[wwolf]

Hello guys (and gals),
After being tired from all these cheap headsets I've owned over the years, I got myself an HA-RX700 last week (different kind of cheap

) for $32 ($43 shipped across the globe), and I must say ... my hearing sensitivity is crap but wow these are awesome after a couple of days of use, had to re-download most of my collection.

The thing is that I have my laptop driving these and I feel they can do much more, so I'm asking for an advice if I should get an amplifier or something else that would improve my JVC's performance? DAC, Sound Card? (will get slightly better built-in sound card soon with my new PC)? and if yes then which one to get?

My criteria for the amplifier,
- Got an HA-RX700 so portability isn't important but would be very nice.
- As cheap as possible to go with the cheap headphones, not useless cheap though.
- The lighter the better, shipping cost is slightly an issue.

I'm not sure if the kind of music will affect the model I should get and I have no idea about genres, but my collection have a lot of Adele, Celine Dion, Christina Perri, Skylar Grey and some other different songs kids listen to these days.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[thecourier]

Amping the RX700's difference probably is not day and night, only minor changes on clarity/bass. 

 

[wwolf]

Thanks for the reply, so do you recommend something else? Is it possible to get higher volume out of them, the volume settings in my laptop are maxed out.

 

[thecourier]

Quote:

Thanks for the reply, so do you recommend something else? Is it possible to get higher volume out of them, the volume settings in my laptop are maxed out.

Yes, thats possible. 
 
A practical solution is getting an amp/dac combo, since it will be an improvement over your laptop's onboard. How much do you have to spend? 

 

[wwolf]

Well, there is no particular number and since I have no idea about prices I'm not going to say something that would sound silly, if it's worth it I don't mind spending a little extra.
 
I got my headphone for $32, what's the appropriate price range that goes with that for an Amplifier/DAC?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Fiio E10, USB-DAC-Headphone amplifier.

 

[wwolf]

Quote:

Fiio E10, USB-DAC-Headphone amplifier.

I apologize for my ignorance, I usually do lots and lots of research before starting asking questions. This is my first time into this so bare with me.
 
If I'm getting a USB-DAC then I can only use it on a desk computer/laptop, so is it a better option (price for quality) to get an internal sound card for my computer I'm currently building?
 
Thanks!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I apologize for my ignorance, I usually do lots and lots of research before starting asking questions. This is my first time into this so bare with me.
 
If I'm getting a USB-DAC then I can only use it on a desk computer/laptop, so is it a better option (price for quality) to get an internal sound card for my computer I'm currently building?
 
Thanks!

Asus Xonar DG (or DGX) is a low cost sound card ($30-$40) and is usually better then the audio built into motherboards.
The Xonar DG(X) comes with a half-way decent headphone amplifier and Dolby surround sound.
The Fiio E10 USB/DAC/Amp is a better DAC and Amp. then the DG(X), but costs over twice as much and comes with zero surround sound for movies and gaming.

 

[wwolf]

Quote:

Asus Xonar DG (or DGX) is a low cost sound card ($3-$40) and is usually better then the audio built into motherboards.
The Xonar DG(X) comes with a half-way decent headphone amplifier and Dolby surround sound.
The Fiio E10 USB/DAC/Amp is a better DAC and Amp. then the DG(X), but costs over twice as much and comes with zero surround sound for movies and gaming.

Thank you, this has been helpful to me.
I'm only interested in headphones at the moment, so surround systems aren't appealing for me.
I'll do an extensive research before buying, I don't won't to buy something that my headphones can't utilize fully whether it was cheap or expensive.
 
The MB I'm getting has the ALC898 codec which to my understanding is quite decent, I'll give it a run when assembled to see if I feel I need to buy something better.
 
Thanks again.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Thank you, this has been helpful to me.
I'm only interested in headphones at the moment, so surround systems aren't appealing for me.
I'll do an extensive research before buying, I don't won't to buy something that my headphones can't utilize fully whether it was cheap or expensive.
 
The MB I'm getting has the ALC898 codec which to my understanding is quite decent, I'll give it a run when assembled to see if I feel I need to buy something better.

Motherboard's built in audio have improved in the past five year........but the audio processor (Realtek, VIA, etc) used is really not what affects the audio quality you hear (my opinion).
The DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) used in motherboards is picked for it's low price, not as much for audio quality.
The "headphone jack" on motherboards is more like a "line-out' jack that you can plug your headphones into.
 
I would say if you do feel like adding something to improve the audio quality, get the Xonar DG, sometimes there are only $14 after $10 mail in rebate.
To me spending more on the DAC/Amp. then the headphones is kind of a waste of cash.

 

[wwolf]

Quote:

Motherboard's built in audio have improved in the past five year........but the audio processor (Realtek, VIA, etc) used is really not what affects the audio quality you hear (my opinion).
The DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) used in motherboards is picked for it's low price, not as much for audio quality.
The "headphone jack" on motherboards is more like a "line-out' jack that you can plug your headphones into.
 
I would say if you do feel like adding something to improve the audio quality, get the Xonar DG, sometimes there are only $14 after $10 mail in rebate.
To me spending more on the DAC/Amp. then the headphones is kind of a waste of cash.

 
Makes sense,
I'll see if I can find a friend who has a good DAC/Amp and test my headphones on it to see if I would notice the difference.
I'm looking for a higher volume and just a tad of better sound quality, nothing more.
 
So if I understand correctly, my options are:
- Good and cheap internal sound card, around or under $50.
- DAC/Amp, the E7 and the E10 look good so far but will look more into other options, kind of pricey for my taste.
- Just a cheap amp for some volume boost, E6 comes to mind.

 

[jackwess]

Quote:

 
Makes sense,
I'll see if I can find a friend who has a good DAC/Amp and test my headphones on it to see if I would notice the difference.
I'm looking for a higher volume and just a tad of better sound quality, nothing more.
 
So if I understand correctly, my options are:
- Good and cheap internal sound card, around or under $50.
- DAC/Amp, the E7 and the E10 look good so far but will look more into other options, kind of pricey for my taste.
- Just a cheap amp for some volume boost, E6 comes to mind.

 
I always recommend getting a dedicated soundcard if using headphones, onboard sound quality is poor. 
 
In the future if planning to have a portable rig such as heaphones + mp3 player the portable amp/dac is very useful. 

 

[wwolf]

Quote:

 
I always recommend getting a dedicated soundcard if using headphones, onboard sound quality is poor. 
 
In the future if planning to have a portable rig such as heaphones + mp3 player the portable amp/dac is very useful. 

Thanks.
Not planning on portable setup, just wondering if say I have $50-ish, would I get a better quality for my money with an internal sound card or an external DAC/Amp?