[krisisidentitas]

Hi, I'm planning to build my own PC and I'm having a trouble deciding on the audio parts. My budget is around $1000 and I can go as high as $1300 if I really need to. I'm looking to get a pair of speakers, sound card, and a pair of headphones. Right now, I'm planning to get ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Audioengine a5+, and AKG K550 and Fiio e17 so I can take it on the go. However, my friend recently recommended the HiFiMan HE-400. I read that it's probably the best headphones for that price. My friend also recommended the asgard amps to go with it. So, could someone comment on this or add another suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Sniping]

I'm biased, but I think HE-400, Schiit Lyr and Logitech Z623 is a pretty nice setup.

 

[tofu]

i'd say skip the internal sound card and go with an external DAC

use your onboard audio for gaming

 

[wolfetan44]

I'd say get an external amp, like the Schiit Lyr and a HRT Musicstreamer II. If you want portability go for the O2 + ODAC as you'll be able to use it as a home and portable amp(I think, I would recommend contacting the seller.) I recommend external amps/DACs as there so much more versatile. Even if you think that you're never going to take them somewhere, you never know

 And yes, you're friend is right that the HE-400 are outstanding.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

i'd say skip the internal sound card and go with an external DAC
use your onboard audio for gaming

 
You can't be serious.
 
Well, maybe if he opts for an expensive Gigabyte G1-series board with an X-Fi EMU20k2 built into it or if the integrated drivers at least allow for Dolby Headphone, it might be passable. But in most cases, he's better off just getting something like an X-Fi Titanium HD, a dedicated external headphone amp, and calling it a day when it comes to gaming.
 
Anyway, to the OP, $1,000-1,300 is quite the budget for an audio setup. That's Stax money, easily. But if you could tell us more about your listening preferences, we could make better suggestions for speakers and headphones that would provide the experience you're looking for.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hi, I'm planning to build my own PC and I'm having a trouble deciding on the audio parts. My budget is around $1000 and I can go as high as $1300 if I really need to. I'm looking to get a pair of speakers, sound card, and a pair of headphones. Right now, I'm planning to get ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Audioengine a5+, and AKG K550 and Fiio e17 so I can take it on the go. However, my friend recently recommended the HiFiMan HE-400. I read that it's probably the best headphones for that price. My friend also recommended the Asgard amps to go with it. So, could someone comment on this or add another suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Technically, the Fiio's low impedance (.5-Ohm) headphone amplifier is better for driving 32-Ohm headphones (K550) then the Essence STX's headphone amplifier with it's 10-Ohm impedance.
Save a few dollars and skip on the Essence STX and get the Xonar DX or D1 sound card, plug the E17 into the Xonar's optical output and plug the Audio Engine A5+ into the Xonar line-out (green) jack.

 

[krisisidentitas]

Quote:

 
But if you could tell us more about your listening preferences, we could make better suggestions for speakers and headphones that would provide the experience you're looking for.

Well, I listen to various types of music, but mainly hip hop (Biggie, 2pac, Eminem, Kanye) and rock music(Nirvana, Beatles, Pink Floyd)

 

[tofu]

You can't be serious.

Well, maybe if he opts for an expensive Gigabyte G1-series board with an X-Fi EMU20k2 built into it or if the integrated drivers at least allow for Dolby Headphone, it might be passable. But in most cases, he's better off just getting something like an X-Fi Titanium HD, a dedicated external headphone amp, and calling it a day when it comes to gaming.

Anyway, to the OP, $1,000-1,300 is quite the budget for an audio setup. That's Stax money, easily. But if you could tell us more about your listening preferences, we could make better suggestions for speakers and headphones that would provide the experience you're looking for.

very serious. get your priorities straight. you can't have a gaming and audio rig for $1000 unless you're willing to have a "jack of all trades, masters of none" setup. there's a reason most people end up eventually flipping their soundcards for something external.

with the price of external dacs these days, there is no reason to use an internal sound card anymore for serious audio listening.

if he is a casual gaming, onboard is fine. if he's a serious gamer, he'll have to buy a dedicated gaming soundcard sometime down the the line.

 

[Puranti]

Quote:

very serious. get your priorities straight. you can't have a gaming and audio rig for $1000 unless you're willing to have a "jack of all trades, masters of none" setup. there's a reason most people end up eventually flipping their soundcards for something external.

