[e-alromaithi]

Hey Guys! I have a couple of questions.

I am willing to buy a DT 990 and I already have the Sound Blaster Z sound card. Which one should i take, 250 ohms or 600 ohms ? Is the sound card enough to drive the headphones ?

If not, I believe that I need a DAC with optical input (To benefit from Virtual surround) along with an amplifier ? can you recommend some ? Budget is around $150-200

What is the difference between FiiO D3 DAC & Audioengine D1 DAC ?

EDIT #1: I already have the AKG Q701 (RIP), will DT 990 perform better ? I liked the Q701 but I wanted an another taste

 

[cossix]

As for headphones, definitely don't take the 600ohm version unless you plan on getting a powerful amp. Soundcards won't do that headphone justice, and even the 250ohm version is on the fence in terms of what I would call "percentage of max performance". Explaining that term: If I took my HD650 and plugged it into some cheap laptop with a terrible sound card, it would be operating at some terribly low % of it's potential. If I plugged it back into my balanced Jotunheim it would sound perhaps 90% as good as it ever could.
Back to your point, the lower impedance model you get, the easier your card will power it. I would suggest getting the 32 or 250ohm version. Even with an amp at your $150 budget, 600ohms is pretty tough to drive well enough to be worth it. At least Beyer gives you options!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hey Guys! I have a couple of questions.
I am willing to buy a DT 990 and I already have the Sound Blaster Z sound card. Which one should i take, 250 ohms or 600 ohms ? Is the sound card enough to drive the headphones ?
If not, I believe that I need a DAC with optical input (To benefit from Virtual surround) along with an amplifier ? can you recommend some ? Budget is around $150-200
What is the difference between FiiO D3 DAC & Audioengine D1 DAC ?
EDIT #1: I already have the AKG Q701 (RIP), will DT 990 perform better ? I liked the Q701 but I wanted an another taste

If your really looking into getting 600-Ohm headphones, then really you would also need to invest in an external headphone amplifer (Darkvoice 336SE?).
My suggestion is to combine your headphone and amp budget and buy the Beyerdynamic T90 headphones (250-Ohm).
Plug the T90 directly into the SB-Z card.
The T90 is like the DT990, but the T90 offers jump in clarity.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I am willing to buy a DT 990 and I already have the Sound Blaster Z sound card. Which one should i take, 250 ohms or 600 ohms ? Is the sound card enough to drive the headphones ?

250ohms. That's high enough to get around the SBZ's high output impedance without being a problem for its voltage output.

If not, I believe that I need a DAC with optical input (To benefit from Virtual surround) along with an amplifier?

Yes, you can do this. Even the 250ohm version can benefit without making it all that necessary that you might have to get it ASAP.

can you recommend some ? Budget is around $150-200

One reason why you shouldn't rush that: at that price point you either get no optical input, or you get an optical input but compromises are on the other parts, like the headphone amp circuit.

What is the difference between FiiO D3 DAC & Audioengine D1 DAC ?

D3 has no headphone amp circuit and no preamp output.