[bladefd]

I posted a thread a couple days ago asking for amp recommendations for around $100, but it got me thinking afterwards. Would I be better off actually looking for an amp (possibly mini3 or something around there) or getting a DAC or perhaps even upgrading my soundcard? Now I am not sure if I would be able to get a DAC for around $100.

I don't own any amp or DAC, but the soundcard that I currently own is: Realtek
(some soundcard info):
" 1. Realtek ALC888 codec
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for S/PDIF In/Out
5. Support for CD In "

By the way - This would be in conjunction with a DT880. I really want the most efficient option of the 3 that will help the most. There is no way I can afford to buy all 3 new things. Just remember that my budget is about $100. I do not plan on going past that....

Thanks fellas.

 

[jh4db536]

none of the above; save your money.

 

[Skin]

save up for a xonar essence, that would probably be your best bet on a tight budget.

Standalone dacs dont become beneficial over a soundcards own until you get into the $500+ range and any amp you could hope to get around the $100 range wouldnt be as good as what the essence gives you.

by the way you dont technically have a soundcard. You have onboard sound, its integrated into the motherboard.

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin /img/forum/go_quote.gif save up for a xonar essence, that would probably be your best bet on a tight budget. Standalone dacs dont become beneficial over a soundcards own until you get into the $500+ range and any amp you could hope to get around the $100 range wouldnt be as good as what the essence gives you. by the way you dont technically have a soundcard. You have onboard sound, its integrated into the motherboard.

Is that an amp or soundcard? I just noticed that they go for about $200. Wouldn't I still need to buy an amp to go with that?

I am still baffled as to why a mini^3 or even a mini XP amp not be enough to power up this DT880. In the other thread where I asked for amp recommendations, a couple people mentioned the mini^3 sounds great with 880 and somebody also mentioned the BitHead.

I am kind of regretting getting this 880. For $110, it was a great deal at the moment when I first found it. I thought it would sound great with a $50-$75 amp.. Dang it....

 

[Tridacnid]

Can you DIY? You can get a lot of good DIY for $100 (relatively). It won't be a $1000 amp killer, but the Millet Starving Student Hybrid has gotten some great rep around here, and it can be built for cheap, assuming you can get your hands on the tubes.

 

[Skin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bladefd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is that an amp or soundcard? I just noticed that they go for about $200. Wouldn't I still need to buy an amp to go with that? I am still baffled as to why a mini^3 or even a mini XP amp not be enough to power up this DT880. In the other thread where I asked for amp recommendations, a couple people mentioned the mini^3 sounds great with 880 and somebody also mentioned the BitHead. I am kind of regretting getting this 880. For $110, it was a great deal at the moment when I first found it. I thought it would sound great with a $50-$75 amp.. Dang it....

Every sound device is an amp so its both, like any sound card. The Essence is actually a very decent headphone amp more impressive than what your average sound card has. Since its also a sound card you'll benefit from isolating your source and removing distortion as well as enjoying its better quality DAC [as all sound cards function as amplifiers they also all have DACs]. Basically for around $200 you'd be upgrading everything you asked about. You could just get just an external amp like the ones you mentioned but i dont think it would be nearly as beneficial. Infact i know it wouldnt.

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Every sound device is an amp so its both, like any sound card. The Essence is actually a very decent headphone amp more impressive than what your average sound card has. Since its also a sound card you'll benefit from isolating your source and removing distortion as well as enjoying its better quality DAC [as all sound cards function as amplifiers they also all have DACs]. Basically for around $200 you'd be upgrading everything you asked about. You could just get just an external amp like the ones you mentioned but i dont think it would be nearly as beneficial. Infact i know it wouldnt.

So let me ask something a little different. Is there anything similar to the Essence that I could get for a little cheaper? I really don't want to wait a long time to get something and be forced to use this 880 unamped for a few months straight.

TBH, I don't even mind getting something used. As a matter of fact, I plan on posting a thread in the For Sale forums to see what AMPs or soundcard I can get for around a $100. I just don't know what to exactly ask for in the thread. I was originally going to try and see if anybody is trying to sell a mini^3 or mini XP, but you are making me have second thoughts. Hmmm...

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tridacnid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you DIY? You can get a lot of good DIY for $100 (relatively). It won't be a $1000 amp killer, but the Millet Starving Student Hybrid has gotten some great rep around here, and it can be built for cheap, assuming you can get your hands on the tubes.

I really don't have any experience in that kind of stuff. I don't want to risk doing it myself only to find out that I messed something up later on after it is all done. Somebody also recommended the Millet Starving Student Hybrid in one of the other threads that I read earlier. Unfortunately, I am not able to make it myself.

 

[tim3320070]

A little under $300 shipped- DAC and amp of good quality. $100 won't do much of anything for you. Troll eBay and Craigslist for used.

