[Nihl]

I've been using a pair of Philips Fidelio X1's for awhile now. Still using the stock cable, but I do have a v-moda cable sitting on the shelf that's just waiting to be used. It's just a tad too short to reach the back-end of my PC, though. These headphones are mostly used for listening to music with a bit of gaming (I don't take them away from my PC). I'm starting to look at amps for some sound boost; as of right now it's currently pluged directly into a Asus Xonar DX sound card, which is directly installed inside my PC. I've been looking at the schiit magni and the O2 amp.

Any recommendations or insight? Thanks guys.

 

[Trunks159]

The Fidelio X1, unlike most headphones its size, don't need a lot of amplification.  A Schiit Magni is overdoing it. I'd go with just buying a Fiio E11, or a Fiio X3.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I've been using a pair of Philips Fidelio X1's for awhile now. Still using the stock cable, but I do have a v-moda cable sitting on the shelf that's just waiting to be used. It's just a tad too short to reach the back-end of my PC, though. These headphones are mostly used for listening to music with a bit of gaming (I don't take them away from my PC). I'm starting to look at amps for some sound boost; as of right now it's currently plugged directly into a Asus Xonar DX sound card, which is directly installed inside my PC. I've been looking at the Schiit Magni and the O2 amp.
Any recommendations or insight? Thanks guys.

 
The Asus Xonar DX sound card has more then enough juice to drive headphones.... but it's headphone output jack has a impedance of around 100-Ohms.
Which might be giving the Fidelios a bloated (louder, less detailed) bass and limiting the over all volume range
Technically with 30-Ohm headphones (like the Fidelio) it would be preferred to plug the headphones into a source that has an output impedance of 3-Ohms (or less).
Luckily both the Schiit Magni and O2 (Objective 2) amplifiers comes with an output impedance of less then 1-Ohm
I've been recommending the Xonar DX (with O2 or Magni) combo for a year or two, so far no ones has sent me any saying they were unhappy with the combo.
 
Hopefully you have disable the motherboard's on-board audio? in the BIOS.
Might also try the "Unified Xonar Drivers" with the DX.

 

[Nihl]

Hmm, two conflicting answers. 

One stating the magni is over doing it, while the other praising it. Who to trust? lol

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hmm, two conflicting answers. 
One stating the Magni is over doing it, while the other praising it. Who to trust? lol

 
I would not say so much a conflict as different ideas to solve the same problem.
My $27 FiiO E6 headphone amplifier could easily drive the Fidelio headphones..
My $60 FiiO E11 has way more then enough power to drive the Fidelio headphones (my E11 can drive all my headphones).
Not sure why the FiiO X3 is recommended, it would make the Fidelios sound nice, but the DX already handles the DAC stuff and the X3 is almost twice the price of the Magni/O2.
 
The Magni/O2 are the cheapest and well liked and most recommended desktop AC powered headphone amplifiers.
(where as the E6 and E11 have batteries that need to be recharged).