Great, thanks.   And now my wallet is pretty much preparing for damage   So you have not had to use a DAC? Why do people suggest it then? or does it depend on the soundcard used?

Hindsight is generally flawless...   :-D   IMHO I tihnk the Z-5500 are brilliant. They could do with a few "better" bits though. Like a decent headphone outlet for a start!

Hello,   If I used the following type of cable (or cheaper equivalent) to connect a X-Fi Fatality to an amp and then plug in the headphones to the amp, would this provide acceptable sound / justice to the setup?  ...

If they are going to be dedicated PC speakers I got some Logitech z-5500's around 5 years ago and they are brilliant. Coupled with a good soundcard they are awesome.   I went from onboard sound and some creative 4.1 speakers. Made me reply half my games because I could suddenly hear all...

Thank you. I see there are many posts about the HD650's and which amps so I'll check that out.   Do you think they would work (perhaps albeit a bit softly) with just the X-Fi?   I don't suppose anybody knows what the headphone impedance load is for the x-fi?

Hello,   I'm pretty new to the world of headphones....so I have more questions than answers.   In the past week I've read so much about headphones and sound. Didn't realise there was so much too it...   Currently I use the card with my Logitech Z-5500, which are cracking speakers...