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I have a budget, and I'm not afraid to use it!

post #1 of 10
8/23/11 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 

Some computer forum friends sent me here after inquiring about better audio for my PC.

 

Currently using onboard realtek hd audio with Corsair SP2500s.  They said I should look into good headphones and suggested HD 650, DT770, a900...

 

My budget for DAC, amp and cans is around $1,000.  Something I could plug my SP2500s would be great.  Maybe more if worth it.

 

This will be for music (rock, metal, techno, classical/instrumental), movies (BluRay through ArcSoft TMT 5).

 

I would like natural, clean sound with punchy and clean bass.  Nice mids and good trebel.

 

Appreciate your input.


Edited by CybrSlydr - 8/23/11 at 7:27pm
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post #2 of 10
8/23/11 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 

Music is through WinAMP.  Techno arrives via di.fm as 256k MP3 in WinAMP.

 

Others are just regular MP3s from Amazon and iTunes.

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post #3 of 10
8/23/11 at 9:18pm

Stretch your budget by $200, buy ASUS Xonar Essence STX and Audez'e LCD-2, and never look back wink.gif

 

Regardless of headphone, I would recommend this sound card if you have an extra PCI-E slot. High quality DAC, pretty powerful headphone amp, and Dolby Headphone for movies. It should drive just about any headphone you choose to go with, except perhaps the 600 ohm version of the Beyers.

 

Speaking of Beyer, the DT880 used to be my dream gaming and movie headphone. It looks ridiculously comfortable.

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post #4 of 10
8/23/11 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 

My friends were telling me a USB DAC would be much better than an internal soundcard.

 

Why do you disagree?

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post #5 of 10
8/23/11 at 10:02pm

it doesn't really matter whether the interface is USB or pci-e, the same data still gets to the DAC/Amp.  the only difference is that given your budget, the stx will give you a better performance set than anything external (at the ~$200 mark, a lot of the cost of a USB device is the enclosure)
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by CybrSlydr View Post

My friends were telling me a USB DAC would be much better than an internal soundcard.

 

Why do you disagree?



 

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post #6 of 10
8/23/11 at 10:08pm
Thread Starter 

So, STX, LCD-2.  STX will drive  and decode everything fine, eh?

 

What other cans would you guys recommend or are the LCD-2 about as good as it gets in my price range?

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post #7 of 10
8/23/11 at 10:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CybrSlydr View Post

My friends were telling me a USB DAC would be much better than an internal soundcard.

 

Why do you disagree?


Like El Doug said, cases and power supplies take up a large portion of the price at $200. For an example, look in the DIY section for the Objective2 amplifier. All of the components that actually do stuff cost around $30, but once you add in batteries, an AC adapter, and a simple case the price doubles or more.A sound card uses the PC's power supply, and the only "case" the Essence STX has is an EMI shield.

 

The audiophile stereotype is that sound cards are inherently bad partly because 1. They're inside a PC, which isn't regarded as a "hi-fi" source, and 2. They're not expensive. Top tier sound cards like the Essence STX are impressive by objective standards. Its closest external competitor that I know of is the DACport which measures just as good and better in a few cases, but costs $350. Plus it doesn't offer Dolby Headphone, which isn't a needed feature but I like it for games and movies.

 

If you do want to go external, that DACport is a solid choice for combined DAC/amp. Another would be the Yulong D100 at $500.


Edited by Head Injury - 8/23/11 at 10:28pm
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post #8 of 10
8/24/11 at 6:07am

O/T since u didn't mention speaker set up but if $$ less of an issue i would have gone either bookshelf/amp and sub or pair of half decent floor standers/amp for starters as these would be far more musical than boxed PC speakers In fact dipping in the used market would prolly cost less than new Corsair SP2500s tongue_smile.gif

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post #9 of 10
8/24/11 at 7:32am
Thread Starter 

For the price, I really like the 2500s.  Since the sub is a 4th order bandpass box, it really thumps out for my techno.

 

The two satellites are dual powered and sound quite good.  They are in no way the same class as seperate components, but they were perfect for platoon raves in Afghanistan - had a contractor come and ask us to keep it down one day - and he slept 3 tents down!

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post #10 of 10
8/24/11 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 

Do any of you guys have the LCD-2?

 

Also, I do realize that louder doesn't equal better or good.  :)

 

Finally, reviews state that the amp you choose significantly affects the way these phones sound - is a PCIE card really the way to go?


Edited by CybrSlydr - 8/24/11 at 10:09am
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