Audioengine D1 vs Fiio E17 for Gaming/Gaming Headset

[jonnythrow7]

Hi, I'm a little new to the audio scene, but I would like to upgrade for sure. I currently own a Xonar DX. I'm in the market for a pair of Sennheiser G4ME Zeros as I communicate a lot in-game and would benefit from the built-in mic.
 
I already know the Audioengine D1 and Fiio E17 both have good DAC's and headphone amps, but my question is, which would be better to drive that particular headset, and how would I connect the microphone cable to them? I know external DAC/Amps don't have mic inputs, but could I just connect them both to the headphone jack using a Y-Splitter?
 
Thank you!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hi, I'm a little new to the audio scene, but I would like to upgrade for sure. I currently own a Xonar DX. I'm in the market for a pair of Sennheiser G4ME Zeros as I communicate a lot in-game and would benefit from the built-in mic.
 
I already know the Audioengine D1 and Fiio E17 both have good DAC's and headphone amps, but my question is, which would be better to drive that particular headset, and how would I connect the microphone cable to them? I know external DAC/Amps don't have mic inputs, but could I just connect them both to the headphone jack using a Y-Splitter?
 
Thank you!

 
The Xonar DX is a fairly good sound card,
Nice CS4398 DAC chip
Dolby Headphone 7.1 surround sound
All it really needs is to be paired with a external headphone amplifier.
FiiO E11K, $60
Schiit Magni, $99
 
You might consider getting the Sennheiser HD558 headphones ($85-$120) and any add-on mic you like.
Here is an aftermarket cable ($18-$26) for the HD558, that comes with a 3.5mm jack.
Plug the mic into the Xonar DX's line-input jack.
 
Hopefully you disabled the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the Xonar DX.

 

[jonnythrow7]

So, I would HAVE to use an extra long cable to plug my mic in? Btw, I don't use dolby headphone b/c it sounds like being in a gas station bathroom with sounds bouncing off the walls. The Schiit Magni looks like what I want, but it's only 30 bucks cheaper than the Fiio E17 which comes with a better DAC than the Xonar DX anyway right?
 
I have the onboard sound disabled, but I don't notice any difference with it on.
 
Thank you for your answer!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  So, I would HAVE to use an extra long cable to plug my mic in? Btw, I don't use Dolby Headphone b/c it sounds like being in a gas station bathroom with sounds bouncing off the walls. The Schiit Magni looks like what I want, but it's only 30 bucks cheaper than the FiiO E17 which comes with a better DAC than the Xonar DX anyway right?
I have the on-board sound disabled, but I don't notice any difference with it on.
Thank you for your answer!

 
I'm not sure how much, if any, the WM8740 DAC chip in the E17 is any better then the CS4398 DAC chip in the Xonar DX. (I just do not know).
Even if you do not use the DX's Dolby Headphone, it would still be cheaper just to get the FiiO E11K headphone amplifier ($60) and plug it into the DX.
 
You might consider swapping the Xonar DX for a Sound Blaster Z sound card ($60-$80), it's SBX headphone surround sound might be more to your liking.
and it has a built in (decent) headphone amplifier.
 
But if you just want to get the E17 ($130-$140), then go for it.

 

[jonnythrow7]

Thank you for another informative answer! The reason I don't use virtual surround is b/c I only really use headphones for music and CS:GO, and I prefer listening to very crisp sounds. 
 
I'm willing to spend $150 for whatever the best decent setup is, as I really want the best out of w/e decent headphones I get from Sennheiser (choosing them b/c of their soundstage in FPS games).
 
Question: Is it absolutely worth it (in your opinion) to get an external DAC and AMP, or will it not sound any better than an internal sound card? B/c I just realized that w/ a slightly better soundcard like you mentioned, it would easily drive something like low impedance Sennheisers I'm in the market for.
 
I know I keep flip-flopping what I want, so I'll just layout the options I'm considering in order from cheapest to most expensive:
1. Asus Xonar DX + FiiO E11K
2. Better Asus Soundcard, or something external like the Xonar U7 
3. Asus Xonar DX + Schiit Magni
4. Asus Xonar DX+ FiiO E17 (so that I can also have a good DAC for portable devices)
5. Audioengine D1 (I own Audioengine A2 speakers, so if I went for a complete external setup, I'd need something to plug them into)
 
Please help me decide what is the most logical step to take if I'm just trying to drive a pair of decent Sennheisers to get a good soundstage for music and competitive FPS.
 
