[cakedude501]

     I am very new to using better headphones.  i have not gotten the headphones (mentioned above) yet, but am planning on doing it sometime next week, I am planning on primarily using them for gaming and listening to music occasionally.  what I was wondering is if i need a sound card for my compute to get the most out of it.  The motherboard is The Asus - Z97E, I am not sure what the sound chip is, ( I looked all over the page and could not find anything, probably just having a brain fart).  I know that most people suggest using an amp with the ATH-AD700X.  I have looked at some, but am having trouble understanding what I need to look for, but I have found a few that I am interested in through the content here on head-fi, but am not sure if i am going under or over what I need.  Does anyone know what type of amp and/or sound card I will need.  Sorry about how bad my typing is, it has been one of those days.
 
Amp
 
Schiit Audio Vali
 
Schiit Audio Magni
 
And some others that I did not list  due to budget restraints ( I do not want to go to very high prices if i do not have to)
 
If i do need a sound card, I would probably go for one of the Asus Xonar sound cards

 

[PurpleAngel]

Your motherboard comes with the Realtek ALC892 audio processor, so fair decent on-board audio.
The 38-Ohm ATH-AD700X headphone can easily be driven by your motherboard's on-board audio.
The ATH-AD700X are bass light headphones, so you might consider getting other headphone, if you like a decent amount of bass in your music.
 
You might consider getting the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card ($60-$80) and spend the rest of your audio budget for headphones.
The SB-Z should at the least, better a little better for FPS gaming and improved audio quality, over the Realtek ALC892.
 
So if you got the SB-Z, how much would you have leftover for headphones?

 

[cel4145]

Your Asus motherboard has a Realtek ALC892 which is decent for motherboard audio. Given that your AD700X are not too difficult to drive, unless you are running them at near max volume from what your motherboard can provide, you may not see much difference. Plugging a headphone amp into your sound card will have it merely amplify the sound your motherboard can make. So unless you need the extra volume, probably not much benefit by itself.

Since this is primarily for gaming, consider getting a sound card that has virtual surround. Something like the Soundblaster Z could do much more to enhance the gaming experience with the AD700X than simply adding a headphone amp.

 

[cakedude501]

     That would still leave me with about 150 USD for the headphones, the reason why I was planning on getting these headphones was because they are considered extremely good for first person shooters.  If there are better options that do not follow my budget, I can wait longer to get the headphones(more time to save money).  i would rather wait and make the right choice rather than rush into the wrong choice.

 

[lusagi]

       That would still leave me with about 150 USD for the headphones, the reason why I was planning on getting these headphones was because they are considered extremely good for first person shooters.  If there are better options that do not follow my budget, I can wait longer to get the headphones(more time to save money).  i would rather wait and make the right choice rather than rush into the wrong choice.

The AD-700x is good enough for LvlCap(Battlefield youtuber), so make whatever conclusion you want about it.  Amazon or Ebay third party sellers seem to be the way to get them cheap from $120 - $150. From what I have read the higher end models in the series are not as good for directional sound due to tweaks and increased bass making it harder to discern direction.

 

[PurpleAngel]

       That would still leave me with about 150 USD for the headphones, the reason why I was planning on getting these headphones was because they are considered extremely good for first person shooters.  If there are better options that do not follow my budget, I can wait longer to get the headphones(more time to save money).  i would rather wait and make the right choice rather than rush into the wrong choice.

 
The Audio Technica ATH-AD900X should offer a little more bass, then the AD700Xs.
Currently on eBay, there are several you could order straight from Japan for under $150 (new).

 

[cel4145]

+1

Looks like Beach Camera (US based) is selling the AD900X through Amazon for under $150: http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD900X-Open-Back-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU/

 

[cakedude501]

Thank for all of the help.