[psuedosilk]

im looking for a basic setup with a budget of 2-300, headphones included, it will be used with a desktop cpu.
 
currently using some old worn out bose headphones connected directly to the headphone out of the desktop, so i assume anything will be an improvement (not a fan of bose anything).
 
i plan to purchase the AT m-50's to start and maybe upgrade down the road. although i could be persuaded to spend a lil extra now on the phones if it makes more sense. i have the money, it just seems like $300 is a lot for a headphone and amp set up. i know this is laughable to most of you, but i try to take the moderate approach to most things as there is usually a point of diminishing returns.
 
im not even sure if the m-50's will benefit from an amp but it certainly couldnt hurt? at first i was dead set on the sonar card but recently discovered the FiiO, and as i understand it i could hook the E7 up to my desktop's usb and then hook up the m-50's to the E7. is this correct? if thats the case i could save a significant amount of $ going with the E7, and also have the ability to use it with my laptop if i wanted. i dont anticipate wanting to do this so it shouldn't carry too much weight in my decision but it might be a cool option to keep in mind.
 
so....as you can see, i need a bit of direction here...
 
a. just get the m-50's and hook them up directly to my pc bc they wont benefit much from an amp 
 
b. get the E7 and spend the money saved on better headphones
 
c. get the sonar card and the m-50's
 
d. get the sonar card and better headphones bc i will "out grow" the m-50's
 
f. get the E7 and the m-50's (this is the option im currently leaning towards as it seems it will be the most for my $)
 
any and all advice is appreciated. i would just like to to get the best sound out of my budget but am willing to up the budget a little if absolutely necessary.
 
thanks for reading.

 

[NoKTurNal]

If your gonna upgrade along the way, might as well get a desktop amp then just replace ur headphones
If your already thinking about the E7, go for an E9 or the E7 & E9 combo!
 
For a good portable amp, its gonna cost your $300
 
Yes PC (source) > USB > E7 > M-50s

 

[JRunior]

I would go with your E7+M-50s combo you've posted.
 
I'm still relatively new myself but you've chosen a) A very well reviewed headphone b) Dac/Amp combo.
 
From my own experience I found that my Dac was the biggest improvement in sound quality by far.  Sure, upgrading from z-5300s to KrK Rp6-g2s was awesome  but it wasn't until I added my e-mu 0404 that they sounded like I expected them to.  The Dac also made my old set of logitechs sound much better to my surprise.
 
The M-50s aren't hard to drive so their benefit from the amp will be minimal but there may be some benefit.  Heck, my IEMs shouldn't need an amp but the difference between them amp'd and unamped is still pleasant.
 
I fully understand your desire not to jump to far into the realm of diminishing returns so I think you made an excellent choice.  You don't need to spend huge sums on your headphones.  For some people who KNOW the sound signature that they like it's the next logical step for an upgrade but until you find what you like stick with the tried/true and trusted headphones and the m-50s are certainly one of them.  Also, DAC + Amp like the E7 offers is going to make you smile a hell of a lot more than a high end amp sans Dac will.  If you can justify it the e7-e9 combo might be a good thing for current/future growth but even without the e9 your choice is solid.
 
Best of luck and don't get too sucked into the "for x hundred dollars more you'll hear the cymbal ring 100X better than Y headphone and  Z amp/dac"
 
Jr,

 

[LDme]

asus xonar st(x) will be right choise for you, 
fiio e7 not so good as you think, it's just a cheap portable headphone amp with nothing special dac.

 

[JRG1990]

Have you heard the Fiio E7???, certainly can't fault the sound quality for the price, it has a high-end dac chip so the dac part it's actually very good, since you want to power full sized headphones get the E7/E9 combo and put the money you save towards a better pair of headphones.

 

[steven_1026]

I would love to see a comparison between the two as well. I currently have an essence and am very pleased with it, but I've been thinking of switching to E7/E9 combo for the portability of using the E7 with my laptop.

 

[psuedosilk]

Quote:

asus xonar st(x) will be right choise for you, 
fiio e7 not so good as you think, it's just a cheap portable headphone amp with nothing special dac.

this is the opposite of what most say???

 

[psuedosilk]

Quote:

Have you heard the Fiio E7???, certainly can't fault the sound quality for the price, it has a high-end dac chip so the dac part it's actually very good, since you want to power full sized headphones get the E7/E9 combo and put the money you save towards a better pair of headphones.

well, by getting the e7, e9 combo i wouldnt really be saving any money over getting the sonar card.
 
while the m50's are full sized headphones, from what i understand (not much) they are easily powered, so i dont think i will see much benefit by getting the e9. maybe im wrong?

