[DKohanski]

Hello,

I just bought an Audio Technica A990z and I am looking for recommendations for a DAC. I would primarily be using this for gaming, however I don't feel it necessary to buy a sound card for virtual surround sound. I also listen to a good bit of music (genres vary).

Any reccomendations?

Thanks,
David

 

[cossix]

If you want simple, grab a Modi 2 for a hundred bucks. For gaming that's all you'd need

 

[DKohanski]

Anything cheaper? or would that sacrifice quality? Ideally spending a max of 50

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hello,

I just bought an Audio Technica A990z and I am looking for recommendations for a DAC. I would primarily be using this for gaming, however I don't feel it necessary to buy a sound card for virtual surround sound. I also listen to a good bit of music (genres vary).
Any recommendations?
Thanks,
David

$50 is kind of a low budget, maybe the FiiO K1?

 

[DKohanski]

Hmmm okay, well if that is too low, is there anything within the 70-75 range you'd recommend? The FiiO K1 has pretty good reviews, so i''m not sure what the downside really is other than a lack of controls.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hmmm okay, well if that is too low, is there anything within the 70-75 range you'd recommend? The FiiO K1 has pretty good reviews, so i''m not sure what the downside really is other than a lack of controls.

The FiiO E10K sells for $70, but it uses the same DAC chip (PCM5102) as the K1.

 

[DKohanski]

Just ended up going with a gaming Audio Card, the ASUS Xonar DSX. I figured it would be probably the best for my purposes.

 

[DKohanski]

I'm unsure if this card is driving my headphones to the extent they need? I'm having a hard time finding stats on whether or not the card can manage the 44 ohm impedance.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I'm unsure if this card is driving my headphones to the extent they need? I'm having a hard time finding stats on whether or not the card can manage the 44 ohm impedance.

It's fairly easy to drive the 44-Ohm Audio Technica headphones, so the DSX's Front Speaker line-output jack (which also services as a headphone jack) can easy drive the ATH-A990Z.
But because the DSX's combo headphone/Front speaker jack is more like a line-output jack (with a high output impedance), it might cause the A990Z to have a slightly bloated (louder and less detailed) bass.

 

[DKohanski]

Could you explain that in more detail? Maybe im also struggling to understand the difference between a sound card and a DAC. Not to be a burden, but could you explain the differences?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Could you explain that in more detail? Maybe im also struggling to understand the difference between a sound card and a DAC. Not to be a burden, but could you explain the differences?

A DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) is fairly simple, converts a Digital signal to an Analog signal, two (stereo) digital signals going in, two analog (stereo) signals going out.
(A lot of time on Head-fi, a "DAC" usually refers to an external unit, with both a DAC function and a headphone amplifier built in, but not always)
Where as a sound card comes with a built in DAC function, along with lots of other functions, like ADC function, a DSP chip, headphone surround sound function, assorted inputs and outputs (both analog and digital), most newer/modern sound card will also come with a built in headphone amplifier.
The Xonar DSX is based on a 10 year old design, that does not come with a dedicated headphone amplifier.

 

[DKohanski]

mmmmm thats not good

 

[DKohanski]

What I got from reading literature online is that sound cards can be best for gamers, like myself, due to surround effects and otherwise, but that they pick up a lot of internal noise that can be avoided by an external DACAMP. With that knowledge I suppose I still want to use a sound card but I think I will be returning the DSX. Going to try and think over what I will try next, RE a sound card w/ dedicated amp and quality HRTF virtualization.