[PurpleAngel]

just curious - will anyone here still recommend an internal sound card in this day and age? Is Fiio E10 still the best budget option for external DAC?

A used Sound Blaster Z sound card (eBay, $60), comes with an older, but decent (CS4398) DAC chip.
And it's built in headphone amplifier is best with headphones in the 100-Ohm to 250-Ohm range.
Would expect to give 32-Ohm headphones a bloated bass, which some might even like.
A used Sound BlasterX AE-5 would offer a better DAC and headphone amplifier.
But for around or over $150, I would go for an external DAC/amp.
Something small, that can be moved from computer to computer.

 

[dylansmith]

i don't need a headphone amp though. which will be a better choice then?

 

[PurpleAngel]

i don't need a headphone amp though. which will be a better choice then?

Maybe a Schiit Fulla DAC/amp or FiiO Q1 MKII DAC/amp.
For a sound card, the Sound BlasterX AE-5.

 

[tmb821]

I just got a fiio k3. I run it from my laptop and I can say that the difference in sound is definitely noticeable from the built in sound card. Bonus is that I can use it on my tablet as well, I can even pair it with my iPhone if I wanted.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I just got a fiio k3. I run it from my laptop and I can say that the difference in sound is definitely noticeable from the built in sound card. Bonus is that I can use it on my tablet as well, I can even pair it with my iPhone if I wanted.

FiiO K3 looks like a good bang for the buck unit.

 

[SkySilent]

Is K3 worth it over E10K? Since reading this review, I have doubts:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iew-and-measurements-of-fiio-k3-dac-amp.6859/

 

[tmb821]

FiiO K3 looks like a good bang for the buck unit.

I love mine. Makes my Samsung tab-a sound better playing through my powered speakers using the line out. I also found a way to get power to the k3 without using the power from the tablet. It also powers my iems in balanced without any noise. I find that it can also adequately power my akg k240s. It’s small and portable so I can take it with me to my semi truck without much fuss.

 

[tmb821]

Is K3 worth it over E10K? Since reading this review, I have doubts:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iew-and-measurements-of-fiio-k3-dac-amp.6859/

I’ve never used the e10k, but I’ve read that the k3 has a little less power, but makes up for it with the better dac chip and having balanced and single ended outputs.

 

[tmb821]

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/fiio-k3-review/

Pretty good comparison I thought.

 

[SkySilent]

I think E10K would be enough for me. I don't use headphones with balanced 2.5 mm cable, so a more powerful 3.5 mm output of E10K is a plus in my book. E10K is also cheaper, and I personally prefer analog volume control over the digital one.

 

[Satori]

Hoping someone can offer some experience with a modern internal soundcard

 

[cel4145]

Hoping someone can offer some experience with a modern internal soundcard

PCs can still sometimes be noisy environments for internal sound cards.

Meanwhile, the technology for external DACs has dramatically improved. You can get a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle for $40 from Amazon that is extremely accurate, as good as the best $200 desktop DAC / amps. Check out these reviews https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tempotec-sonata-hd-pro.24181/

So there is even less reason to go with an internal sound card these days.

 

[cmrheadphones]

PCs can still sometimes be noisy environments for internal sound cards.

Meanwhile, the technology for external DACs has dramatically improved. You can get a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle for $40 from Amazon that is extremely accurate, as good as the best $200 desktop DAC / amps. Check out these reviews https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tempotec-sonata-hd-pro.24181/

So there is even less reason to go with an internal sound card these days.

Can I connect this to my amp (Tanget Ampster II) via rca and connect the usb end to my PC so that I can have sound output via my bookshelf speakers (currently have the amp connected to my Ausus Xonar D2) I tried an apple dongle but volume output was way too low.

I have proably explained the above very badly - sorry!

 

[cel4145]

Can I connect this to my amp (Tanget Ampster II) via rca and connect the usb end to my PC so that I can have sound output via my bookshelf speakers (currently have the amp connected to my Ausus Xonar D2) I tried an apple dongle but volume output was way too low.

I have proably explained the above very badly - sorry!

Yes. You can. And it makes sense.

The Tempotec has 2V output, whereas the apple dongle only has 1V. 2V is the standard for DAC's.

 

[cmrheadphones]

Yes. You can. And it makes sense.

The Tempotec has 2V output, whereas the apple dongle only has 1V. 2V is the standard for DAC's.

Many thanks for your reply - most useful.

Interesting to learn about the voltage output. I actually already own the Hidizs Sonata so (Tempotec rebadge) so will try with that and see if it sounds better than the soundcard... think I am down the rabbit hole.