Side question: If I went fully external with something like the Audioengine D1, and I were to plugin a headset, I'm assuming I'd need to plugin the mic through an extender into the motherboard mic input yes? I'm also assuming everytime I need to switch from headphone to speaker, I would need to physically unplug the headphone cable?
 
Thank you very much for helping me!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thank you for another informative answer! The reason I don't use virtual surround is b/c I only really use headphones for music and CS:GO, and I prefer listening to very crisp sounds. 
I'm willing to spend $150 for whatever the best decent setup is, as I really want the best out of w/e decent headphones I get from Sennheiser (choosing them b/c of their soundstage in FPS games).
Question: Is it absolutely worth it (in your opinion) to get an external DAC and AMP, or will it not sound any better than an internal sound card? B/c I just realized that w/ a slightly better soundcard like you mentioned, it would easily drive something like low impedance Sennheisers I'm in the market for.
I know I keep flip-flopping what I want, so I'll just layout the options I'm considering in order from cheapest to most expensive:
1. Asus Xonar DX + FiiO E11K
2. Better Asus Soundcard, or something external like the Xonar U7 
3. Asus Xonar DX + Schiit Magni
4. Asus Xonar DX+ FiiO E17 (so that I can also have a good DAC for portable devices)
5. Audioengine D1 (I own Audioengine A2 speakers, so if I went for a complete external setup, I'd need something to plug them into)
Please help me decide what is the most logical step to take if I'm just trying to drive a pair of decent Sennheisers to get a good soundstage for music and competitive FPS.
Side question: If I went fully external with something like the Audioengine D1, and I were to plugin a headset, I'm assuming I'd need to plugin the mic through an extender into the motherboard mic input yes? I'm also assuming everytime I need to switch from headphone to speaker, I would need to physically unplug the headphone cable?

 
(4) Not a lot of portable devices can work with an add-on (portable) DAC (like the E17).
I would say #1 or #3 would make good investments.

 

[jonnythrow7]

Can you please link me an example of a good extender cable for a mic cable on a headset?
I think I'm definitely going to purchase the FiiO E11K, b/c for the same price of the Schiit Magni I could easily just get a cheap external soundcard that powers most headsets.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Can you please link me an example of a good extender cable for a mic cable on a headset?
I think I'm definitely going to purchase the FiiO E11K, b/c for the same price of the Schiit Magni I could easily just get a cheap external soundcard that powers most headsets.

 
This is about how much i would spend for an extension cable (3.5mm)., $1.72+shipping.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021813&p_id=5587&seq=1&format=2

 

[jonnythrow7]

Are there any special things I would need to do to hook it up to the Xonar DX? 

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Are there any special things I would need to do to hook it up to the Xonar DX?

 
Not really, just stick the 3.5mm plug into the Front Speaker jack (might be colored green) on the Xonar DX
and the other of the cable into the line-input on the external headphone amplifier.

 

[jonnythrow7]

That's what I use to plug in my speakers though.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  That's what I use to plug in my speakers though.

 
Your speakers would use the same jack,
but there is also the second connection on the front of the computer case (assuming it's hooked up to the Xonar DX).
So you could have the speakers connected to the back panel and the amplifier (or headphones) connected to the front panel jack.
 
Another option is to just swap the Xonar DX for an Essence STX (used, $130).
It comes with a dedicated and amplified headphone jack and a separate line-output (RCA) that you could use for the speakers.

 

[jonnythrow7]

I've decided to bite the bullet and go the USB external DAC/Amp route. It is clear to me after reading that they're superior, and I'd want to upgrade anyway. The Schiit stack and and Audioengine D1 look most appealing. I'm not sure if I want to spend $130 on another soundcard made by a company that specializes in computer parts and not audio.
 
What's a good way to have an extended mic input mounted to my desk? 
And is there a way to build a switcher to switch between speakers and headphone input?, b/c I frequently switch between headphones and speakers.
 
Thank you for your help once again.