How much am I not hearing?

[PceLuvnSloMo]

Hey
 
So Ive been on these forums for like 8-10 months now, and in that time I have purchased quite a few headphones, my most recent (and most expensive!) purchase was the Denon D2000. That was my final conclusion, after months of research (and a great price) I finally settled on this pretty highly recommended headphone and so far I have no complaints concerning the general sound quality.
(The previous owner of this chipped some paint 

)
 
I intended to use this for gaming, although now, they have become my main PC headphones and uncommonly leave my desk. Being 16, and paying this much for a headphone, I keep it in very good condition  and attempted to never throw it around. But unfortunately, I currently don't have a suitable amp for this, and my source component seems a bit under average. With my current setup, there is always a hiss from my headphones at slightly-higher volumes, and FLAC files seem to pop a bit (I tried this with 15 different songs).
 
Right now my Denons are hooked up to this with my on-board sound card for my rag-tag PC which my dad bought years ago, and we've upgraded seemingly everything but did not add a dedicated sound card.
 
 
(In the headphone jack!)
 
Question is, will buying another external AMP/DAC or an internal sound card affect my sound significantly enough to where I will actually hear a noticeable difference or is this all unnecessary.
 
Also looking to upgrade to Beyerdynamic DT990 32 ohms. <<< Also important

 

[razminr11]

In most cases, a separate amp/dac will make a big difference. I believe that in your case, with the D2ks, it will be a worthwhile upgrade. I would personally recommend the Fiio E17 amp/dac combo. It will make a good difference while also being relatively budget minded (Costs $140), and portable. 
 
In terms of an upgrade, while I have no experience with the DT990s, I can recommend the HiFiMAN HE-400s, they are amazing at their price, especially with velour pads and when paired with the E17. 
 
(Btw, the E17 is USB powered, so you won't need to upgrade the internals of your computer)
 
Good luck!

 

[Grado77]

E17 is indeed great and versatile. If you get the L7 adapter for it you can run digital coax or optical into it and use it just as a DAC. Then you can use a different amplifier using the line out from the adapter (although, the E17 is a great amp too)
 
Using it as a USB DAC/amp it will totally destroy your sound card and with D2000 you should really be really impressed how good it will be.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Yes, you can definitely get a big difference getting off your current setup. You're experiencing a big noise floor. There are two inexpensive options that are excellent for you. One, is to get a Xonar DG sound card for $30. Go internal. Alternatively, get a Fiio E10 for $60ish, it can travel with you and be hooked into any pc/mac and will also power future headphones too. Ultimately I would suggest the E10 over the Sound Card, simply because it is discreet and mobile and very good for it's cost, excellent power output and a great DAC, plus fun stuff like gain options and bass boosting that is done via hardware (and works really well without distortion, adds a +3db bump to bass without distortion).
 
Very best,