[macieqq]

Hello there.

Let me start off with pointing all the gear which I currently own. Also please note that I am a super newb when it comes to audio.

You will find pictures of my gear here: http://imgur.com/a/mGNee

1) Two speakers - I have no idea what kind of speakers those are. I have bought them from a friend who modifies speakers on his own.
2) Yamaha AX-540
3) Sennheiser HD 558 headphones
4) MSI Z97 Gaming 7 motherboard - with Realtek ALC 1150
5) Asus Xonar DX soundcard

and now here are my questions:

1) Is there any difference between ALC 1150 and Xonar DX? Which one will be better?
2) Considering that my Yamaha is quite old:
a) is it better to connect speakers to onboard/xonar THROUGH Yamaha?
b) or is it better to connect speakers DIRECTLY to onboard/xonar?
3) If the answer is 2a - does it make a difference if it's going to be onboard or xonar? I mean - let's say I have some poor onboard audio codec in one hand and the best soundcard to date in the other hand - does it make a difference what the Yamaha is connected to? Or does it "create" it's own sound?
4) What cables should? Currently I use "naked" cables on both ends. From what I can tell, Yamaha has no other option (right?) but I am not sure about the speakers.
5) I would also like my headphones to sound better. This is why I have been looking at eg. FiiO E10K. In this case - would it be better to just buy a piece of hardware like E10K and connect both speakers and headphones to it?
6) Repeating 3) but... will E10K sound better when connected to onboard or it will be better with soundcard? Or it doesn't make a difference at all?

I hope you beautiful people can help me with all that. I would like to thank you in advance for doing so!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

1) Is there any difference between ALC 1150 and Xonar DX? Which one will be better?

Between soundcards and on-board sound I'd consider more if therre are key DSP features that one has and the other doesn't, like Dolby Headphone.

2) Considering that my Yamaha is quite old:
a) is it better to connect speakers to onboard/xonar THROUGH Yamaha?
b) or is it better to connect speakers DIRECTLY to onboard/xonar?
3) If the answer is 2a - does it make a difference if it's going to be onboard or xonar? I mean - let's say I have some poor onboard audio codec in one hand and the best soundcard to date in the other hand - does it make a difference what the Yamaha is connected to? Or does it "create" it's own sound?

You can NOT connect those speakers directly to the soundcard or the motherboard since those do NOT have a speaker amplifier output stage circuit, which is what the Yamaha amplifier is for. They can only send a line out signal. Computer speakers that connect directly to the soundcard or motherboard have their amplifier built into the speakers themselves, typically on the subwoofer module.

4) What cables should? Currently I use "naked" cables on both ends. From what I can tell, Yamaha has no other option (right?) but I am not sure about the speakers.

You'd use speaker cables either way but you can use spade lugs on the speaker end. This is more for convenience or to minimize exposure of the bare copper.

5) I would also like my headphones to sound better. This is why I have been looking at eg. FiiO E10K. In this case - would it be better to just buy a piece of hardware like E10K and connect both speakers and headphones to it?
6) Repeating 3) but... will E10K sound better when connected to onboard or it will be better with soundcard? Or it doesn't make a difference at all?

You can't connect those speakers to the E10K because the E10K like the motherboard and the soundcard does NOT have a speaker amp output stage.

Also using a USB DAC-HPamp like the E10K also means you'd bypass the DSP on the motherboard (and soundcard if you have one).

Likely the main problem if you're using the headphones out of the Yamaha amp is that it has a high output impedance.

If you want to overhaul that set-up, I'd say do a total overhaul, save up, and do not rush anything, do it properly. Get a headphone you like, pick a DAC-HPamp-Preamp unit/combo to decode the audio (maybe also a soundcard if your motherboard has no DSP, either way the DSP works via SPDIF to a DAC) and drive the headphone, and have the preamp output send a signal to powered nearfield speakers.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I would disable the motherboard's on-board audio (ALC1150), in the BIOS.
Install the Unified Xonar Drivers.
http://maxedtech.com/category/xonar/
Run an analog audio cable from the Xonar DX's Front Speaker jack (3.5mm) to the RCA inputs on the Yamaha.
Plug the Sennheiser HD558 headphones into the Yamaha's Headphone jack.
Leave the speakers connected to the Yamaha's speaker posts.

If your looking to improve audio quality, might consider selling off the HD558 and spend all your audio budget for better headphones.
As you would plug the newer headphones into the Yamaha, might be good to look for headphones in the 250-Ohm to 300-Ohm range.

 

[macieqq]

Thank you for your fast replies.

HD 558s and speakers are the ones that I don't really want to change.

However, I can play with everything else. What do you think about keeping Yamaha for the speakers and buying an additional amp just for the headphones?

Or is it better to sell the Yamaha and buy a proper hardware for both headphones and speakers?

 

[Mkoll]

I would disable the motherboard's on-board audio (ALC1150), in the BIOS.
Install the Unified Xonar Drivers.
http://maxedtech.com/category/xonar/
Run an analog audio cable from the Xonar DX's Front Speaker jack (3.5mm) to the RCA inputs on the Yamaha.
Plug the Sennheiser HD558 headphones into the Yamaha's Headphone jack.
Leave the speakers connected to the Yamaha's speaker posts.