Yes you can, you just have to choose the right products. Some "serious audiophile" as you would say would not spend more and have a more neutral setup than some 4K fancy rigs.

with the price of external dacs these days, there is no reason to use an internal sound card anymore for serious audio listening.

External dacs don't make a difference with onboard soundcards. You don't need fancy "audiophile" products to have a good rig.

if he is a casual gaming, onboard is fine. if he's a serious gamer, he'll have to buy a dedicated gaming soundcard sometime down the the line.

"serious gamers" hardly go further than a xonar soundcard.

 

[tofu]

too lazy to quote you properly, but no one ever said to go out and buy a $4k rig.

i see you're using the term "Audiophile" in a negative tone, so we'll continue this way. external dacs aren't for "audiophiles" only anymore. unless you have been living under a rock the past year, many external dac options are even cheaper than a card like the xonar ST

as a former "serious" gamer, i can personally attest that soundcards are simply not the way to go anymore for a cost effective audio rig (or any audio rig in general). the amount of interference from the video cards(s), overclocked components, and everything else are just not worth the hassle. In order to get the most out of his soundcard, he'd be forced to buy an expensive, high rated psu from seasonic, likely a new motherboard with better voltage regulation, and a high end soundcard with good isolation like the xonar ST. That doesn't leave much $ for the rest of his rig. By simply taking the internal soundcard out of the equation, he saves himself A LOT of hardware cost and opens up many more options.

now, i'm not the one who suggested that onboard wouldn't be perfectly fine for most gamers, but the other poster seemed to feel that way. i guess he's more "serious" about gaming than i am/was.

 

[chewy4]

HE-400 - $400
Titanium HD - $109
Schiit Magni - $100

That's a great setup for $609. There's not a lot out about the Magni right now, but the O2 or Asgard would be good and still well below budget.
 
External DAC's are a waste of money compared to soundcards most of the time. Worse specs for more money. Audiophile soundcards(Titanium HD/Xonar ST(X)) outperform DACs well outside of their price range. Electrical interference isn't even normally an issue with unshielded soundcards, let alone shielded ones. You don't need to buy a fancy power supply or motherboard...

 

[Puranti]

Quote:

too lazy to quote you properly, but no one ever said to go out and buy a $4k rig.
i see you're using the term "Audiophile" in a negative tone, so we'll continue this way. external dacs aren't for "audiophiles" only anymore. unless you have been living under a rock the past year, many external dac options are even cheaper than a card like the xonar ST
as a former "serious" gamer, i can personally attest that soundcards are simply not the way to go anymore for a cost effective audio rig (or any audio rig in general). the amount of interference from the video cards(s), overclocked components, and everything else are just not worth the hassle. In order to get the most out of his soundcard, he'd be forced to buy an expensive, high rated psu from seasonic, likely a new motherboard with better voltage regulation, and a high end soundcard with good isolation like the xonar ST. That doesn't leave much $ for the rest of his rig. By simply taking the internal soundcard out of the equation, he saves himself A LOT of hardware cost and opens up many more options.
now, i'm not the one who suggested that onboard wouldn't be perfectly fine for most gamers, but the other poster seemed to feel that way. i guess he's more "serious" about gaming than i am/was.

Stopped reading here.

 

[cssarrow]

Since you also need a speaker, it's best to get a 3-1 combo amp/dac/preamp (for the speaker)

Headphones: HE-400 (Highly rated by most HeadFI Members)
Speaker: Audioengine A5 (High rated by most HeadFi Members)
DAC/AMP/Preamp: Xonar Essence One (Highly rated by 6moons, for best 3-1 combo under $1500)

Review: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/asus/1.html

$399
$399
$580
= $1378



Either that, or grab the Audioengine A2 for $200 less = $1178. Listen to it, think about it. Ask yourself, do you like it? If you do, the A5 will be an largely improved version You can then email aduioengine, ask for a refund or exchange. Add $200, then they'll send you A5's.

