[cutflow]

is it possible of buying a sound card that can power and fully perform most of the headphones listed below.
 
$56 - Audio Technica ATHM40FS Precision Studio Headphones

$69 - Fostex RP T40RP

$80 - Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone

$104 - Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones

$115 - M-Audio Studiophile Q40 Closed-back Dynamic Headphones

$149 - Shure SRH840 Professional Monitoring Earphones (Black)

$178 - Sony MDR7509HD Professional Headphone

$199 - AIAIAI: TMA-1

$204 - Denon AHD2000 High Performance Over-Ear Headphones

$250 - German Maestro GMP 8.35 D Monitor Headphone

$250 - beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones
(250 ohms)

$259 - AKG K702 Open Back Headphones

$279 - AKG K 242 HD High-Definition Headphones

$335 - AKG K701 Studio Headphones

$390 - Denon AH-D5000 Reference Headphones

$415 - Sennheiser HD 650 Lightweight Open-Air Dynamic Audiophile Headphone

$442 - Ultrasone PRO 900 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones
 
 
 
ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card

1.  Virtual 7.1 Channels
2.  24-bit 192KHz
3.  PCI Express x1 Interface...

[size=0.9em]

1. Audio Chipset: ASUS AV100
2. Sample Rate: 192KHz
3. Digital Audio: 24-bit
4. SNR: 118 dB Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio 124dB for Front-out 110dB for Headphone-out dB

[/size]  
 

is there certain settings a sound card must have in order for it to perform just as good as a amp?
 
im a newb so dont understand much of amps.thanks in advance

 

[Riku540]

Well... I think you have your components confused. Soundcards are a source, amps are amps. Different part of the audio chain. They work together, not in place of each other. You may as well be comparing amps to headphones.
 
Some sound cards do have "built in" amplifiers, but they will never replace a separate, dedicated desktop amp. It has nothing to do with settings, and everything to do with power.
 
I think the real answer you're looking for is are soundcards just as good as DACs. They have different uses, and should be picked on what suits you best.

 

[cutflow]

i would like a sound card that would be able to get the full performance of most of those headsets?
 
or would a separate dedicated desktop amp be the way to go? if so, is there one that will work for most of those sets?

 

[Riku540]

Well... first off we really need to narrow this down. Which of these do you own, or are planning to buy? There's no such thing as an end all in audio. Some require very little to be driven and some are very power hungry.
 
What is your source and budget?

 

[cutflow]

Quote:

Well... first off we really need to narrow this down. Which of these do you own, or are planning to buy? There's no such thing as an end all in audio. Some require very little to be driven and some are very power hungry.
 
What is your source and budget?

i dont own any of those headsets, but i would like to slowly own/collect most of those headsets. i have a lot budget but for now i dont have a set-budget as i'm willing to save $$ for either a sound card or a dedicated desktop amp that would be more than enough to power all of those sets. so i'd set the budget to like $600-900 for a dedicated desktop amp. but one that will power all of those sets as those are the ones i would like to collect!
 
thanks in advance

 

[Riku540]

I recommend the FiiO E7+E9:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/513411/micca-store-fiio-e7-e9-headphone-amplifier-bundle-for-199-95#post_6938991
 
$200 for a DAC (meaning you don't need a soundcard) AND Amp; which can drive everything on that list. You will not find better for cheaper, or more powerful in it's price range.
 
I applaud you for getting a head start on what matters most; the beginning of the audio chain.

 

[serious7]

I can confirm hands down the stx can power even the hd 650 almost to its full potential. I have the stx and hd 650 and it works very well. When I say very well, I mean for the price/performance ratio. To get audible improvements after that, you will need to spend significant amount of money. However, the improvement over the xonar stx amp vs dedicated amp is not significant at all. That is why the xonar essence stx has been given a lot of attention in this forum lately.
 
The best way to start off is buy the stx and use the amp built in. It will please you and your wallet and your needs for a long time until you require that slight audible improvement over the sound card's built in amp. Once you are ready for an upgrade, you can continue to use your stx as a high quality DAC.

