[Snowmen96]

Hi folks!
 
I recently bought my first pair of decent headphones based on a review I saw here at Head-Fi. The chosen ones were the Denon DN-HP700 and I couldn't be happier with them but now, I want them to truely shine. So far, they only ran on onboard audio and my iPod touch, both being without any doubt sub-par audio sources. Now, I'm wondering if I should go for a portable amp/DAC or a portable amp and a sound card. From what I could gather, even if I use the Line-out dock, I won't be able to use the DAC part of the E7 on my iPod, right? So basically, I'd only get the amp part and could simply buy a sound card that would stay on my PC all the time.
 
What would be the better option out of these two? If so, with the E5 being roughly 30$ and the E7 being 83$, what's the best sound card I could get that's around 50$. If the amp/DAC combo is better, are there some better devices than the Fiio E7 out there that are roughly 80$? If there are, could you show me the best place to buy them online in CANADA because I don't know many shops right now...
 
Thank you
 
Edit: BTW, my files are 320kbps MP3 and I mostly listen to Rock, Metal, Drum and Bass and some other genres but in a non-significant way. My favorite artists/bands are Tear for Fears and Scorpions.

 

[Papander]

Actually iphone is pretty good source. If you can't hear the difference in sound quality between your iphone and onboard, then buying something like the e7 won't help at all. Also your headphones are pretty easy to drive, so you shouldn't even need the amp.

 

[H20Fidelity]

You'll have more fun with the E7. 

Pretty much I'd go for the E7, simply because it's a much better amp than E5, then doubles for your Amp/Dac on the computer. Although you can't leave it bolted to your PC you're going to have a better experience. It's a better buy rather than two separate devices. In my opinion you'll notice the difference from a stand alone ipod or onboard soundcard. It's a nice investment into the audio world.

 

 

[stv014]

For use with a computer only, the E10 is both better and cheaper than the E7. A cheap sound card like the Xonar DG could work well, too, but I do not know how good its headphone amplifier is.

 

[PurpleAngel]

The Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card comes with a half-way decent headphone amplifier.
The Xonar DG should do a decent job of powering the Denons
Get the Fiio E11 (with a Fiio L cable) for the iPod.
You would also have the option of plugging the E11 into the Xonar DG.