[TomatoTen]

probably a stupid question. but if i buy an amp, do i need to buy an external usb sound card to attach to it if my onboard audio is terrible?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Probably a stupid question. but if i buy an amp, do i need to buy an external usb sound card to attach to it if my on-board audio is terrible?

Amplifiers (in general) do not come with built in sound cards.
Please provide the details of you current setup, maybe someone on Head-Fi can figure out how to improve your audio quality.
Sometimes you can use your current built-in audio features with an external DAC/amp.

 

[TomatoTen]

i'm in the process of building a mITX build (it will definitely be mITX, its non-negotiable) so this mean i cant have a dedicated sound card
 
my mobo will either be an asus p8z77-i deluxe or a p8h77-i
either way, the onboard audio is supposed to be subpar
 
 
i'm looking into purchasing a dac/amp/external usb sound card all for less than $100, and purely for my desktop. so it wont be moved at all.
 
i will probably be getting the beyer 770 pro 80 ohms, purely for home/desktop use too.

 

[PurpleAngel]

As the motherboards come with DTS audio, it might be better to hook up an external DAC/Amp to the S/PDIF Toslink optical output on the motherboard.
Use the motherboard's built in audio functions (DTS), but use a better DAC & amp for the headphones.
 
SMSL SD-793II  $60
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280962959972?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[TomatoTen]

does the p8h77-i also come with dts audio? that will the mobo i will most likely buy, since it is $100 cheaper
i couldn't find the internal sound card specs for the p8h77 mobo (the cheaper one, costs $99)

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

does the p8h77-i also come with dts audio? that will the mobo i will most likely buy, since it is $100 cheaper
i couldn't find the internal sound card specs for the p8h77 mobo (the cheaper one, costs $99)

Only the deluxe model comes with the DTS connect.
The regular model does not list DTS