 

[cutflow]

Quote:

I recommend the FiiO E7+E9:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/513411/micca-store-fiio-e7-e9-headphone-amplifier-bundle-for-199-95#post_6938991
 
$200 for a DAC (meaning you don't need a soundcard) AND Amp; which can drive everything on that list. You will not find better for cheaper, or more powerful in it's price range.
 
I applaud you for getting a head start on what matters most; the beginning of the audio chain.

 
looks cool, whats the E7 used for?
 
and i just hook this up to my pc usb and install a software? or no software required?
 
am i to uninstall all audio drivers and remove sound card hardware before using installing this one ?
 
my music production software ableton uses something called ASIO4ALL, that will work? i hope
 
thanks in advance

 

[kingtz]

Quote:

Quote:

Well... first off we really need to narrow this down. Which of these do you own, or are planning to buy? There's no such thing as an end all in audio. Some require very little to be driven and some are very power hungry.
 
What is your source and budget?

i dont own any of those headsets, but i would like to slowly own/collect most of those headsets. i have a lot budget but for now i dont have a set-budget as i'm willing to save $$ for either a sound card or a dedicated desktop amp that would be more than enough to power all of those sets. so i'd set the budget to like $600-900 for a dedicated desktop amp. but one that will power all of those sets as those are the ones i would like to collect!
 
thanks in advance

There's really no reason to own/collect all of the headphones which you have listed in your original post. Just buy 2, maybe 3 of the more expensive ones if you wish to experience different sound signatures for different genres of music. No reason to buy a whole lot of lower end headphones, as well as the higher end stuff.
 
Your budget of $600-900 for a headphone amp is very good. You'll get to choose from quite a few high quality brands, as well options like tube vs solid state, etc, but you can worry about that later. The amp you buy will also be rather dependent on which headphones you own, so you'll need to decide that first.
 
If your main interest is to listen to music, I'd rather go with a dedicated DAC, rather than a soundcard. You can still play music from your computer by connecting the DAC to your computer via usb.
 
Tell us the type of music you like to listen to, and the types of sound signatures you prefer (i.e. lots of bass, or crisp highs, or strong mids, etc), and you'll get suggestions for headphones, which is where you need to start.

 

[Riku540]

Quote:

 
looks cool, whats the E7 used for?
 
and i just hook this up to my pc usb and install a software? or no software required?
 
am i to uninstall all audio drivers and remove sound card hardware before using installing this one ?
 
my music production software ableton uses something called ASIO4ALL, that will work? i hope
 
thanks in advance

USB; no software required. Do not uninstall drivers soundcards or anything. Just go to your control panel and sound options and when you want to use the FiiO select it, and when you want to go back to your onboard sound change it back.
 
You can plug and unplug this to and from any and as many computers you want and get the same quality audio.
 
The E7 is the DAC, or digital to analog converter (a lot like an external sound card but better); the E9 can't do this alone as it is only an amplifier. The E7 also functions as a detachable portable amp.

 

[cutflow]

There's really no reason to own/collect all of the headphones which you have listed in your original post. Just buy 2, maybe 3 of the more expensive ones if you wish to experience different sound signatures for different genres of music. No reason to buy a whole lot of lower end headphones, as well as the higher end stuff.
 
Your budget of $600-900 for a headphone amp is very good. You'll get to choose from quite a few high quality brands, as well options like tube vs solid state, etc, but you can worry about that later. The amp you buy will also be rather dependent on which headphones you own, so you'll need to decide that first.
 
If your main interest is to listen to music, I'd rather go with a dedicated DAC, rather than a soundcard. You can still play music from your computer by connecting the DAC to your computer via usb.
 
