[Xall]

Definitely a possibility, any decent ones under or around $100? I plan on getting headphones around $200, so buying a $200 amp/DAC seems a little much

 

[Darkblade48]

Quote:

Definitely a possibility, any decent ones under or around $100? I plan on getting headphones around $200, so buying a $200 amp/DAC seems a little much

If you don't mind waiting until the end of June/July, when suppliers will receive the next shipment of Fiio E17's, then the price should drop back down to $140.

 

[Xall]

there has to be alternatives, I don't plan on waiting that long

 

[Xall]

What about this? http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E7-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B003E6K1VK/ref=pd_rhf_dp_shvl1

 

[Darkblade48]

If you do not need a DAC and only an amplifier, I would recommend the E11 over the E7, as it maintains the portability, but has a better amplifier.

 

[SolomonPierce]

AKG K540... ~$100, great forward sound (imo), and no need for an amp and such.  If you're just using them for skype et al. it's not worth investing in a whole rig.  If you decide you want to get into the game with music and all and really go all out, then come back and ask for recommendations

 
Honestly though, no need to fret about your setup and everything if you're just going to use them for listening to other talk / gaming.

If you want better sq / comfort, Sennheiser's entire hd5xx range is good, but don't bother buying them new because they're currently way overpriced because Sennheiser is enforcing their MSRP.  Just buy them used (currently, a used set of Senns is more than a new pair cost back in January and earlier).
 

 

[Xall]

Quote:

AKG K540... ~$100, great forward sound (imo), and no need for an amp and such.  If you're just using them for skype et al. it's not worth investing in a whole rig.  If you decide you want to get into the game with music and all and really go all out, then come back and ask for recommendations

 
Honestly though, no need to fret about your setup and everything if you're just going to use them for listening to other talk / gaming.

If you want better sq / comfort, Sennheiser's entire hd5xx range is good, but don't bother buying them new because they're currently way overpriced because Sennheiser is enforcing their MSRP.  Just buy them used (currently, a used set of Senns is more than a new pair cost back in January and earlier).
 

Well, the goal was to get higher quality than I would from the top gaming headsets. I'm totally ignorant with how to tell sound quality (without actually hearing it). So I'm looking for some quality.. but definitely not top of the line audiophile quality. Alot of people have made suggestions and it's hard for me to decide what to do due to my lack of knowledge in the area. I was looking to spend at max about $200

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Motherboards usually come with low cost DACs (Digital to Analog Converter), sound cards usually come with better DACs and (higher priced) external DACs can be even better.
A low cost sound card for improvement is a Xonar DG (PCI) or DGX (PCI-express), they come with a half-way decent headphone amplifier and Dolby Digital (Dolby Virtual Headphone 5.1) which is great for movies and some games.
Chances are the DAC on the DG/DGX is better then what the motherboard comes with.
The Xonar DX (PCI-Express) and D1(PCI) sound cards come with a better DAC (then the DG/DGX) and Dolby Digital (Dolby Virtual Headphone 7.1), but do not come with a headphone amplifier and are not that great for powering headphones.
But you can add just about any external headphone amplifier to the DX/D1 that you want to.
Going external DAC & amp. can get you some really great sound, but usually it's 2-channel, so your not getting surround sound.
There are a few external DAC/Amps that do provide surround sound, Astro mix-amp, Turtle beach DSS, Creative Labs X-Fi Go(?).
 
 
A really low cost but decent setup is an Xonar DG or DGX and (headphone wise) the Samson SR850 (made by Superlux) or Superlux HD668B.
You could do this setup for around $80-$100.

 
 
OP, I would take PurpleAngle's advice and look at those two Xonar soundcards.  If your going to be primarily using them for gaming, getting some virtual surround sound (ala Dolby Headphone) will be a much bigger improvement than getting an external stereo DAC or amp. 

 

[airkitoy]

I got my SA5000 for $200.Check that out.