[st0nedpr0grammr]

Hello Head-Fi!
 
I've read quite a bit of things on this forum, but I never made an account.
 
Lately I've been in quite a conundrum and don't know which route to choose. 
 
I'm about to purchase a pair of DT 990s 250 OHM for desktop use only, and can't decide if:
 
1) Stick with my onboard audio chip which is a Realtek alc892
 
2) Buy a sound card such as Sound Blaster Z
 
3) Buy a AMP/DAC combo 
 
One of my general complaint with my current headphones (Logitech G430) is that they simply don't get loud enough in some games. Music is loud enough, but in some games they simply don't get as loud as I like.
 
Also, not sure if I already said this, but the 990s 250 OHM that I plan to buy will be used 90% of the time for gaming, and 10% of the time for listening to music. I don't plan to use these for anything but my computer.
 
 
Please let me know what you think guys. I've done research for weeks about this but I still can't reach a decision.

 

[Degenerator9000]

Kinda depends on how likely you think you are to get really into audio stuff. Also, how many ohms are your 990s?

The schiit magni2/modi2 are a very nice dac/amp pair that could drive most anything you'd want to in the future for ~200 bucks. If you're thinking you're gonna want harder to drive headphones in the future, they'd be great to have on hand, and there really wouldn't be a need to ever upgrade them if you didn't want to. (outside stax or some orthos, but that doesn't seem to be where you're headed)

If you're not going to be moving on from the 990s anytime soon though, I'd be hesitant to recommend that because the bang/buck isn't there (unless your sound card is horrible and your beyers are 600 or MAYBE 250 ohm).

Not a fan of the Soundblaster Z (or any sound card upgrade tbh), for the price I'd rather go with a dedicated external dac/amp. Tend to be cheaper for the same quality from what I've seen.

 

[st0nedpr0grammr]

Kinda depends on how likely you think you are to get really into audio stuff. Also, how many ohms are your 990s?

The schiit magni2/modi2 are a very nice dac/amp pair that could drive most anything you'd want to in the future for ~200 bucks. If you're thinking you're gonna want harder to drive headphones in the future, they'd be great to have on hand, and there really wouldn't be a need to ever upgrade them if you didn't want to. (outside stax or some orthos, but that doesn't seem to be where you're headed)

If you're not going to be moving on from the 990s anytime soon though, I'd be hesitant to recommend that because the bang/buck isn't there (unless your sound card is horrible and your beyers are 600 or MAYBE 250 ohm).

Not a fan of the Soundblaster Z (or any sound card upgrade tbh), for the price I'd rather go with a dedicated external dac/amp. Tend to be cheaper for the same quality from what I've seen.

Thanks for the advice. Thanks for reminding me to include the ohms, completely forgot. It's the 250 ohm edition. I'm not planning to upgrade from the 990s (if I decide to buy them) for at least 2 years. 
 
http://www.amazon.com/Schiit-SCH-0702-Magni-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00SCBKPW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452933025&sr=8-1&keywords=magni+2
 
http://www.amazon.com/Modi-USB-Digital-Analog-Converter/dp/B00SCCSJVA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452933025&sr=8-3&keywords=magni+2
 
These are the two you're talking about correct? Are these suitable for gaming though (in stereo)?

 

[DangerClose]

Onboard isn't going to work unless it also has an amp on the motherboard, or get a desktop amp.
 
From various other opinions on the subject, seems like a common opinion is if it's for gaming, get a soundcard that's good with games.  Since a normal DAC/amp can't do any special game audio, and won't have built-in Dolby Headphone (fake surround) or similar if you care about that.

 

[st0nedpr0grammr]

  Onboard isn't going to work unless it also has an amp on the motherboard, or get a desktop amp.
 
From various other opinions on the subject, seems like a common opinion is if it's for gaming, get a soundcard that's good with games.  Since a normal DAC/amp can't do any special game audio, and won't have built-in Dolby Headphone (fake surround) or similar if you care about that.

 
I don't care for surround sound (5.1, 7.1 etc). I find that it sounds fake, distant, and over unsatisfying. 
 
Would you still recommend this for stereo headphone gaming?
 
Still can't decide if:
 
1) Schiit amp/dac
2) Schiit amp only because onboard can power up to 600 ohms apparently
3) Sound card

 

[PurpleAngel]

   
I don't care for surround sound (5.1, 7.1 etc). I find that it sounds fake, distant, and over unsatisfying. 
 
Would you still recommend this for stereo headphone gaming?
 
Still can't decide if:
 
1) Schiit amp/dac
2) Schiit amp only because on-board can power up to 600 ohms apparently
3) Sound card

 
If you prefer to listen to audio is stereo audio and not surround sound (5.1 or 7.1).
Then you can just get an external USB sound card, like the FiiO E10K or Schiit Fulla.
The DT990 do have their positives, but from my understanding the Philips Fidelio headphones series (X1 or X2) are like an improved DT990.

 

[DangerClose]

 
1) Schiit amp/dac
2) Schiit amp only because onboard can power up to 600 ohms apparently
3) Sound card

 
My phone can power "600 ohms," but that doesn't mean it will sound good.  There's all sorts of opinions for those "600 ohm" onboard and sound card ratings.  Some people say they work well with 600, others say 250 is about the limit, others say they sound underpowered with 250.
 
I know some people want to point out there's more to such things than just an ohm rating, but we're just talking generalities here.
 
If your onboard is rated for 600, I'd worry more about the ALC892 DAC than I would the amp.  My ALC892 is ok, but I wouldn't want to listen to it every day.
 
Like I said, a main thing I took from various sound card threads around here is if the intention is mainly for playing games, go for a sound card over a desktop setup since game audio is often designed for sound cards, such as EAX and whatever.  More "voices" in your games, etc.  I don't game much, just trying to summarize something I noticed a lot when I was deciding between a sound card and a desktop setup.
 
The X2 used to be heralded for its build quality, which helped justify its price.  So many build problems lately has been a big turn off on it.