[TwelveTrains]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD380's and I like them. I had the HD280's for a while but they weren't that comfortable for me. I  listen to music almost exclusively from my computer. I do a little gaming as well. Originally I was plugging them straight into the integrated audio on my motherboard, which sounded abhorrent, so I bought a Creative X-Fi Titanium, which improved the sound incredibly. I have heard more and more that amplifiers can greatly benefit some headphones, so naturally, I have been doing some research on an amplifier. I am also confused about whether or not I need a DAC, or does my sound card already do this? I was looking at the Fiio E10, Nuforce u-DAC-2, or Nuforce HDP. Or would these things make the soundcard I purchased not do anything?  I might end up trying out more closed headphones in the future such as AKG K271 mkii, Beyerdynamic DT770. I've been sticking to closed designs because I have roommates, otherwise I would probably buy some Sennheiser HD650's. I am just starting to get into something other than basic audio and I only have a rudimentary grasp on some of these things. 

 

[Alpha 904]

Getting a dac is not absolutely necessary.  It's just that many people find that a dac improves the sound, most likely due the better chipset used in the dac compared to the stock sound card. It just depends on how much you want to improve the sound.

 

[TwelveTrains]

Basically I'm looking for the best closed headphone setup possible. Any recommendations welcome =).

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

Basically I'm looking for the best closed headphone setup possible. Any recommendations welcome =).

That's easy. Get the best closed headphone available. D2000s and the A900x are fantastic closed cans. Your sound card will be enough to drive these, amps for stuff like this is overrated in terms of sound improvements, and frankly unnecessary. If $5000 amps could make my HD428s sound like LCD-2s, I wouldn't have bought a LCD-2 now, wouldn't I? 

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

Getting a dac is not absolutely necessary.  It's just that many people find that a dac improves the sound, most likely due the better chipset used in the dac compared to the stock sound card. It just depends on how much you want to improve the sound.

DAC's aren't absolutely necessary? I though they were