DAC for under $200

How about the Audinst HUD-MX1? It's $179 with shipping, also has an amp.

I am assuming you are looking for a combined DAC/AMP? The Audinst HUD-MX1 is a commonly recomended solution.If you plan to use a seprate amp you may want to consider the HRT Music Streamer II. 

Headfonia.com has reviews on both. Scroll down to the bottom of the page under Source: http://www.headfonia.com/recommendations/

oh right, there's that music streamer ii too

Does anyone know how the HUD-MX1 compares to the HiFiMan EF2? Looking for an amp for my D2000s.

DACs really don't make a huge difference. Your first upgrade, from onboard sound to whatever, might be huge if your motherboard has a crappy audio chip.

Your card doesn't have especially good audio quality. It's fine, just not great. You could replace it, rather than get an external DAC. Assuming the rated 101dB sensitivity of your headphone is in dB/mW, you won't need a powerful amp. The X-Fi Titanium HD is a good card. It's not nearly a good as the Essence STX for audio, and doesn't have as powerful a headphone amp, but the differences should be inaudible. I won't recommend the STX because it has a 10.7 ohm headphone output impedance that will cause problems with your Ultrasone. When and if you get headphones that need more power, use the card's RCA out to an external amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbl772 

i have the ht omega striker sound card

 

so you don't think getting a dac is worth it with the 580's?

Sound cards are DACs. They're often better than externals for the price, though low-end ones lack shielding and suffer for it. They don't need to include a power supply of their own, they don't have a fancy expensive enclosure, they don't need any digital inputs, all of which cost a surprising amount of money. They also offer sound processing for games and movies, if you like that sort of thing. All in all, a good investment for computer sources.