Hi I purchased a Sennheiser HD 800 and Beyerdynamic A1 AMP, recommended from a friend of mine. I pulled out a speaker male to female cable out of my BOSE speakers and I'm using that to connect my amp to my laptop.
Just to clarify, that's a "low-level"* connection cable - headphone out and lineout - while a true speaker cable is a "high-level"** connection. Note that in shared jacks, depending on the circuit design and cable quality, noise and even signal transmission quality
can be compromised, but I'll get to more on that below.
*In simplest terms, unamplified
**In simplest terms, amplified
Quote:
Do I need a DAC if I already have a AMP?
Each has a different task. A
Digital to
Analogue
Converter does exactly that - 1's and 0's of digitally encoded music get converted into an electronic signal that, when
amplified, can move a transducer (headphone or speaker) and that's what produces what we hear. Technically, some boxes have both, so don't be surprised to see a DAC with a headphone output and what is normally referred to as an amp having a USB input, but depending on the design, there can be compromises to either circuit design* which is why some people may upgrade and add a dedicated component.
Also, technically, your laptop's soundcard circuit has both - it decodes the 1's and 0's and sends out a signal that's a compromise for driving a wide variety of ear/headphones, sending a signal to powered speakers, packaging and reliability (size, heat), and power (laptop battery life). So technically, you already have a DAC, but the question is how good it is at decoding those 1's and 0's, as well as whether its analog output stage transmits the signal faithfully to the intended amplifier, which has different specification requirements. A 300ohm headphone for example has different needs from a 10kohm input going into a preamp(stage), and your laptop output basically designed with too many compromises (not that it was even tested feeding the A1 and driving the HD800). In short -
most likely yes - the trick is in choosing a DAC that does the job well in decoding and whether the output stage sends a faithful signal without coloring it, or has an extreme impedance mismatch with the next component, or the signal is too weak** or distorts.
*ie, an amp with not enough power or current (or both) in a DAC, or an amp with a basic USB DAC that serves to either make for a minimalist system, or as a back-up in case your other quality source - be it a DAC, CDP, or TT - that is usually
(but not always) better than most laptops and mainstream portable music players
**2volts is CD standard, but that doesn't mean that a clean 1.5v output is "bad" for short connections (you aren't running the cable from one room to another, or that 2.2v output is automatically "best." In car audio receivers some Alpines have 4v, Pioneers and Eclipses used to have as high as 6.5v, and Denon/Nakamichi used 1.8V to 2V, but there is measurable distortion when you crank up the high-voltage outputs to that spec anyways, overall despite using a 4m long cable, you still end up setting up the gain roughly below 3v.
I'm really new to this audio experience and I would really like your input.
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I also ordered a Aqudioquest king cobra cable to hook it up to my CD player. What would I need to have the best sound quality from my laptop to my headphones?
Don't take this the wrong way, and instead as the most useful advice I can give you : given all I had to write above on top of your own admission of being new in the hobby, don't be in a rush to blow your money, especially on accessories like cables. As much as I'd risk getting drawn into that endless cable debate, think about it: the artist and the studio that recorded whatever you're listening to may have spent thousands of dollars on the guitars (and violins, brass, etc) and amps alone plus the drums (and those wear out quicker than strings), then thousands more on the consoles and the monitor speakers, hundreds on each microphone - then they connect each of that with something like Belden or Canare that you can buy a chunk off a spool of unterminated cable for the price of 1m of the King Cobra (you could probably buy all their plugs instead of the cable for that $250).
I mean, think about it - if you're buying your first guitar, would you get a $250 Fender or Ibanez that probably comes with a 10W amp, or would you jump straight to a $1,500 ESP? Sure, in your case appreciation and familiarity with the music is more important than skill in shredding* a few riffs, but part of that learning process comes with knowing how each equipment helps the system overall. Of course, that's not to mean you constantly buy stuff and repeatedly side-grading, but there's a fine line between side-grades, and an incremental upgrade for a lot more money, and lots of small losses while selling off other gear along that way.
Since you have a friend who recommended the equipment to you, can you try out his gear too? Borrow some spare cables and compare those with the kind you probably got free with a BluRay player (heck, maybe the A1 came with those), to know for yourself if you can hear a difference.
*and of course scratching up the learner guitar and learning to maintain it - changing strings, keeping it free of oil after use, not knocking it around, etc
! However, it does support up to 600ohms so that's something! But for $659 they couldn't throw in a cable, sheesh!
