[Baam]

DAC means quite literally Digital to Analog Converter. Anything that can turn 1's and 0's (or rather the bits/bytes) from your sound file into analog sound in your audio device is classified as such. Your motherboard has an onboard DAC. The soundcard being in a pcie lane is usually isolated better on the board as it's hopefully not sharing bus lanes with your usb devices or whatever else. If it's a shielded soundcard, most of the capacitors, OpAmps, dac chips, and so on are protected against EMI/RFI compared to your fully exposed motherboard PCB. An external DAC may or may not be better depending on the DAC itself. If your computer is prone to USB noise, maybe go with spdif in from the output of your motherboard? USB powered DACs are the most vulnerable — especially if/when they share that USB lane with other devices that are plugged in. Example: if my Blue Microphones Yeti is plugged into the USB port next to my USB port for my LP DAC RS 06... even though the LP DAC RS 06 isn't USB powered, the Yeti is. The Yeti consumes too much power and cause jitter among other stutters during high CPU intensive loads. Very annoying. It can even hiss. Plug the Yeti and DAC into USB lanes on the motherboard that aren't shared and NO MORE PROBLEMS. It's 100% repeatable.

My apologies if there isn't enough spacing and paragraphs in that. I'm on my phone.

Long story short, a schiit modi which is usb powered or AudioQuest dragonfly which is usb powered may be of the same or potentially worse quality DAC than a soundcard depending on USB use/isolation on your motherboard. The amplification on a soundcard may be better, equal, or worse than say the AQ dragonfly's. That's another matter.

XD L/R stereo master race. DSP is more useful on consoles as the audio tracks are all native for surround in Dolby or DTS anyhow. Your XBOX One or PS4 can allow you to set it to 2ch stereo, but the quality of what's being output is at the discretion of how well the device's DSP can downmix that 7.1 track to 2.0/2.1. When you're connected to an AVR or soundbar, it's best to leave say the XBOX One set at 5.1/7.1 and let the AVR or soundbar downmix the track to 2.0/2.1. Windows 10 has native Dolby Atmos headphone or whatever. Just one more technology that you don't need which adds DPC latency imo. Some say it's great in Overwatch. I wouldn't know. It's also in Heroes of the Storm... a MOBA. Why?! Who needs surround in a game like that — another discussion for another time.

To be fair, your graphics card's drivers can natively process Dolby/DTS as well if you're outputting to something like an AVR or TV from it as well. Even if you have your on-board audio disabled in the bios for your motherboard. (God forbid you use your internal PC monitor/TV speakers — RIP SQ). It'll still output it correctly nonetheless. Lol. I used to do that for my native 7.1 speaker setup for casual, single player games like Far Cry #.

It's taken awhile to type this. I don't even know if it'll be useful. Lol. Ah well. I tried.

Actually, I find it very interesting, though some things I absolutely understood nothing hahaha. But what I do not fully understand is how is it exactly better... As it what does it actually do: Does it have more quality and power?

 

[socks mk2]

Actually, I find it very interesting, though some things I absolutely understood nothing hahaha. But what I do not fully understand is how is it exactly better... As it what does it actually do: Does it have more quality and power?

Spoiler: probably best for a different thread

Well, a soundcard or dedicated dac was designed with one purpose in mind. Sound on a motherboard was designed as one function/feature of VERY MANY. Topology of dacs and amps differ. Someone may prefer one type to another (e.g. solid state vs. tube for instance). Something like measurements can show how one audio product is objectively better using the SNR and THD+N specifications. What those don't and won't show is how they subjectively sound to you personally. Then of course the whole synergy matter. However, I'm sure that there's a rock bottom number of SNR that just about anyone would deem is unacceptable and crap quality no matter how it sounds. You may have a field day in the sound science part of the head-fi forums.

 

[kirkftl]

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated <3

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/400i-returning-what-now.858263/

 

[FlyingWing]

The Sennheiser HD 650 is the ultimate dynamic Headphone for Metal as is now, closely followed by the ZMF Eikon or Denon D7200.
Stax 007 MK1/2, HE 60/90 should be the ultimate electrostatics for Metal.
Campfire Jupiter is the ultimate BA-IEM for Metal. Andromeda probably only with a low-Impedance (<1Ω Cable and Foam tips).

