[ichiveritas]

My audio setup is in its infancy. I have a pair of senn 580's I bought here and I picked up this audio card. Now it says it has an amp and dac built in. Are either of these adequate? I also bought a bantam DAC kit but I'm working on the nerve to solder those tiny pieces! Thanks.

 

[TheManko]

Yes they are most certainly adequate. I'm not sure how it compares to a bantam DAC since I know nothing about it, but as a all in one solution for headphones it's very good considering its price.

 

[JMT391]

That card uses the same DAC chip as the Musical Fidelity V-DAC, so yes, the DAC is quality stuff. From personal experience, it does sound great.

I can't comment on the amp though, mainly because I dont have experience with other headphone amps. They do drive pretty much anything well, though. If you aren't satisfied, you can always upgrade the opamp chip.

 

[ichiveritas]

Thanks a lot for the advice so far guys. Much appreciated!

The more reading i do it seems there is some debate as to how adequate the amp is but is it fair to say the DAC is not in question? I hate to show more of my ignorance but the musical fidelity V-DAC is like 300 bucks alone so when the card has the same chip does it really work out to being equal?

 

[Zac.R]

Hi Guys - as you can see from my posts, I'm new to Head-Fi.

I recently bought HD 650's. I trialled both the HD 800's and HD 650's before settling on the 650's mainly due to lack of funds. I currently run my 650s through the Xonar STX.

As mentioned above, the DAC is of high quality, especially for a sound card. Also, as mentioned, the issue therefore becomes that of the amp and whether or not it has enough power to run cans such as the 650's. I can say from personal experience - it has more than enough. So much so, that I prefer the STX over the Lehmann Black Cube that was powering the 650's during my trial. I say more than enough and I mean just that - when at my loudest listening volume, I have media monkey volume control at 70% and the Xonar STX panel control on just 20%. For extended periods, I take it down to 15%.

In no way is the power of the amp (and I know it's hard to fathom as it is a sound card) lacking. Infact, I sometimes worry that maybe I should be keeping the gain setting of the STX panel on 64db - 300db instead of the higher, 300 - 600db setting.

Anyway, I have been reading this forum for a while, thought I would join and put in my two cents... cheers.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ichiveritas /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks a lot for the advice so far guys. Much appreciated! The more reading i do it seems there is some debate as to how adequate the amp is but is it fair to say the DAC is not in question? I hate to show more of my ignorance but the musical fidelity V-DAC is like 300 bucks alone so when the card has the same chip does it really work out to being equal?

What you have to remember about external gear is a great deal of the budget has to be devoted to components that make it external. Parts like the casing, controls, PSU..jacks...etc. That take up quite a bit of the budget for many units.
I have not heard that DAC so I cannot comment on it's sound.