiophile headphone should be performed"? I hope I'm not coming across as confrontational with this; you clearly expect the music to sound a certain way. How do you know it should sound that way, out of the 518?

 

2. What quality are the files you're playing? This has two parts:

   a) The recording quality (requires research on the producer, studio, etc.)

   b) The bitrate. Also important is what compression software is used, if at all.

 

3. Are you using EQ?

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post #8 of 19
4/19/11 at 5:48am
Thread Starter 

my music bitrate is 320. i am using foobar2000 currently. when i listen to music, the sound is a bit muddy and lack of bass, and has hiss sound at the background. this are the problem i am facing now. i am not using any EQ.

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post #9 of 19
4/19/11 at 9:14am

Muddy *could* be because of the recording. Lack of bass seems characteristic of the HD5xx series anyway; see review threads for details on that.

 

Hiss--across all tracks, and especially when nothing is playing--sounds like a real problem. Anyone else want to weigh in?

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post #10 of 19
4/19/11 at 12:48pm

It's called a high noise floor, lol.

 

It could be interference or those headphones are too sensitive or the circuit isn't very low noise or whatever.

 

When did you begin to notice the hiss?

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post #11 of 19
4/19/11 at 9:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post

It's called a high noise floor, lol.

 

It could be interference or those headphones are too sensitive or the circuit isn't very low noise or whatever.

 

When did you begin to notice the hiss?


 

since i bought this headphone, i noticed the hiss sound at the background. after "burn in" for about 15 hours, then i try it again and the hiss sound still there.

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post #12 of 19
4/19/11 at 10:00pm

The headphones are too sensitive and showing you the high noise floor.  Typical, actually.

Grab a Zero DAC/amp.  If your budget is tight as hell, a Fiio E5 should help a little bit.

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post #13 of 19
4/19/11 at 10:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post

The headphones are too sensitive and showing you the high noise floor.  Typical, actually.

Grab a Zero DAC/amp.  If your budget is tight as hell, a Fiio E5 should help a little bit.


 

how about fiio e7? is fiio e7 suit for my headphone?

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post #14 of 19
4/19/11 at 10:16pm

E7/E5 is nearly the same, amp-wise.  E7 has a DAC, though.  For a little more money, the Zero has a very good starter DAC and a much better amp, not to mention you can upgrade the sound a bit with a power filter and better opamps in the Zero.  You can even hook up some powered speakers to it.  A used one is a little cheaper.  The E7 is pocket-sized, however, so it can go anywhere much more easily.

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post #15 of 19
4/19/11 at 11:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post

E7/E5 is nearly the same, amp-wise.  E7 has a DAC, though.  For a little more money, the Zero has a very good starter DAC and a much better amp, not to mention you can upgrade the sound a bit with a power filter and better opamps in the Zero.  You can even hook up some powered speakers to it.  A used one is a little cheaper.  The E7 is pocket-sized, however, so it can go anywhere much more easily.



i am newbie. Zero is a brand of dac/amp? can u give me a link or review of it? is it desktop or portable?

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