Fiio DAC vs Sound Card for audio PC
Jan 7, 2015 at 3:06 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 37
paulguru

paulguru

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A good usb DAC like Fiio E10K as sound quality is better or worst than Sound Blaster Z / Asus Phoebus ?
 
Fiio E10 could be enough to exploit the Fidelio X2 potencial ? ( i dont talk about the amplification but the sound reproduction and details ).
 
Some users said about E10K like a products not so great like described, it would not give noticeable difference than high end onboard audio.
 
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:48 PM Post #2 of 37
Both should have more than enough juice to power the X2. Its rated impedance is like 32 ohm I think.
It really just comes down to the external noise factor. The FiiO DAC may be a safer option since it's located outside of the PC but the Soundblaster and Asus cards are tried and proven.
 
I'd recommend the FiiO just based on the fact that it isn't tied to your PC. You can transport it to any other computer with ease.
 
Jan 8, 2015 at 9:17 AM Post #4 of 37
I have and use both budget sound cards (less than 50 bucks - posted an example below) and Fiio products (E17 + E09k), and I find that E17 provides:
 
a.) Slightly better sound production (mainly slightly better detail - but it could be that there is less noise)
b.) Blacker background (quieter) - I beleive this is because like wafflezz stated, its outside the computer. This gives me warm and fuzzies.
c.) More flexible in setup options (especially paired with E09K)
d.) Portable if I want it to be
 
The soundcards (again budget ones), I mainly use for convenience when I know I won't be hooking any other parts of my equipment up, and when I am not demanding the highest fidelity/flexibility out of the system. Or if it the computer won't mainly be used for headphones, but instead a speaker rig via a receiver. However, there is a certain beauty in simply plugging a pair of headphones straight into a headphone jack. But I always usually end up wanting to tinker, and when I tinker, many things that you buy tend to be external to the computer, and once you go external - you often defeat your soundcard via a seperate dac/amp combo... and then the options multiply quickly, and then you spend every waking moment on head-fi!
 
I would go with an external device so that you can have more options. However, if you think that you may simply be satisfied with an upgraded sound card - try that as well. In the end, only you can really decide what is "good enough" or to your liking.
 
Here is an example sound card that I use for reference. I also have 2 of the PCI versions of this card.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1G8BEXE09B4FRNF13JN6&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop
 
Jan 8, 2015 at 9:54 AM Post #5 of 37
i bought x2 and im trying it now and i want to hear a massive difference between my on board chip and my next solutions.
feedback of my amazon saying about E10K theres many feed said theres not a big difference with integrated sound card and E10.
 
Jan 8, 2015 at 11:53 AM Post #6 of 37
paulguru said:
i bought x2 and im trying it now and i want to hear a massive difference between my on board chip and my next solutions.
feedback of my amazon saying about E10K theres many feed said theres not a big difference with integrated sound card and E10.
Click to expand...


That's because

a) Depends on the quality of your computer on board sound.
b) "A big difference" is a subjective evaluation that depends on the listener's personal perspective (what is big to you might not be big to me).
c) Some headphones need better amplification that others, and so will likely provide a perceived bigger difference.

Best bet is to buy from Amazon and see what you think. They have a good RMA policy.
 
Jan 8, 2015 at 2:33 PM Post #7 of 37
cel4145 said:
That's because

a) Depends on the quality of your computer on board sound.
b) "A big difference" is a subjective evaluation that depends on the listener's personal perspective (what is big to you might not be big to me).
c) Some headphones need better amplification that others, and so will likely provide a perceived bigger difference.

Best bet is to buy from Amazon and see what you think. They have a good RMA policy.
Click to expand...

i think that a big improvement more or less is noticeable by all
 
Jan 8, 2015 at 3:22 PM Post #9 of 37
I've been playing with my new E10K today. The biggest difference from my higher-end motherboard sound is that it's considerably quieter. That was instantly noticeable.
 
It provides a lot more juice too, but with the AKG K545s I'm listening to right now that's not needed. The sound is more defined and the bass boost actually works well, but it's not night-and-day other than the quiet background. For the very reasonable cost ($62 with the headphone.com new year sale, although that's over now), I'm more than pleased!
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 8:10 AM Post #11 of 37
jwong said:
  I've been playing with my new E10K today. The biggest difference from my higher-end motherboard sound is that it's considerably quieter. That was instantly noticeable.
 
It provides a lot more juice too, but with the AKG K545s I'm listening to right now that's not needed. The sound is more defined and the bass boost actually works well, but it's not night-and-day other than the quiet background. For the very reasonable cost ($62 with the headphone.com new year sale, although that's over now), I'm more than pleased!
Click to expand...

What motherboard ?
You use the bundles USB cable ?
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 8:12 PM Post #13 of 37
For my $.02 the E17 is a great solution.  I find that it is quite when sound is not playing and clean when it is.  Further, you get an amp for bigger than normal headphones, but not the thirstier headphones.  I like the E17 because it doesn't break the bank, docks with a bigger desktop amp and works well.  It is portable, smallish, external and sounds good.  Give it a try.
 
Adam
 
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