hello there.
 
here is my problem i've been trying to google and read without succecs.
 
i im going to buy beyerdynamics 770DT pro 80ohm headphones.
And im going use them on my computer.
For now i have sony mdr-v700 hooked up to X-Fi elite pro.
 
if i understand correctly, the x-fi cant power the headphones.
so what can i buy to power the headphones correctly? new soundcard or a dac?
i use it mainly for music, and sometimes gaming. and the only soundwise game i play is battlefield 3. but when i play i set x-fi setting from entertainment to gaming, and dont use any other option (eax and such is disabled) and speaker settings is set to 2.1. 
and that is all im using the soundcard for. so i guess it is a bit overkill in my situation.  
 
i hope you guys understand my question, as gaming dont mean mutch except i love playing some battlefield because off all thecool audio effects.
 
my budget is 100-200$.
so should i get a new soundcard that can handle the headphones or a dac/amp?

You shouldn't get neither a soundcard nor a DAC, but rather a headphone amp. The DAC within the X-Fi Elite Pro is quite good, and you just need to take care of the headphone driving capabilities in order to bring out the best your setup can have.
 
Consider getting a FiiO E9 or a Objective2 desktop amplifiers, both are within your budget range, and have plenty of power, more than enough for your DT770 80Ohm.

What he said.
 
Your budget's too low for an upgrade DAC/amp. 

I use the same headphones but with a X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion and have no issues. My advice is wait till you get the headphones and test them with your current setup. If your unhappy with the performance then look into a headphone amp

The X-Fi Elite Pro is a fantastic device, and I would not suggest replacing it more or less for anything. It measures exceptionally well. 
 
It includes some sort of headphone driver in the breakout box, although I've never found very much detailed information about this thing's abilities. I would say try it out with the Beyers, and see what you get. If it fails to impress (it may not be powerful enough or handle the load the headphones present; I have no idea, because again, I've never found much about this device), then I agree with the suggested amplifiers as companion hardware to the Elite Pro. 

allright thanks.
 
Will try them first without the amp.
But anyway, if I go for the E9, do I connected trough the external I/O headphone outlet? Or how do i connected it?
Because I have some speakers connected to the soundcard, and the headphones connected to the external I/O right now.

You would want to connect the amplifier to the Front Left/Right Line Out. That is located on the card itself. You could then connect your speakers' Front Left/Right to the E9's line output (it will just pass the signal through untouched). The E9 must be "on" to passthrough, but aside from that it does nothing to functionality. 

again, thanks guys.
I im very happy of the outcome from this thread. Was a bit scared off changing the soudcard, and it is a good card indeed.
 
@obobskivich, what do you mean by "The E9 must be "on" to passthrough, but aside from that it does nothing to functionality."

The E9 has a line-out which will "pass through" the signal from the line-in, but you must switch the unit's power on in order to have this feature work. Otherwise, the output is muted. It's a trivial detail, but it's something worth noting. 

thanks again
One last question so I get it right, do I use any particular cabel from the soundcard to the E9?
Or can I just use this one http://www.clasohlson.com/medias/sys_master/8872073068574.jpg from the soundcard to E9?
And since my speakers are cheap, but do the work it only has a 3,5mm plug, so can I use this one http://www.clasohlson.com/medias/sys_master/8873465085982.jpg to connect the speakers to the E9?