Tell us the type of music you like to listen to, and the types of sound signatures you prefer (i.e. lots of bass, or crisp highs, or strong mids, etc), and you'll get suggestions for headphones, which is where you need to start.

 
music : house music/ tech house/minimal and techno (bass but not too much)
 
its not for listening music, its more for producing music. and yeah maybe i dont need to collect all of them, but maybe 4-5 because i need more than 1 or 2 to determine that the music i produce is doing exactly what i want it to do and i'd feel to fetch more into getting those sets that sound like the club speakers would. so this is for music productions, not for sitting back and listening to music.
 
another reason for 3-5 sets is to make sure that i'm not missing anything in a beat or when i listen to a track that has a nice concept/sound that im interested to learn then i would need to be able to hear everything if i want a similar sound to that.crisp highs and lows would be more important to me but mids wud also be important but not as much as the highs n lows.
 
i would like to own the 5 sets listed below
 

$104 - Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones

180 - AKG K271MKII Closed Back Circumaural Headphones

$149 - Shure SRH840 Professional Monitoring Earphones (Black)

$250 - beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones
(250 ohms)

$279 - AKG K 242 HD High-Definition Headphones


later after i collected the above, i might be interested in purchasing the sets below to use them as additional references while music productions.

$259 - AKG K702 Open Back Headphones

$390 - Denon AH-D5000 Reference Headphones

$250 - German Maestro GMP 8.35 D Monitor Headphone

$178 - Sony MDR7509HD Professional Headphone

$80 - Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone

 

[cutflow]

Quote:

Quote:

 
looks cool, whats the E7 used for?
 
and i just hook this up to my pc usb and install a software? or no software required?
 
am i to uninstall all audio drivers and remove sound card hardware before using installing this one ?
 
my music production software ableton uses something called ASIO4ALL, that will work? i hope
 
thanks in advance

USB; no software required. Do not uninstall drivers soundcards or anything. Just go to your control panel and sound options and when you want to use the FiiO select it, and when you want to go back to your onboard sound change it back.
 
You can plug and unplug this to and from any and as many computers you want and get the same quality audio.
 
The E7 is the DAC, or digital to analog converter (a lot like an external sound card but better); the E9 can't do this alone as it is only an amplifier. The E7 also functions as a detachable portable amp.

oh thats cool so i can use the e7 while on a flight or long train ride and it will turn on without being plugged in or batteries?
 
so this combo of e9 and e7 will work for all the sets i'm interested? and fully have them perform to the fullest?

 

[mikop]

It will be a good starting set. I don't think any of the headphone (other than the last 2, and I don't know much about it) you listed will really warrant getting into matching amp with headphones so the e7+e9 combo will allow you a lot of options in terms of desktop + portable amp for a reasonable price.  Yes, you can take it on train/flight as amp, then when you are at work or on a laptop, use it as dac and also recharge it through usb. and then when you are back home where your big headphones are, you dock it with e9 and use the combo to drive the harder to drive phones.
 
I use e7 and e9 with my D5000 and my volume dial don't get past 11.  Whether it is to its fullest SQ wise... it is up to opinions.
 
 

 

[Riku540]

I believe the E7 has an internal rechargeable battery (that charges through USB or when docked on the E9) that if I remember correctly lasts 80 hours. It can be used portably as an amp with an iPod or both DAC/amp with a laptop on its own without the E9 (obviously far less powerful this way).
 
The E7+E9 is a completely transparent/neutral combo. This means they will improve the audio signal and performance without adding any coloration. Your headphones will sound "better" and not different. Tube amps are for those who like color, or "different" sound coming from their headphones. What I'm saying is, the FiiO will stay faithful to the original sound signature of your headphones and will drive them to their fullest (600 ohm Beyers are extremely loud at 50%, above will cause hearing damage, to give you an idea).

 

[cutflow]

Quote:

It will be a good starting set. I don't think any of the headphone (other than the last 2, and I don't know much about it) you listed will really warrant getting into matching amp with headphones so the e7+e9 combo will allow you a lot of options in terms of desktop + portable amp for a reasonable price.  Yes, you can take it on train/flight as amp, then when you are at work or on a laptop, use it as dac and also recharge it through usb. and then when you are back home where your big headphones are, you dock it with e9 and use the combo to drive the harder to drive phones.
 
I use e7 and e9 with my D5000 and my volume dial don't get past 11.  Whether it is to its fullest SQ wise... it is up to opinions.
 
 

 
nice!
 
how easy is it to setup the e9/e7 once out the box. anything i should know about when installing everything together