but if i wanted both at the same time? not possible?

Thanks for the help in this thread folks.  I'm now using 598s with an asus stx. So far all good.    Question about the stx though. Is it possible to route say itunes out the rca to my speakers and keep game / voip in headphones?

Quote: Thanks for the input.   How would the STX and E17 compare in terms of sound quality running 598s?  Considering the E17 is cheaper AND portable I imagine it must sacrifice 'something' that the STX has.

Pretty set on the hd598s at this point. they seem to offer good sound and above average comfort even among high(er) end headphones.   Next point is just deciding between the xonar stx and the E17.    If I'm not mistaken the 598s should work 'well enough' just running out of an iphone or...

Is the E17 capable of driving all of the headphones mentioned so far in this thread?   Also, I'm pretty confused by the Fiio line. What's the difference between the E7, and E17? The other products also, E10 and E7. E10 and E7 combined come to about the same price as the E17. The E7 and E17...

Quote: I have done but the price is very similar to the hd650, reading what reviews I can the HD650 seems closer to my tastes - more open / airy? If I needed to save some cash then I'd probably drop down to the 598s, which I'm considering anyway as supposedly they're very comfortable

So for the total setup that'd be the Vlink, Vdac and the m stage? Or are the vlink and vdac doing the same job in this case? Even just the vdac + mstage are pushing past the £350 mark though, which is leaving very little breathing room for headphones. This does seem to be one step higher than...

I'm not really sure what the relevant parts are on a PC, but here's what I'm using; a GA-Z77-DS3H mobo, honeslty unsure what I'm looking for but here's a link; http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4147#ov   intel ivy i5 3550, 8gig ram, 6850 gpu, windows 7 64bit, 650w...

E17 + HD598 seems to be the combo I'm steering towards right now, any comments on that? :/   Or a dragonfly...   Or HD650s.  How long to I keep changing my mind until I figure this out?

First up, apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place. I've been trying to research what I can for a while now but this site is still rather overwhelming!   So right now I have nothing. I have an ipod, a PC using the mobo for sound and some cheap generic headphones. I should point out that...