[dannydamsky]

I currently own a pair of Sennheiser HD 598's which I connect to the Xonar DGX (Which is a PCI-E variant of the Xonar DG for anybody who doesn't know). I'm wondering if there would be a noticeable difference if I'd upgrade to an external DAC/Amp combo like a FiiO E10K? Suggestions are welcome, my budget for a DAC/Amp is around 70-80 dollars.

 

[liquidzoo]

Depends on what you do with your DGX and headphones.

If you are gaming, or use any of the effects features on the DGX you will probably notice a decrease in sound quality going to something like the E10.

If you're only using it for music, you may or may not notice a difference. If you're currently using the front audio connectors you will (as you're not using the headphone amp through those anyway). You reduce the possibility for internal interference by going with an external DAC/Amp but it might not be noticeable to you.

 

[dannydamsky]

Yeah I forgot to mention I never use gaming features I think it's wrong to do so. I run the Low-DPC drivers from Uni-Xonar with everything checked off so...Will the DAC/Amp in the E10K be better than the DAC/Amp in my Xonar DGX?

 

[liquidzoo]

Looks like the amp is a little better in the E10 than the DG (probably the same for the E10K and DGX). DAC should be similar. Probably worth the investment.

 

[dannydamsky]

The E10K is supposed to be much improved over the E10, the DG and DGX are exactly the same. The E10 uses a Wolfson DAC while the E10K uses a Texas Instruments PCM5102 they also changed the opamp there, although I'm not sure what that means exactly. The DGX uses a Cirrus Logic CS4245/CS4361 DAC. So these are the exact specs, could you tell me which would be better? I'm also looking into a Xonar U7, how does that compare to the FiiO E10K for sound quality? It's about the same price as the E10K where I live.

 

[mindbomb]

the dgx is a lot better than most motherboard audio, but the noise floor is high and the output impedance (~20 ohms iirc) is very high for an hd 598. Also, the 44.1khz quality is pretty poor iirc, but the driver gives you options for hardware upsampling. The e10k would solve those issues.

 

[liquidzoo]

The E10K is supposed to be much improved over the E10, the DG and DGX are exactly the same. The E10 uses a Wolfson DAC while the E10K uses a Texas Instruments PCM5102 they also changed the opamp there, although I'm not sure what that means exactly. The DGX uses a Cirrus Logic CS4245/CS4361 DAC. So these are the exact specs, could you tell me which would be better? I'm also looking into a Xonar U7, how does that compare to the FiiO E10K for sound quality? It's about the same price as the E10K where I live.

Pretty sure the U7 is just the USB version of the DGX.

I would get the E10K to help eliminate the issues mindbomb pointed out.

 

[cel4145]

In addition to the E10K, also consider the Schiit Fulla. Some people like it better for the money.

 

[liquidzoo]

In addition to the E10K, also consider the Schiit Fulla. Some people like it better for the money.

That's true. I had forgotten about that one, and they're right around the same price.

The Fulla might be a better buy than the E10K

 

[dannydamsky]

Actually the U7 is more like a DX than a DGX, it uses a better DAC than the DGX, although I'm not sure by how much, it uses a Cirrus CS4398/CS4362 DAC and a Cirrus CS5361 ADC, don't know anything about it's amp though. I'm not sure about the Fulla, first of all where I live Chinese products are generally cheaper than American products (because of shipping costs), and I do appreciate the option to connect speakers to the E10K which the Fulla doesn't offer.

 

[dannydamsky]

How is the Fulla and E10K durability-wise? If I'm gonna buy either one I want it to last me at least 2 years, since I got the HD598 is uses a 1/4 inch jack which I use with the 1/8 inch adapter, so I don't want the headphone jack to suddenly break.

 

[liquidzoo]

How is the Fulla and E10K durability-wise? If I'm gonna buy either one I want it to last me at least 2 years, since I got the HD598 is uses a 1/4 inch jack which I use with the 1/8 inch adapter, so I don't want the headphone jack to suddenly break.

Both would need the adapter.

I don't think the Fulla has been out long enough for a 2 year durability test (though I could be wrong). FiiO has pretty good durability. As long as you're careful with them either one should last you quite a while.

The Fulla does have a 1 year (limited) warranty. Not sure about a warranty from FiiO (you'd have to send it back to China for repair if it was needed).

 

[dannydamsky]

Both would need the adapter.

I don't think the Fulla has been out long enough for a 2 year durability test (though I could be wrong). FiiO has pretty good durability. As long as you're careful with them either one should last you quite a while.

The Fulla does have a 1 year (limited) warranty. Not sure about a warranty from FiiO (you'd have to send it back to China for repair if it was needed).

So do you think a Fulla would make a noticable difference for me? I am aware that there's interference with my DGX, but I don't hear any noise, it sounds clean. I'm just wondering whether something like a Fulla or an E10K would make a noticable difference.

 

[liquidzoo]

What do you use for a source for your music? Is it an online service or is it 320k mp3/flac files?

That will make a difference. You might not notice a difference from something like Pandora or Spotify, but you might with flac files locally.

 

[PurpleAngel]

So do you think a Fulla would make a noticeable difference for me? I am aware that there's interference with my DGX, but I don't hear any noise, it sounds clean. I'm just wondering whether something like a Fulla or an E10K would make a noticeably difference.

Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, before installing the DGX or the driver software?
If you have no need of a sound card's headphone surround sound features, then the E10K might be a good buy.
I would not expect a big increase in audio quality, over the Xonar DGX.
Schiit Fulla might offer a little better audio quality, over the E10K (but no line-output feature).