[TBSdota]

I've done a ton of research but I am having trouble finding results for a few things to conclude my research. I'm switching from a Headset to IEM (medical reasons), and I just need a few bits of advice to help me along the way.

The IEM I want to buy are Yamaha EPH-100SL
My MOBO is MSI MS-7971 Z170A PC MATE​

1. My budget for IEM is max $200, is the Yamaha EPH-100SL good for gaming or should I choose another IEM?

1b. If they aren't good for gaming, then what is within this budget?​

2. Is my MOBO good enough that I wouldn't need a AMP/DAC for these IEM?

2b. Would I need an AMP by itself or would I need an AMP+DAC combination?
​

3. How do I determine what AMP is best for my IEM's?

3b. what recommendations would you have?​

 

[serman005]

You might also consider the 1More Quad Driver. It is in your price range and it has a good soundstage and imaging. Terrific sound quality. You might check it out and see what you think. It could work for you.
I am not a mother board expert so I will leave that issue to someone more knowledgeable.

 

[cossix]

Sorry to hear you can't use over ear cans, those are obviously best for gaming. As for specific IEMs I can't say which is better for gaming but I can pretty confidently say that you definitely don't need a DAC for gaming, and you probably don't need an amp for gaming. If music is involved I'd say get something cheap like a Schiit Fulla or a FiiO E10k. These are both dac/amp combos around the same price, sub $100.

 

[squee116]

I'm a fan of the Dunu Titan's and have heard good things about their clones, the Fiio EX1. The sound stage is pretty solid, and there's decent bass extension for explosions, and the treble isn't overly fatiguing (which is a problem with gunfire).

As for amping, I'm not certain they need it. I run mine out of DAPs with no volume issues.

 

[TBSdota]

This is all great advice, thanks for everyone's input!

If I don't need an AMP or DAC then that is good for my wallet, I am however looking for at least something to sit on my desk next to my monitor that I can plug my headphones/Mic into, possibly with a volume knob. Does that exist and what's it called?

 

[squee116]

This is all great advice, thanks for everyone's input!

If I don't need an AMP or DAC then that is good for my wallet, I am however looking for at least something to sit on my desk next to my monitor that I can plug my headphones/Mic into, possibly with a volume knob. Does that exist and what's it called?

If you want to integrate a mic into it, for the sake of, let's say, creating a virtual headset for a ps4, there's the Astro MixAmp, which let's you do exactly this... Headphones/mic->Astro Mixamp->USB-in on PS4
The Mixamp works with a variety of systems, not just the PS4, but I use it as a "for example" because that's what I got it for. You don't need such a system with PC, so I assume it's for consoles...

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've done a ton of research but I am having trouble finding results for a few things to conclude my research. I'm switching from a Headset to IEM (medical reasons), and I just need a few bits of advice to help me along the way.

The IEM I want to buy are Yamaha EPH-100SL
My MOBO is MSI MS-7971 Z170A PC MATE​

1. My budget for IEM is max $200, is the Yamaha EPH-100SL good for gaming or should I choose another IEM?

1b. If they aren't good for gaming, then what is within this budget?​

2. Is my MOBO good enough that I wouldn't need a AMP/DAC for these IEM?

2b. Would I need an AMP by itself or would I need an AMP+DAC combination?
​

3. How do I determine what AMP is best for my IEM's?

3b. what recommendations would you have?​

IEMs won't need an amp for power, just for a low output impedance.

For gaming, what you need is a soundcard for virtual surround.

The problem here is that soundcards tend to have a high output impedance. The Soar and SBZ have more than 20ohms output impedance. That's even higher than the IEMs' nominal impedance of 16ohms.

That said, if you like the sound anyway, then just use the soundcard. If not, then that's when you look into an amp with a low output impedance and very low gain so as not to have a problem driving those high sensitivity Yamahas.