Problem with Metal in general is that lifted upper-midranges in transducers (HD 800, HD 600 and so on) harvest tons of compression artifacts out of countless conversions betweed analog and digital domains arising during production.

If you are confused by these statements, feel free to chime in.

 

[shuto77]

The Sennheiser HD 650 is the ultimate dynamic Headphone for Metal as is now, closely followed by the ZMF Eikon or Denon D7200.
Stax 007 MK1/2, HE 60/90 should be the ultimate electrostatics for Metal.
Campfire Jupiter is the ultimate BA-IEM for Metal. Andromeda probably only with a low-Impedance (<1Ω Cable and Foam tips).

Problem with Metal in general is that lifted upper-midranges in transducers (HD 800, HD 600 and so on) harvest tons of compression artifacts out of countless conversions betweed analog and digital domains arising during production.

If you are confused by these statements, feel free to chime in.

I believe absolute statements are problematic in a hobby as subjective as personal audio.

 

[mrip541]

HD650 is my go to. I always thought it a bit strange that if you look at the response curve it doesn't scream METAL but it just works. It works for both high and low quality recordings. It works for all types of music. I can listen all day long without fatigue. I've tried upgrading (several times) to something more expensive but always end up back with my 650. It's actually kind of annoying.

 

[swspiers]

Quite a few members like the Meze99 Classic for metal,though Ive never personally heard them.

I loved the Classics, but I have a pair of the Neo on the way, mostly for metal (Stoner/Doom, Death, Progressive, Proto). Basically I'll be breaking them in on the Twin Earth Records catalogue

 

[Monsterzero]

I loved the Classics, but I have a pair of the Neo on the way, mostly for metal (Stoner/Doom, Death, Progressive, Proto). Basically I'll be breaking them in on the Twin Earth Records catalogue

You like Stoner?!

Im shocked!

 

[swspiers]

You like Stoner?!

Im shocked!

Dude, There's more to me than just chairing the "Justin Bieber Fanclub" Sheese, stop trying to pidgeonhole me!

 

[Monsterzero]

Dude, There's more to me than just chairing the "Justin Bieber Fanclub" Sheese, stop trying to pidgeonhole me!

LOL!

Ruby the Hatchet new album drops friday!

 

[swspiers]

LOL!

Ruby the Hatchet new album drops friday!

This year won't quit. I'm having a hard time remembering a year that had so many back to back to back releases. This is a great time for headphones and the heavy stuff!

 

[Baam]

Hi!

I asked for recommendations here as well, and the Meze 99 Classics came out as true winners. Too lazy not to copy-paste what I wrote in the thread I created in the Recommendations forum haha:

Hey again!

So, I got some Meze 99 Classics and... They are the winners!! I was starting to get a bit desperate to be honest, as I was not enjoying any of the headphones I tried (in the way of "they do not sound much better than the CALs") hahaha.

I said that the AKGs were amazing with some classic and prog rock and I still find them better in that aspect compared to the Mezes... but the difference is way smaller than the HUGE difference between the Mezes and the AKGs when we go to metal. I do not know how to describe it, but it is like every instrument is an independent entity, all working, collaborating, with each other, while on all the other headphones I tested it was like all of them blend together and that's it. There are details I hear now that were never there.

On the AKGs metal was dead, no life behind it. When I played Demon Of The Fall for the first time, it almost felt like the first one in my life. When I played Dream Theater's The Astonishing, after 30 minutes I could not help but thinking that if I had heard the album with these headphones the first time, I wouldn't have been SO disappointed (it grew on me with time though).

Hope they sit on their throne for the longest of time



PS: Yep, if I use my second monitor I have to take out the stand hahaha

 

[gazzington]

I know this is a headphones for metal forum but what earbuds/iems do you use when out and about?

 

[Dobrescu George]

I know this is a headphones for metal forum but what earbuds/iems do you use when out and about?

Sennheiser ie800, HiFiMAN RE2000 and Beyer Xelento get the most ear time lately

 

[shuto77]

I know this is a headphones for metal forum but what earbuds/iems do you use when out and about?

The Periodic Audio Beryllium is very good for $300.