[Dalamar]

Essence STX will easily drive your HD650s, and there are no external dacs under $500 that measure as well as it. Maybe you should replace your laptop with a real pc?
 
Your only other good option is a used emu 0404 and it may not have enough juice to take the 650's to a listenable level.

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

I've been doing some research and I think it may be more beneficial just to get a DAC/amp combo.
 
Would it be really necessary to get an external sound card on top of that

A DAC/Amp combo IS an external soundcard.  -_-
 
You might look into the uDAC2.  As long as the power output from the former uDAC was increased a little, it should power the 595/600/650s, and match the STX.

 

[ImAllOriginal]

HA oh man, sometimes...
 
I'm really new to this stuff so sorry if my vocabulary/knowledge is lacking.
 
thank you for the advice. do you know the cheapest place I can buy a the udac2?
 

 

[Dalamar]

uDAC is basically a cmoy paired up to a dac, lol. Everyone loves udac but yet audiophools don't take $25 cmoys seriously. lol.

 

[leeperry]

 

uDAC is basically a cmoy paired up to a dac, lol. Everyone loves udac but yet audiophools don't take $25 cmoys seriously. lol.

 
There's no opamp in the uDAC, and its DAC chip costs less than one dollar. the uDAC is a portable realtek. lol.

 

[Dalamar]

It's a portable realtek+cmoy then.
 
Nothing wrong with cmoys or opamps.

 

[leeperry]

 

It's a portable realtek+cmoy then.
 
Nothing wrong with cmoys or opamps.

 a CMoy is based on opamps...ah well, no point in arguing w/ you anyway.

 

[ROBSCIX]

The C-Moy is a text-book opamp circuit.

 

[ImAllOriginal]

...what's an opamp? haha

 

[Dalamar]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_amplifier
 
IC opamps are one of the best innovations to hit electronics. Audiophools ignore the engineers and use discrete opamps that measure horribly (discrete is for high power circuits that need more heat dissipation...).
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with opamps, but there is something wrong with people that say they all sound differently.

 

[leeperry]

 

IC opamps are one of the best innovations to hit electronics. Audiophools ignore the engineers and use discrete opamps that measure horribly [..]
 
there is something wrong with people that say they all sound differently.

I fully agree w/ the first part when active amplification is needed(driving headphones for instance)...but your second sentence shows that you should try stuff before talking

 
Anyway, the troll feeding has come to an end for me...keep calling everything bs and placebo if it entertains you. While you'll be doing that, I'll be too busy enjoying my awesome sounding placebo set up 

 
Surely majkel should be in a mental institution: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/audio-gd-discrete-op-amps-reviewed-OPA-earth-OPA-moon-OPA-sun-v-2-a-397691/
 
Your holy STX runs 2114 and 4562, get some free samples...roll them, instead of talking of what you haven't heard, duh. But unlike most ppl here, you're not here to learn.

 

[Dalamar]

LME49720 and a few other opamps sound exactly the same in I/V. Stop assuming I have no experience.

 

[Mad Max]

I don't think an Essence STX will yield the same results from rolling as a Spitfire.
 
I hate LME49720/49710's plasticky sonic color.

 

[Bazzman]

Hi ImAllOriginal.
Just a little bit of advice I would use an external DAC or soundcard with your laptop.
I have always found using the headphone out on a laptop give horrid interference and you can hear a whine as the hard drive is working away.
Most of the laptops I have used is that the headphone out is always near the location of the hard drive.
This problem is not always the case but I thought I should let you know before you return your soundcard and buy your headphones.
Good luck with what you choose.
 
Bazzman.

 

[Mad Max]

Dalamar is not the OP.