[suske]

sup guys. couple of years ago i got some grado sr60i's and love them. after reading here and elsewhere i got the feeling the onboard sound card wasnt really doing them justice so i got a asus xonar dg card with headphone amp. WOW. one of the gain settings really made them come alive. unfortunately my area is prone to power outages and a outage killed the xonar.

but now im spoiled! i want that sound back but dont want to just have another card die. so im thinking a DAC+external amp might be the answer. i picked up this amp: http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PHA40-4-Channel-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B003M8NVFS/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347458886&sr=1-2&keywords=pyle+headphone+amplifier​

it got me more volume and is nice and clear...but it doesnt have that "oomph" that the xonar had. would a DAC help? i also play lots of games and im concerned about sound quality there as well. i have about a $50-$75 budget and there are lots of DACs out there. any ideas where i should go from here?​

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

sup guys. couple of years ago i got some grado sr60i's and love them. after reading here and elsewhere i got the feeling the onboard sound card wasnt really doing them justice so i got a asus xonar dg card with headphone amp. WOW. one of the gain settings really made them come alive. unfortunately my area is prone to power outages and a outage killed the xonar.

but now im spoiled! i want that sound back but dont want to just have another card die. so im thinking a DAC+external amp might be the answer. i picked up this amp: http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PHA40-4-Channel-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B003M8NVFS/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347458886&sr=1-2&keywords=pyle+headphone+amplifier​

it got me more volume and is nice and clear...but it doesnt have that "oomph" that the xonar had. would a DAC help? i also play lots of games and im concerned about sound quality there as well. i have about a $50-$75 budget and there are lots of DACs out there. any ideas where i should go from here?​

Buy another Xonar DG and a UPS power backup.

 

[suske]

Quote:

Buy another Xonar DG and a UPS power backup.

thanks for the input! yeah getting another xonar and a UPS is a option.  honestly i was thinking of a external DAC because it would be a cheaper option. seeing as i already have a external headphone amp. also i never use any of the surround enhancements the xonar has while gaming.  i see a lot of DIY DAC kits out there. building my own sounds like a fun project as well. considering i dont use surround sound and only use the 2 channel grados would i really be missing out on anything if i went with a external DAC? if i connected my pc to one with optical out could i still use the realtek on board sound card for my mic?