 

[psuedosilk]

Quote:

I would go with your E7+M-50s combo you've posted.
 
I'm still relatively new myself but you've chosen a) A very well reviewed headphone b) Dac/Amp combo.
 
From my own experience I found that my Dac was the biggest improvement in sound quality by far.  Sure, upgrading from z-5300s to KrK Rp6-g2s was awesome  but it wasn't until I added my e-mu 0404 that they sounded like I expected them to.  The Dac also made my old set of logitechs sound much better to my surprise.
 
The M-50s aren't hard to drive so their benefit from the amp will be minimal but there may be some benefit.  Heck, my IEMs shouldn't need an amp but the difference between them amp'd and unamped is still pleasant.
 
I fully understand your desire not to jump to far into the realm of diminishing returns so I think you made an excellent choice.  You don't need to spend huge sums on your headphones.  For some people who KNOW the sound signature that they like it's the next logical step for an upgrade but until you find what you like stick with the tried/true and trusted headphones and the m-50s are certainly one of them.  Also, DAC + Amp like the E7 offers is going to make you smile a hell of a lot more than a high end amp sans Dac will.  If you can justify it the e7-e9 combo might be a good thing for current/future growth but even without the e9 your choice is solid.
 
Best of luck and don't get too sucked into the "for x hundred dollars more you'll hear the cymbal ring 100X better than Y headphone and  Z amp/dac"
 
Jr,

good post, thanks. i think your right. ill get the m50's and the e7, the dac in the e7 should be a noticeable improvement, and the amp will just be an added bonus bc the m50's dont really need an amp. 
 
after a good deal of research, it seems the m50's paired with the e7 is the best bang for your buck setup. ~$200 and i will have a solid rig without getting to sucked into getting the best of everything like i used to do.
 
so, im pulling the trigger on this setup next week....anybody want to change my mind? should i even bother with the e7? will it be worth doubling my investment to get a solid dac and mediocre amp?
 
thanks for all replies.

 

[theeyealtering]

I have both the E7 and STX. They both have reasonably good amps for what they are (E7 can go a bit louder with my phones though), but the STX is much better in the DAC department. A noticeably richer, clearer sound to my ears.
E7 is still great value though, it is half the price after all.

 

[psuedosilk]

Quote:

I have both the E7 and STX. They both have reasonably good amps for what they are (E7 can go a bit louder with my phones though), but the STX is much better in the DAC department. A noticeably richer, clearer sound to my ears.
E7 is still great value though, it is half the price after all.

well, ive all but decided to get the e7, but this post makes me re-think things a bit. im pretty sure i dont want to get a sound card, so maybe i will look into a higher quality amp dac combo. 
 
*sigh* im trying my best not to spend too much $ on my set up, but i keep finding myself justifying going for higher quality components lol. i hate this place.

 

[theeyealtering]

Quote:

well, ive all but decided to get the e7, but this post makes me re-think things a bit. im pretty sure i dont want to get a sound card, so maybe i will look into a higher quality amp dac combo. 
 
*sigh* im trying my best not to spend too much $ on my set up, but i keep finding myself justifying going for higher quality components lol. i hate this place.

Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with the E7. It's great for the price and as you said, you wanted a budget solution. It's just that the STX is also great for the price and it costs twice as much and is not hampered as much by its size or bandwidth.
Take a look at this review and note what the stereophile guy is comparing the STX to: http://www.stereophile.com/content/asus-xonar-essence-ststx-soundcards
 
I'm not sure because I haven't listened to them all, but I seriously doubt you're going to get a portable DAC/Amp that comes anywhere close to the STX without spending total megabucks.
 

 

[Fasian]

Did you ever decide? 
 
I also have the M50's and am currently using a Essence.  The idea of the E7 being used in my Car as well so I don't have to feed my gear the HP out from my iPhone sounds good.  (Focal Mid/High, JL 10W7 sub, lots of shiny JL amps).
 
I'm very close to ripping my sound card out and ordering the E7+E9 combo, would love to hear how this turned out.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Fiio is also releasing the E17 later on this year, which is an even better DAC/AMP than the E7 that will also dock to the E9. I'd get the E7/E9 for now, and upgrade to the E17 later. The amp on the E9 will blow the soundcard's amp away. Not with the M50s, but if/when you upgrade to properly hard to drive headphones, you'll come to appreciate the power of the E9.

 

[Riku540]

Did they really say the E17 was coming this year? I thought it was still just in the brainstorming stage.