Computer -> (???) -> Headphones

[Fungi]

My current setup is Creative Audigy 2 ZS -> Logitech speakers -> Sennheiser HD 280 Pro.
I'm aware of all the downfalls of this, but the volume knob on the speaker's controller is nifty. And I bought this stuff *before* I was concerned with audio quality.
But the sound quality, I don't know. I have to fiddle with EQ to get it sounding decent. I admit, I don't know how good my ears are, but I'm willing to leap in to audiophile territory and find out. And I'm reading lots of good things about these headphones and I'd like to give them proper treatment

So my question is this: If I were to get something, like a sound card and/or DAC and/or amp, to put between my headphones and the source (computer), and was looking to spend no more than $250, what would be a good way to go?
If the loss of sound quality is not great, I'd rather go cheaper.

 

[sgrossklass]

First of all, a little amp wouldn't be bad - Headphone outs on Logitech speaker sets are notorious for being very crappy. You should notice a large difference going to the A2ZS directly - try it. What to do then depends on whether your current cans still match your usage profile - if it's dead quiet all around, then some nice open cans would be a good investment and another sound card could wait a bit (use good-quality resampling to 48 kHz in the meantime), otherwise keep your HD280s and get something like a Juli@.

 

[El Condor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungi My current setup is Creative Audigy 2 ZS -> Logitech speakers -> Sennheiser HD 280 Pro. I'm aware of all the downfalls of this, but the volume knob on the speaker's controller is nifty. And I bought this stuff *before* I was concerned with audio quality. But the sound quality, I don't know. I have to fiddle with EQ to get it sounding decent. I admit, I don't know how good my ears are, but I'm willing to leap in to audiophile territory and find out. And I'm reading lots of good things about these headphones and I'd like to give them proper treatment So my question is this: If I were to get something, like a sound card and/or DAC and/or amp, to put between my headphones and the source (computer), and was looking to spend no more than $250, what would be a good way to go? If the loss of sound quality is not great, I'd rather go cheaper.

I have a setup similar to yours and a budget similar to yours (maybe a bit more). As the other poster said, plugging your headphones directly to your sound card will already be a big difference on your logitech speakers. The next step (given your budget) would maybe be to get a DAC/Headphone amp like the Zhaolu D2.5C (about $250 without the discrete amp upgrade) and to output digital through your Audigy S/PDIF. That's most probably the setup I'll be getting pretty soon. I'll get it and let you know how it sounds through my Grado RS-1s.

The Zhaolu D2.5 makes it so that your setup will be very flexible. You won't be stuck with a USB DAC or the such (something I was trying to avoid to get the best out of the component I was going to get).

 

[Fungi]

I did what you said and connected it directly, and it definitely sounds cleaner.
EDIT: Seems like it could use a bit more bass, should I just EQ that or is that a result of the 64ohm impedance?

Open cans aren't an option for me because it's not quiet enough.
What exactly do you mean by "a little amp wouldn't be bad" ?
Also, where could I find information on resampling? I tried googling it and found some on 48->44, but not much on the other way around.

 

[El Condor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungi I did what you said and connected it directly, and it definitely sounds cleaner. EDIT: Seems like it could use a bit more bass, should I just EQ that or is that a result of the 64ohm impedance?

Sure thing, Equalize to your heart's content

whatever sounds good to you. This is the ultimate test in the end. If you enjoy it thoroughly, then nobody can tell you you're wrong. The experience is entirely subjective. Audio quality is not subjective, but what you'll like to listen as far as sound signature goes is your own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungi Open cans aren't an option for me because it's not quiet enough. What exactly do you mean by "a little amp wouldn't be bad" ? Also, where could I find information on resampling? I tried googling it and found some on 48->44, but not much on the other way around.

In the case of the Audigy 2 ZS, we're talking about upsampling without your consent

. You can find some info here.

http://www25.big.or.jp/~jam/audiocard/audigy/

Actually, this thread I started up recently talks about the Audigy 2 ZS and some things that you might find interresting regarding Plugins on foobar, FLAC, ASIO and Udial to test your sound card.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...igy+upsampling

 

[pheonix991]

I have the same soundcard. You may want to invest in a splitter till you get a dac. I use one for my speakers and my a900's.

You may want to build an amp or buy one for your headphones.

 

[El Condor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pheonix991 I have the same soundcard. You may want to invest in a splitter till you get a dac. I use one for my speakers and my a900's. You may want to build an amp or buy one for your headphones.

The Zhaolu D2.5C is an external DAC and a headphone amp. He could get both for his price rance of about $250

and just output digital through S/PDIF to it (mini toslink to toslink). Plus I personally think the Zhaolu D2.5 looks gorgeous

 

[Headphoner]

All headphones I own (Beyer 990, Sen 650, Sen 600, Shure E4c) sound considerably better to my ears after EQ. So EQ to your heart's content!

 

[Fungi]

The Juli@ looks like a good plan, but how does the Chaintech AV710 compare? It's really cheap and it seems to be getting good reviews, so if I go that route I have some money left for an amp or something.

 

[alex_cs]

fungi if you have a limited budget, i completely suggest the AV-710 optical out to a DAc like the Lite DAC-AH. that sohuld fit into your budget, but from there you will want some kind of amp, between the DAC and headphones.

my advice is, dont rush it, figure out your budget over a few months, pick the items you cna reasonably save for and afford. its not worth shelling out for a juli@ if your budget is limited, the chaintech performs very well for a 20-30USD soundcard!

a zhaolu is another option in your price range, but it is more expensive than the lite dac (at least in aust) and it features a built in headphone amp.

but again, if youre short of money, dont sweat it. much, MUCH better to save your money, do a lot of research, and figure it out over a few weeks/months. human nature really goes against you here, believe me

youll be right, but a great start is a chaintech and DAC-AH.

word of advice, get rid of the speakers, or just run them off your current setup, and your phones off your future setup

 

[bpower]

Hey guys, what about a BitHead for 200 bucks? It has an amp and dac built in (or so I've read on the amp forum). Would this not be a good solution, (Im in the market for a similar solution so I'd like to know)