Why ask a question and then try to TELL me my answer when you don't know what I've heard or not? I've heard the HD650 through amps touted as being able to drive them and some were laughable. Discrete non no-discrete isn't a deciding factor of a good amp. While I found the Hornet (which I owned) to drive the HD650 pretty decently, the Gilmore Lite just does it better, and with ease. Ray's products are pretty good, and the E-Mu range are, after all, just tarted up Soundblaster cards, which many go and mod after buying them, Zhaolu style (ie not buying them to use in stock form). And if you're going to say they are professional quality, most serious studios are using either the top of the top E-Mu, or products on a completely different level where you get both dedicated hardware and software provided.
The 0404USB will most likely give improvements. But when you can spend another 50% of the cost for a DAC that will mean you won't feel the urge to upgrade again, why bother with anything in the middle. He shouldn't buy one jack of all trades and then have to buy a DAC AND amp later on. I'd get just one (so the amp) that he can use now, and get the other as money permits.
A DAC outside the PC can introduce just as much 'noise' as it's supposed to eliminate by virtue of being 'outside the noisy box'. For example, cards like the 0404 PCI have a shonky made up break-out cable exposing their SPDIF and COAX ins/outs. These certainly don't conform 100% to the standards of resistance etc for coax/optical cable cos it's just some cheap junk E-Mu used. A lot of ppl reterminate the soundcard with better material. I daresay a similar approach is used in items lower down the 'scale'.
I don't know if you've heard the Gilmore Lite AND the Hornet (and I won't tell you u haven't...), but I HAVE, and I can tell you if I knew how both drove the HD650 before buying, I wouldn't buy the Hornet for HD650. You said (and I agree) that you don't think that the 0404USB would be as good as the Hornet. So thanks for agreeing with me.
Obviously, the OP should try to listen to both (meets/friends) and make his own conclusion. He may not hear a worthwhile difference, despite everything we say here.
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But if you want to get rid of the computer noise, a sound card and amp will not do the trick right? |
If you have audible noise coming from your PC, you've either got a terrible POS sound card (ie. $5 no name job), a signal much too quiet (ie setting everything -20dB in Foobar and then having to crank the external amp will usually result in which noise from the amp being run too hard), or some other issue. Even a Soundblaster Live's lineout connected to an external amp should be fine WRT 'computer noise'. Some ppl think that using optical out isolates an external DAC from electrical noise - while this may be partly/mostly true, the tosLink transmission format (and associated hardare medium) are some of the most poorly specified, with heaps of rebound at the terminations - even the Benchmark DAC1 is guilty of it. I'm sure there is some level of inherent noise that can't be avoided with PC as source, those worried about that should know that once the noise is there, it can't be 'removed' or 'cleaned' away, and should use a stand alone source if they are worried about it's effects. These same people would also most likely poo-poo separate transport and DAC though, so should go for a high quality CDP and use it's analog outs.
@ ERS paper: he's making a joke. It's usually said in reference to someone talkin a lot of hooey. I'm not sure who he's referring to.