[BGRoberts]

I think you'll be happy with your choice of the E17.
I've had mine for a couple of weeks now, and been very pleased with it;s performance.
I use it on a desktop at work, my laptop at home, and even straight from a Sansa Fuze and Clip+ for "on the go".
So far, it's driven AT-CKM50'S & CKS77'S, modded Fostex T50's,  Grado 325l's, and some Magnum v4's just fine.
Enjoy it!
 

 

[Roller]

Quote:

an Xonar DG ($30) by it's self will power you headphones decently.
Or A used Xonar DX ($50) with the Fiio E11 ($65) combo is a little cheaper then the E17.
The DAC on the Xonar DX should be better then whatever the motherboard has.
The E11 does not have a DAC, but it's said it's about equal to the E17 amplifier.
And the Xonars come with Dolby Digital (Dolby Virtual Headphone), nice for movies
 

Any of the above suggestions will slaughter the OP's onboard audio chip (or just about any onboard audio chip). And despite all the advancements onboard audio chips have had, they still have awful implementation, which pretty much breaks any hopes and dreams of possibly less terrible specs on paper.
 
It should be noted that implementation isn't really related to the onboard audio chip maker itself, rather the parts manufacturers further down the line that still consider audio as an afterthought.