Future upgrades: Experiment with different op amps for your Essence One until you find a sound that you like. Or go all out and grab some MUSE01's. (+$320)

You can thank me later,

- Timothy
 

 

[krisisidentitas]

Since you also need a speaker, it's best to get a 3-1 combo amp/dac/preamp (for the speaker)
Headphones: HE-400 (Highly rated by most HeadFI Members)
Speaker: Audioengine A5 (High rated by most HeadFi Members)
DAC/AMP/Preamp: Xonar Essence One (Highly rated by 6moons, for best 3-1 combo under $1500)
Review: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/asus/1.html
$399
$399
$580
= $1378
Either that, or grab the Audioengine A2 for $200 less = $1178. Listen to it, think about it. Ask yourself, do you like it? If you do, the A5 will be an largely improved version You can then email aduioengine, ask for a refund or exchange. Add $200, then they'll send you A5's.
Future upgrades: Experiment with different op amps for your Essence One until you find a sound that you like. Or go all out and grab some MUSE01's. (+$320)
You can thank me later,
- Timothy
 

I think the essence one m

Since you also need a speaker, it's best to get a 3-1 combo amp/dac/preamp (for the speaker)
Headphones: HE-400 (Highly rated by most HeadFI Members)
Speaker: Audioengine A5 (High rated by most HeadFi Members)
DAC/AMP/Preamp: Xonar Essence One (Highly rated by 6moons, for best 3-1 combo under $1500)
Review: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/asus/1.html
$399
$399
$580
= $1378
Either that, or grab the Audioengine A2 for $200 less = $1178. Listen to it, think about it. Ask yourself, do you like it? If you do, the A5 will be an largely improved version You can then email aduioengine, ask for a refund or exchange. Add $200, then they'll send you A5's.
Future upgrades: Experiment with different op amps for your Essence One until you find a sound that you like. Or go all out and grab some MUSE01's. (+$320)
You can thank me later,
- Timothy
 

I think the essence one might be a little bit too expensive for me. Should I just get a xonar dx/d1 and get a separate amp like asgard/m-stage?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Hi, I'm planning to build my own PC and I'm having a trouble deciding on the audio parts. My budget is around $1000 and I can go as high as $1300 if I really need to. I'm looking to get a pair of speakers, sound card, and a pair of headphones. Right now, I'm planning to get ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Audioengine a5+, and AKG K550 and Fiio e17 so I can take it on the go. However, my friend recently recommended the HiFiMan HE-400. I read that it's probably the best headphones for that price. My friend also recommended the asgard amps to go with it. So, could someone comment on this or add another suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 
By "take it on the go" do you need to listen to it while moving or just to lug it to a destination where you can sit down and listen? Because the E17 and the STX are basically performing the same task, except one of them uses a battery while the other one has less compromises in the design. Also I'm not sure if you can walk around listening to the HE400, but then I hate how thick full-size headphone cables and larger, open-back cups get in the way when I tried it.
 
If for example I were in your place and I will listen primarily to speakers as my reference system, then headphones only at night (to not piss of other people in the house, of the neighbors), and surround gaming audio isn't important if at least for this, I'd get something like the set-up below :

Speakers : Swan M200MkIII (around $400 I think)
Headphone Amp-DAC-Preamp : NuForce Icon HDP* (around $400)
Headphones : AKG K550**   (around $300)
 
 
 
*(1)You can use its volume knob to control the speakers' volume, mutes it when headphones are inserted, and you'll be using the same DAC circuit for either one - all in tiny box that uses a small netbook power supply that you can take on an extended trip, or if you have a spare compatible PSU, leave one at work and get a bag that can carry your daily stuff plus has a padded compartment for the HDP. One caveat though - as much as its the most versatile for that price I didn't get one because there's a bit too much in the lower midrange with my HD600, but then again I liked Meier amplifiers and more people tend to like NuForce's sound more so you might be in the latter group.
 
(2) Older versions are a lot cheaper too if you can find them; and there's also the D1080MkIV at around $200. The main difference is the cabinet design - not only is the M200 better looking, but the enclosure is larger and probably better dampened, so it may have stronger bass.
 
**Tried it with an Ibasso DX100 I had on loan and this was really good - I ended up listening at the store, standing, for over an hour. My Galaxy S3 is too far from the DX100 and will likely drain its smaller battery sooner but compared to the Focal Spirit Ones, which had 1) small ear cups and 2) non-existent treble with smartphones. Since I'm more likely to let my ears cool than remove my headphones from listening fatigue anyway, I'm getting the K550 myself next year pending reviews on the Fiio X3 player. It might be good enough with my smartphone but not $300 good for me when cash is a little tight, with my car's system a higher priority than a portable personal set-up.