[cel4145]

I think you had a very good plan to begin with. This turns into a hobby, and you have found a very good starting point. 

 
With your budget, I would recommend starting with the Xonar STX or Titanium HD, your selected speakers, and headphones; neither sound cards are that much more than the Xonar D1/DX. If you are a gamer, go with the Titanium. If 2 channel audio is more your thing, then the STX. The E17 is a very good choice for a portable amp. 
 
Then spend some time once you get that setup enjoying it. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I think the essence one m
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?

The Xonar DX/D1 with a add-on external headphone amplifier is a good choice.
The Xonar DX/D1 and Essence STX/ST all use the same audio processor, the C-Media CMI8788.

 

[krisisidentitas]

The Xonar DX/D1 with a add-on external headphone amplifier is a good choice.
The Xonar DX/D1 and Essence STX/ST all use the same audio processor, the C-Media CMI8788.

What amp would you recommend? I'm debating between m-stage and asgard, but I'm leaning towards m-stage.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

What amp would you recommend? I'm debating between m-stage and Asgard, but I'm leaning towards m-stage.

I've never used those amps, both seem to be well liked.
Personally, I'm fine with my O2 amp.
 
Try posting your question in these threads, some of the Asgard or M-stage owners might also own both.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/497902/schiit-asgard-unboxing-and-first-impressions
http://www.head-fi.org/t/475618/matrix-m-stage-amp-review-simple-cheap-and-excellent

 

[cssarrow]

My HE-400's didn't like the asgard so much. HE-500 really didn't want anything to do with it (sound wise)
 
O2 amp is good. Whichever Xonar you get that's cheaper with the same dac chip will be fine since you're using an external amp anyways.
STX is only good for it's dac/amp combo.
 
I've never heard the m-stage, but many people seem to like it, so i'll vouch for that.
Headphones: HE-400 and HD600 is both good.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

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.

I would recommend the JDS Labs O2/ODAC instead of the HDP.

 

[proton007]

I would suggest the O2/ODAC combo, because the ODAC provides the line out that can be used for speakers, and the O2 is the amp.
 
Still, if price is an issue, the Xonar STX is alright.

 

[cssarrow]

Yes, after being a NuForce HDP user, i don't really recommend the HDP at all.
 
The DAC is good, no doubt about that, with the sigma? even better. Transparency increase exponentially.

However, it does not do a good job powering higher end headphones/high impedance headphones.
 
It sounds crappy with the HE-500, a little less crappy with the HE-400, and decent with an HD-650.
 
The ODac/O2 has more than twice the driving power.
 
Tim

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Yes, after being a NuForce HDP user, i don't really recommend the HDP at all.
 
The DAC is good, no doubt about that, with the sigma? even better. Transparency increase exponentially.

However, it does not do a good job powering higher end headphones/high impedance headphones.
 
It sounds crappy with the HE-500, a little less crappy with the HE-400, and decent with an HD-650.
 
The ODac/O2 has more than twice the driving power.
 
Tim

 
 
Quote:

I would suggest the O2/ODAC combo, because the ODAC provides the line out that can be used for speakers, and the O2 is the amp.
 
Still, if price is an issue, the Xonar STX is alright.

 
 
Quote:

I would recommend the JDS Labs O2/ODAC instead of the HDP.

 

I actually am not a fan of its SQ but the O2/ODAC don't have a preamp or DAC output; but of course if the end user is fine unplugging the O2 to switch to speakers and reaching over to turn the knob on the master speaker or behind each (instead of in the same box/stack) then it's great.
 

 

[stainless824]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57367525-47/emotivas-astonishing-desktop-speaker/
 
forget a5's, apparently these are the bees knees now

 

[cssarrow]

Quote:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57367525-47/emotivas-astonishing-desktop-speaker/
 
forget a5's, apparently these are the bees knees now

Those are great.

 

[Prava]

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.

 
Mate, most of the time interferences have more to do with your electric installation at home than anything else. I went with an external DAC ONLY because I had too much noise coming through my internal sound cards (and tried some), but If that is not the case there is no reason not to get an ST or STX, specially if they want to have some decent gaming quality (and plan to use Dolby Headphone, that is).
 
After that, you can invest $300-400 in the amp, and the rest on the cans, which would make a great setup.

 

[NamelessPFG]

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.
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.

 
I have my priorities straight, all right. As someone who still plays a lot of games that were built with hardware acceleration from sound cards in mind (which incidentally sound much better for positioning than most recent PC games utilizing software-mixed audio through XAudio2/X3DAudio and FMOD Ex), I will not compromise on proper DirectSound3D and OpenAL support, period. Unfortunately, that requires me to buy X-Fi-based hardware for the time being, but at least my Prelude and Titanium HD work fine.
 
Hell, I even built a retrogaming (as in DOS/Win9x to XP) PC with an Aureal Vortex2 chipset card specifically for A3D support, and the same system also has a Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold (to be replaced with an AWE32 CT2760 whenever I get a case that fits it) for DOS games that specifically leverage the EMU8000 instead of just using it as a General MIDI device. I just need to add a Roland LA synth like an MT-32, CM-32L, or CM-500 to add the final missing bit of old PC game audio hardware.
 
I don't really have any complaints about the sound quality of those cards. It might help that the flagship PC with the X-Fi Titanium HD runs on a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610, Seasonic M12-based, back when the PCP&C name still meant something in the PSU world. Also note that it's the PC with a Stax SR-Lambda at the end of its audio chain, so if there are any inherent flaws in the audio signal at some point, I'll probably know.
 
External DACs aren't a bad idea per se, but a USB DAC just won't cut it for gaming because it's an external sound card with no gaming features, practically speaking, and an S/PDIF DAC still needs a sound card backing it to handle the gaming DSP functions, especially on anything DirectSound3D or OpenAL-based. I just have my doubts that it would sound that much better than a high-end soundcard (as in something Titanium HD or Essence STX-level) with its own DAC, especially for the money spent. Money that could be going to headphones (and an amp, if necessary) instead, where I think you'd be far more likely to hear a difference.

 

[krisisidentitas]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57367525-47/emotivas-astonishing-desktop-speaker/

forget a5's, apparently these are the bees knees now

Do you prefer that or the swan m200mkiii?

 

[stainless824]

i have not yet heard the swans, but i do know that the airmotivs are currently on sale and the airmotiv 5 or 6 are a steal right now. you kind of need a sub for the airmotiv 4 but in a moderate sized room, the airmotiv 6 has all the bass you would need.