[longphant]

I have a gaming headset, the Logitech G930's, and now I have an Audio Technica ATH-M50.
 
The Logitech headset is USB. I have the ATH-M50s connected to my on-board sound card.
 
When I listen to some of my .flac songs, it seems like there's no difference between the two headsets in terms of sound quality, yet I'm sure the ATH-M50s are superior (based on what everyone says). 
 
I'm sure that I'm doing something wrong. I'm sure that just plugging the ATH-M50s in to the on-board sound card is not enough. So what do I need to really bring out the sound of the ATH-M50's? 

 

[wafflezz]

Get a little USB dac. don't pay more than let's say...50 bucks, unless you want complete transparency. Everything beyond the point of transparency is a placebo.
Also, the m50 might not getting enough power. They're easy to drive but your computer still might not have enough juice. If you're gutsy you can build an amp for like 50. Or you can do what I did and get one prebuilt for 100$.
it's overkill but will serve nicely for any future upgrades
 

 

[nick n]

On a side note there was an interesting open back mod in here somewhere apparently sounded great.

 

[longphant]

Why does my Logitech G930s sound equivalent to the ATH-M50 plugged in to an on-board sound card? Is there something about the G930s being USB that make it better than the on-board sound card?