If your looking to improve audio quality, might consider selling off the HD558 and spend all your audio budget for better headphones.
As you would plug the newer headphones into the Yamaha, might be good to look for headphones in the 250-Ohm to 300-Ohm range.

This. Especially getting new headphones. That will make the biggest difference in sound quality.

 

[macieqq]

Well, my budget isn't high enough to get better headphones than 558s. I forgot to mention that I am using them mostly for gaming and I am not that big of an audiohead. I just know they can do better than when connected to onboard. Hence the question about additional amp for headphones/whole new gear for both hp and speakers.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thank you for your fast replies.
HD 558s and speakers are the ones that I don't really want to change.
However, I can play with everything else. What do you think about keeping Yamaha for the speakers and buying an additional amp just for the headphones?
Or is it better to sell the Yamaha and buy a proper hardware for both headphones and speakers?

I would not consider the Yamaha AX-540 as improper hardware, no need to sell it, at least when is comes to using it to drive the speakers.
For a headphone amplifer for driving the HD558 headphones, check out the FiiO A3 ($60).
Or maybe get a used O2 (Objective 2) or use Magni headphone amplifer (check eBay).

 

[ProtegeManiac]

HD 558s and speakers are the ones that I don't really want to change.

However, I can play with everything else. What do you think about keeping Yamaha for the speakers and buying an additional amp just for the headphones?

Or is it better to sell the Yamaha and buy a proper hardware for both headphones and speakers?

The thing is if you get a new speaker amp it will likely have the same problem with high output impedance on the headphone output, so you're back to square 1 on the HD558. You could change the HD558 to a higher impedance headphone so it won't matter, on top of which you might be able to select a headphone whose response won't have the same things you dislike with the HD558 now (ie, you can get a headphone that sounds more like what you want, and not have to worry about the Yamaha amp changing it much), but you don't want to do that, so might as well not spend on anything at all rather than spend and get no improvement anywhere.

 

[macieqq]

Ok I've got two more questions:

1) what headphones would your recommend for the price of hd 558s + fiio e10k?

2) it I decide to get fiio e10k and stick to my 558s after all - if I connect fiio via USB and yamaha with speakers to onboard audio, is one of them going to override the another or they will both play at the same time?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

1) what headphones would your recommend for the price of hd 558s + fiio e10k?

Superlux HD330 for use with anything that has a high output impedance (ie, practically any speaker amp with a headphone output). Otherwise, there's the Philips SHP9500 that you can use with the E10K. Or the FIio Q1 so it will be less dependent on USB power apart from charging and powering the USB receiver chip when using the DAC.

2) it I decide to get fiio e10k and stick to my 558s after all - if I connect fiio via USB and yamaha with speakers to onboard audio, is one of them going to override the another or they will both play at the same time?

You have to manually select the output device on Windows. You can hook up the Line Out from the E10K to the analogue inputs on the Yamaha, that way you just have to unplug the headphone to switch to speakers.

 

[macieqq]

Ok so I am kinda confused right now.

You suggest getting better high-end headphones in place of my 558s and now you recommend SHP9500 along with E10K.

By writing:

1) what headphones would your recommend for the price of hd 558s + fiio e10k?

I meant what can you suggest for the price of both - if I sold my 558s and didn't get an amp. Hope i make sense now

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Ok so I am kinda confused right now.

You suggest getting better high-end headphones in place of my 558s and now you recommend SHP9500 along with E10K.

1. Because you seemed adamant about not spending as much as I said would be worth it...

2 ...So I suggested something with a "wow effect" similar to a Grado - tipped up upper bass response, tipped up somewhere in the midrange, some peak in the treble, plus high sensitivity - that all adds up to easily getting "eye popping" percussion.

3. And you might as well get the E10K to drive the low impedance SHP9500 if you're not going to get a good high impedance headphone that won't have a problem if you have to drive it with your Yamaha amp.

Also, just because the SHP9500 costs less than the HD558, doesn't mean it's totally worse, because:
1. Some cheaper headphones can actually be better. Look at the smoother response graph of the HE400i, HD650, and even the HD600 vs nearly everything that costs more.
2. Someone who can be "wowed" by an SR125 or SR225 will not necessarily like the more objective response of the HE400i that also needs more power to play at the same output level as Grados and thus, it's a lot easier for Grados to get that wow effect from how the amps never strain driving them. Ditto the SHP9500.

1) what headphones would your recommend for the price of hd 558s + fiio e10k?

I meant what can you suggest for the price of both - if I sold my 558s and didn't get an amp. Hope i make sense now

For the most part, still the same answer because what I would suggest you spend on would cost more than the HD558 and E10K if you buy it new. Or maybe try this one - 250ohms and 95dB (still lower sensitivity than the HD558 though, but at least you won't have impedance issues with the Yamaha):
https://www.amazon.com/BeyerDynamic...UTF8&qid=1498450854&sr=8-2&keywords=DT880+250