[Anathema123]

Hey there,
 
Let me get straight to the point.
I've owned a pair of Sennheiser HD 595s for around a year now.
Being my first decent headphones I loved them right from the start.
I've always used them in combination with a Creative X-Fi Music card on my desktop.
Now I'm at uni and getting quite annoyed at the lacking quality of my laptop's audio chip.
I have no knowledge of these things at all, and quite frankly lack the time and patience to really get into it.
I was just wondering if there are some good external sound cards or anything like that I could use to boost the quality of my listening experience.
I might also be interested in getting an amp to improve the quality when using the headphones with my desktop. Would this be worth it? If it's a big improvement; would it ruin the sound of 320kbps mp3's in comparison to lossless? (would be frustrating since it's quite difficult to get my hands on lossless)
 
Thanks a lot in advance!
 
PS. Any recommendations for good music to listen to while falling asleep are always welcome! (think Riders on the Storm, the funeral march by Chopin... )

 

[pumpk1n]

http://us.store.creative.com/Sound-Blaster-XFi-Surround-5.1-Pro/M/B0044DEDCA.htm
 
What about this?
 
As for good music to sleep to, try Final Fantasy's Piano collection! but Chopin nocturnes are just the best

 

[Slaughter]

http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac2/index.php

 

[Anathema123]

Thanks for the replies guys. Been reading up on DACs and amps a bit.
You reckon there would be a big improvement over just a DAC if I'd throw an amp in the mix as well?
Good to know whether or not I need to start saving some money