[Shu550]

Hi.

I'm a first time poster here and really new to the hifi audio.

I recently was planning to buy the Beyerdynamics 990 and creative e1 for it. A nice and simple setup with not over the top budget. Then I happened to get some extra money and ended up buying the Sennheiser HD600 which has been great. Then I got a second hand soundblaster Z really cheap and I have been happy with both products. (Though my standards might have gotten too high compared to my livelyhood but that's enough about that)

I am hoping to make my setup even better with an external amplifier but I'm really not sure what to get. My budget is about $100-150, maybe MAYBE $200 if you guys can convince me.
Mainly for rock music and gaming. Some movie watching too.

I don't need a DAC since I have the SBZ right? RIGHT?

I was sure about getting the Schiit Magni 2 for $99, but then I read forums too much and started thinking about Magni 2 Uber and then Vali 2, and then I read that you should get a another tube for the Vali 2 and that was just too much for my budget and decision making in this category so I decided to get help from here. Or can I just get the magni 2 and be over it?

I live in the middle of nowhere so I haven't had the chance to visit a hifi shop to experiment the difference between amps.

Should I get just an amp or should I ditch the SBZ and go for something like the Schiit stack?

Help is needed. Let me know what you think.

 

[gerryS]

I have both the soundblaster z and the schiit stack (magni 2 and modi 2 uber)
 
The problem with the soundblaster z is that there really isn't any good way to bypass the amp on the soundcard. One way is to plug into the L/R speaker port instead of the headphone port, but it didn't sound right to me when I did this. The only other way is to use the optical out, in which case you will need a DAC since it is a digital signal, which means you might as well just sell the soundcard unless you want to use the sound effects. You will also need to get the modi 2 uber, as the regular modi 2 doesn't have optical in. 
 
That being said, I have done some testing with an A/B switch between the schiit stack and the soundblaster, with several different tracks and at different volume levels and I could not hear any difference whatsoever between the two with my Sennheiser HD650. Maybe my ears just suck, or I haven't had the experience yet to distinguish between subtle differences in audio, but if there is a difference it is pretty subtle. Also, I have the regular magni 2, not sure if the uber is any different with regards to sound quality.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[FumblingFoo]

  That being said, I have done some testing with an A/B switch between the schiit stack and the soundblaster, with several different tracks and at different volume levels and I could not hear any difference whatsoever between the two with my Sennheiser HD650. Maybe my ears just suck, or I haven't had the experience yet to distinguish between subtle differences in audio, but if there is a difference it is pretty subtle. Also, I have the regular magni 2, not sure if the uber is any different with regards to sound quality.
 
Hope this helps.

 
It's okay I have the same trouble myself telling differences between equipment, even between $$ and $$$$ when $$ is already really good

. The SBZ is probably just really good too. The OP might have to spend $$$ to upgrade the sound quality, like going with a bifrost multibit + Asgard 2 / Valhalla 2 / Lyr 2.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I recently was planning to buy the Beyerdynamics 990 and creative e1 for it. A nice and simple setup with not over the top budget. Then I happened to get some extra money and ended up buying the Sennheiser HD600 which has been great. Then I got a second hand soundblaster Z really cheap and I have been happy with both products. (Though my standards might have gotten too high compared to my livelyhood but that's enough about that)
I am hoping to make my setup even better with an external amplifier but I'm really not sure what to get. My budget is about $100-150, maybe MAYBE $200 if you guys can convince me.
Mainly for rock music and gaming. Some movie watching too.
I don't need a DAC since I have the SBZ right? RIGHT?
I was sure about getting the Schiit Magni 2 for $99, but then I read forums too much and started thinking about Magni 2 Uber and then Vali 2, and then I read that you should get a another tube for the Vali 2 and that was just too much for my budget and decision making in this category so I decided to get help from here. Or can I just get the magni 2 and be over it?
I live in the middle of nowhere so I haven't had the chance to visit a hifi shop to experiment the difference between amps.
Should I get just an amp or should I ditch the SBZ and go for something like the Schiit stack?
Help is needed. Let me know what you think.

 
For headphone surround sound, your not budgeting enough.
If for music or any other 2-channel (stereo) audio, you could hook up an external headphone amplifier to the SB-Z's Front Speaker jack.
Massdrop will sometimes do a group buy on the Darkvoice 336SE tube amp.

 

[Shu550]

   
For headphone surround sound, your not budgeting enough.
If for music or any other 2-channel (stereo) audio, you could hook up an external headphone amplifier to the SB-Z's Front Speaker jack.
Massdrop will sometimes do a group buy on the Darkvoice 336SE tube amp.

What do you recommend for surround sound? I had been thinking about the gsx1000 from Sennheiser.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  What do you recommend for surround sound? I had been thinking about the gsx1000 from Sennheiser.

 
Guess the Sennheiser GSX1000 is a good DAC/amp.
Just not sure how it does it's headphone surround sound using a USB connection.
As USB sound cards normally use software for headphone surround sound processing, but the GSX1000 does not come with any software.
 
Guess you could get a Hifimediy optical DAC/amp ($60) then spend the rest of your budget for a headphone amplifier.
The SB-Z card can send it's headphone surround sound thru optical.