[Hevan]

Thx for the replies all
 
@ wiinippongamer I tried many different, also tried some infected mushroom
 
I boxed the HD 598 and shipping them on tuesday and tomorrow (monday) I will order the beyer 990 pro.
 
I'm getting totally confused regarding "DAC's / AMP's"
 
So what an amp does it increases the sound volume and improves the sound quality right?
 
What does a dac do then? And I see some people combining the two.
 
I don't have a big budget, initially for just headphones my budget was 100$, and I never heard from an amp or dac before in my live for headphones before I came here But I figured if I'm gonna jump into it I might aswell do it decently (Got a lot of money to spend on study which costs a lot so I don't have a lot left usually)
 
I've read good things about the "pa2v2" amp from Gary, does this one also increase sound quality? Since I hear from other cheap ones like the fiio E5 that it only increases volume.
 
What would a DAC add? And any recommendations? (My sound card atm is a Club 3D Theatron Agrippa (an exact copy of Auzentech X-Plosion)).
 
 
Really appreciate the info so far from everyone, thanks a lot!!!

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

Great choice, I am sure you will enjoy the DT990's far more.
 
From what I understand a good headphone amp doesnt just increase volume levels, it allows the headphones to open up & sound more lively, headphones are like speakers, you pop a pair of speakers on a tinny little amp & they will sound err well TINNY! put them on a great amp & they come alive.
 
A DAC is digital, it converts digital 0 & 1's into analogue which is what we listen too, a soundcard has a DAC built in, sometimes quite a good one but is let down by other parts around it, a good DAC will add better clarity to the signal, feed that better signal into a good amplifier & your on your way to audio bliss (but that costs money)

 

[Hevan]

Thx for the quick response
 
How much would a DAC cost? I saw some good looking amps but then I looked at the price of 150$+, which is really a lot imo
I think the pa2v2 should be good bang for the buck for 60$ amps? I'm just wondering how big the impact is with an amp

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

DAC's can cost as much as you are willing to pay, some are under £100, some are approaching £1000, naturally you get what you pay for but if you are on a budget then the Fiio E7 is a DAC & a headphone amp, some say its more of a DAC as the headphone amp part is not that great, but you could always add a better amp to it when more money is available.

 

[Graphicism]

You soundcard has an amp and DAC built in, so improvements from purchasing cheap amps/DACs would be questionable.
 
If you're considering the 250/600 Ohm Beyers I would suggest an OTL tube amp.

 

[Thommohawk]

Yes as has been stated, a DAC is essentially an off board sound card, it will either have an amplifier built in or it won't. But it performs the same function regardless. It's just you'll require an amplifier in order to hear a DAC do it's thing. Basically in simple terms the difference between a high quality soundcard (say Creative X Fi Fatal1ty or Asus Essence ST) vs low quality (often horrible sounding) on board audio is the DAC quality. Thinking about it in those terms a DAC suddenly becomes a necessity lol. 
 
So that's what a DAC does, improves the quality of the audio stream significantly. 
 
The great thing with a portable DAC/Amp unit  like the Fiio E7 is that you can plug it in to any headphone out port and have improved audio. But as stated the amp section of it isn't great though hence why the Fiio E9 is often mentioned as a strongly suggested upgrade to go with the E7. 
 
Like you said, if you're going to do it, do it decently.  

 

[OneSec]

You guys are pushing a student towards abyss... From getting a headphone, to an amp, now a dac.
 
And he didn't even hear a decent setup before.
 
If you are going to spent that 'decent' amount, please go audit the headphones, or at least pay a visit to a friend who has a decent setup and listen to it. Nothing replaces live experience.
 
As much as these people can advice, there is no one that can guarantee you will getting whats best for you, except your ears.
 
I apologize if I'm being harsh but I hate to see student money spent like this. If Hevan tested the combination, and confirm that's what he want, that's totally fine but now...
 
Honest I would welcome Hevan to come to my place, and listen to some of the headphones I have got (though its a tiny collection), or even offer him a drive to some headphone shops to listen to them, which is kinda impossible for me unless he stays in Malaysia...

 

[Digital-Pride]

     Quote:

You guys are pushing a student towards abyss... From getting a headphone, to an amp, now a dac.
 
And he didn't even hear a decent setup before.....<snip>

But, pushing new members over the abyss is what we do here at Head-Fi.

  Didn't you get the memo?

 

[rroseperry]

OP, if you're thinking about the Beyerdynamics, don't buy the higher ohm versions. You will need an amp, otherwise, you'll be back again in X days wondering why they don't sound good.

If you're wanting an exciting (which seems to mean lots of bass punch) you can get a cheaper headphone that may be as satisfying for you.

I know people like to throw $$ after the gear here, but you should be trying cheaper models to find out what headphone you like rather than buying all the auxiliary gear. That can come later.

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

Soundcards do have some quite high spec DAC's on them, but I tried one of the better cards & still a relatively basic external DAC which was only based on the PCM270x which are not known for their great analogue out sounded more crisp, I could only explain it as lesser parts, a soundcard has lots of extra stuff for the music to pass through, as it is designed for gaming, not only music.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

You guys are pushing a student towards abyss... From getting a headphone, to an amp, now a dac.
 
And he didn't even hear a decent setup before.
 
If you are going to spent that 'decent' amount, please go audit the headphones, or at least pay a visit to a friend who has a decent setup and listen to it. Nothing replaces live experience.
 
As much as these people can advice, there is no one that can guarantee you will getting whats best for you, except your ears.
 
I apologize if I'm being harsh but I hate to see student money spent like this. If Hevan tested the combination, and confirm that's what he want, that's totally fine but now...
 
Honest I would welcome Hevan to come to my place, and listen to some of the headphones I have got (though its a tiny collection), or even offer him a drive to some headphone shops to listen to them, which is kinda impossible for me unless he stays in Malaysia...

I'm far from rich, in fact I'm quite poor as well. But quality costs money and not just in audio world, I never once said or even suggested anything about priority corrections. That's down to the individual and circumstances. But the fact remains if he's buying quality headphones then he'll need to spend decent money on decent equipment and that includes the supporting hardware. Maybe not immediately, but over time it'll happen. 
 
If quality was really cheap everyone would go for it and audiophilia would be a mass thing rather than the niche that it is. But speaking of prices - nobody should spend what they aren't comfortable with on a whim. Especially when it's a gamble purchase - unless as you say they've already demo'd the equipment but even then that's not ideal either unless it's a home demo. Which just isn't possible or feasible for some people. 

 

[Hevan]

Lol ^^ Don't worry, I'm nowhere near an abyss yet

I bought the 250 ohms Beyer DT990 PRO, ariving this morning (in like 8-10 hours) can hardly wait! )

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

I can almost feel your excitement from over here

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Lol ^^ Don't worry, I'm nowhere near an abyss yet

I bought the 250 ohms Beyer DT990 PRO, ariving this morning (in like 8-10 hours) can hardly wait! )

Congratulations man, I hope you'll be happy with your new headphones. You won't be found wanting for bass when called for - and you'll hear everything the drummer is doing  
 
I don't think I mentioned this, but the Beyer DT 990 Pro is simply amazing for blu ray movies and gaming!! Especially for immersion.

 

[Hevan]

@ Cliff-Samuels )
 
@Thommahawk Your words make me even more excited
Few hours left, then it will arrive, at last! )

I'm going to sleep now (02:30 in the night here) good night everyone!