[LimeANite]

I'm looking to upgrade my stock laptop output (Realtek HD audio) in anticipation of some new headphones, and I'm looking for some recommendations.  The trouble is, I can see a few possibilities for which direction to go:
 
1. I do a fair amount of gaming, so something with Dolby Headphone (or similar) might be nice.  In that vein, I've been looking at the Xonar U1, U3, Creative 5.1 USB, and Creative HD USB.
 
2.  But from what I've read, those aren't necessarily the best options for sound quality in the price range.  In that case, something like a Fiio E10 might be a better choice perhaps?
 
3.  I'd prefer to keep it under $100, but if I can get significant gains by upping my budget to $200, I might be willing to go that high.  For example, there's an Audio-GD Sparrow in the FS section for $175.  Would I see a large enough increase in quality to justify spending an extra $100 for that?
 
4.  Do I really need a new DAC?  So far, I'm reasonably satisfied with the stock audio, but from what I've read, the phones I'm getting (FA-011) do at least need an amp.  Not sure where to start looking if I go this route.

 

[Head Injury]

You really should get a DAC. It's worth upgrading from your laptop DAC, just in case.
 
The Fiio E7 or E10 are both good choices. The Creative HD USB looks to have a lot of potential. Don't listen to those who will dismiss it simply because it's not an audiophile brand. The Xonar U3 looks very good for the price, and ASUS makes some very good sound cards. Some of their equipment, at least, suffers from high output impedance, but not nearly enough to affect your Fischer headphones. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those four, for their respective prices.
 
If you want to keep it under $100, don't spend more. After that you're already entering diminishing returns.

 

[Astrozombie]

Someone on here said that a $120 DAC + $500 AMP sounded better to them than a $300 DAC + $300 AMP.
Then i read that the Asus Xonar is a really beastly DAC for the PC at $200, but i would have to have it inside only one rig......so...
Now i'm looking at the E10 and the MX-1, then i can experiment with something like the Schiit Asgard later on.

 

[LimeANite]

Quote:

You really should get a DAC. It's worth upgrading from your laptop DAC, just in case.
 
The Fiio E7 or E10 are both good choices. The Creative HD USB looks to have a lot of potential. Don't listen to those who will dismiss it simply because it's not an audiophile brand. The Xonar U3 looks very good for the price, and ASUS makes some very good sound cards. Some of their equipment, at least, suffers from high output impedance, but not nearly enough to affect your Fischer headphones. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those four, for their respective prices.
 
If you want to keep it under $100, don't spend more. After that you're already entering diminishing returns.

Great, thanks for the advice.  It's good to hear that making my wallet suffer further won't add that much   I think it's now down to the U3 or E10/HD USB.  The U3 has the gaming features I'm looking for, while the other two are more music-oriented.  Decisions, decisions...

 
Quote:

Someone on here said that a $120 DAC + $500 AMP sounded better to them than a $300 DAC + $300 AMP.
Then i read that the Asus Xonar is a really beastly DAC for the PC at $200, but i would have to have it inside only one rig......so...
Now i'm looking at the E10 and the MX-1, then i can experiment with something like the Schiit Asgard later on.

Not really sure what you're trying to say here...