[Enimaz]

Good morning,
 
I'm new to the sound scene and was hoping to get some advice so i dont blow my money on junk. Right now i'm looking at getting the Beyer Dynamic DT990 premium 600ohm Headphones with a Fiio E9 amp.
 
Do i need a good soundcard to make use of these? I was thinking about also getting the Asus Essence ST. it has a "built in amp" If i'm buying a seperate amp should i get a card without an amp? I'm completely lost here.
 
These will be used for gaming while listening to music (i like bass) I'm currently using the tritton AX720 (don't shoot me i'm trying to correct the error of my ways!)
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to stay under $500 for the whole setup.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

Good morning,
 
Do i need a good soundcard to make use of these? I was thinking about also getting the Asus Essence ST. it has a "built in amp" If i'm buying a seperate amp should i get a card without an amp? I'm completely lost here.

 
The built-in amplifier of the Essence ST is more or less the same as the E9, and it makes the latter redundant. If you only have motherboard integrated audio, then buying a sound card or external DAC is recommended for better quality. If you already have/ordered the E9 and intend to use it, then you may also consider the Xonar D2/D2X (cheaper, no built-in amplifier, but good line outs), or the FiiO E17 as an external DAC that can also be used as a portable amplifier. The DAC on the Essence ST is quite good, however, and it is still not a bad choice for the price, and you can use it without the E9.
 

 

[Enimaz]

stv014,
 
Thanks for your response.
 
the Xonar ST is about 180-200ish. Would i be better off getting an amp in that price range and running from the onboard, the fiios E9 + Asus DX/DX2, or sticking with just the Xonar ST?

 

[Canadian411]

I posted many times regarding 600ohm Beyerdynamic headphones.
In short, do not get 600ohm cans if you are planning to use the stock cables.
 
I have RSA SR-71b single ended with DT990 600ohm and it's not enough to drive this can in single ended input.  You have to go balanced in order to get full 4 channels to get some bass boost working.
 
If you really love DT990, get the 250ohm or lower ones, no portable headphone amps can drive 600ohm one in single ended.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

the Xonar ST is about 180-200ish. Would i be better off getting an amp in that price range and running from the onboard, the fiios E9 + Asus DX/DX2, or sticking with just the Xonar ST?

I am not sure about the onboard audio, it may be anything from decent to mediocre/bad, it can only be known for sure by actually testing it. The Xonar ST is overall slightly better than the combination of D1/DX/D2/D2X and E9, if you do not need the E9 as a stand-alone amplifier, or the 7.1 multichannel outputs of the cheaper Xonar cards. For a desktop amplifier, the E9 is good value. Another relatively cheap (~$150) amplifier is the O2, it is better than the E9, but it may not be as easy to get (it is a DIY amplifier that can be bought pre-built from JDS Labs and some others).
 

 

[stv014]

Quote:

If you really love DT990, get the 250ohm or lower ones, no portable headphone amps can drive 600ohm one in single ended.

I think the OP is not looking for a portable amplifier. The E9/ST/STX can output 80 mW to 600 Ohm (the DT770/880/990 can handle up to 100 mW, but tend to distort the bass before reaching that), that is generally enough without equalization - the DT990 already has emphasized bass, so it may not need further boosting. The O2 is slightly more powerful with 88 mW, but this is a minor difference.