 

[Skin]

your options as i see it consist of finding some incredible deal or getting a used Total BitHead. im sure there are others that im not thinking of so anyone else can add their own input.

if you got the 32 ohm version of the DT880 i'd personally just plug it right into the onboard sound of the PC and "suffer" through it until you can afford to get an Essence. at the budget of only $100 im sorry to say there just arent many avenues of obvious quality performance.

 

[BauhausBold]

What about the external M-Audio audiophile dac... you can find them used for $100

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin /img/forum/go_quote.gif your options as i see it consist of finding some incredible deal or getting a used Total BitHead. im sure there are others that im not thinking of so anyone else can add their own input. if you got the 32 ohm version of the DT880 i'd personally just plug it right into the onboard sound of the PC and "suffer" through it until you can afford to get an Essence. at the budget of only $100 im sorry to say there just arent many avenues of obvious quality performance.

You are probably correct there. I was thinking about it - there is actually one other option; it may not be as great but still a possibility. How about I get the Asus Xonar DX for about $55 bucks now or even one of the other $50-$60 X-Fi cards (I am not sure which soundcard is decent for under $100)? Then I wait 2 more months and pick up some used $100 amplifier (possibly the Pimeta or something if I can find one) or something. I am sure something will show up in the Amp for sale/trade forum.
My guess is that the difference in sound quality between the original Xonar DX and the Xonar Essence is about around 10% if compared side by side. For a person on a tight budget like me, that 10% difference is not worth paying $150 extra on an Essence... Is this option efficient in the long run? Will the Xonar DX at least be able to run my 880 until I get some amplifier in the near future?

The other option that I have is the one that you mentioned with getting an used Total BitHead. Again, I am an absolute newbie when it comes to amps and soundcards. I know VERY little compared to what you guys might. I just need some opinion on which route I should take with my limited budget. I don't need the absolute top of the line stuff. Unfortunately, my budget puts me at some limitations whether I like it or not..

 

[Skin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bladefd /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are probably correct there. I was thinking about it - there is actually one other option; it may not be as great but still a possibility. How about I get the Asus Xonar DX for about $55 bucks now or even one of the other $50-$60 X-Fi cards (I am not sure which soundcard is decent for under $100)? Then I wait 2 more months and pick up some used $100 amplifier (possibly the Pimeta or something if I can find one) or something. I am sure something will show up in the Amp for sale/trade forum. My guess is that the difference in sound quality between the original Xonar DX and the Xonar Essence is about around 10% if compared side by side. For a person on a tight budget like me, that 10% difference is not worth paying $150 extra on an Essence... Is this option efficient in the long run? Will the Xonar DX at least be able to run my 880 until I get some amplifier in the near future? The other option that I have is the one that you mentioned with getting an used Total BitHead. Again, I am an absolute newbie when it comes to amps and soundcards. I know VERY little compared to what you guys might. I just need some opinion on which route I should take with my limited budget. I don't need the absolute top of the line stuff. Unfortunately, my budget puts me at some limitations whether I like it or not..

You didnt state what version of the DT880 you bought so i dont know. If its the 32Ohm version you shouldnt have much difficulty running it direct at all. I assume you've plugged it right into your onboard that you have now yes? Did you have to max the volume to hear anything?

The Xonar DX is a nice card for music so you'll probably be quite pleased there if you went that route. As to the question of 10% improvment, the Essence has a built in dedicated headphone amplifier. Its made to amp headphones so it goes a bit beyond a tier system of better products but basically the same family. Its more specialized than that. It also seems rather flexible working well with both low and high impedance headphones. Something worth keeping in mind if you want to expand your collection not too far down the road.

You could go for the sound card and amp later, as you said. Theres certainly plenty of options, like the little dot mk1, Its entirely up to you. For my money, personally, as i said, i'd just suffer with using it direct through the onboard and get the Essence when money permits. At that budget its the ease for me personally. Its a single component and upgrades your entire audio "system". Better amp, better source, better DAC. I understand price is a factor so just note that the Essence has already dropped to $175 at a number of etailers [that one has free shipping].

Either way i dont think you can go wrong.

 

[tonsosnot]

What about combo units? I'm surprised they haven't been brought up yet. For around $100 or little over, you're in the range of a used Zero, Beresford TC7510, or Zhaolu DAC/amp. All support S/PDIF input, and would be a big step up from onboard audio in both DAC and amplification aspects.

I've used 250ohm DT990's with the Beresford, and while not stunning, the result is more than enough to hold you over until you get a dedicated amp. If and when you do decide to get a dedicated amp, you'll still have a pretty decent dac to feed it. I think these combo's offer tremendous value as starter units. I've only heard the Beresford myself, but the Zero and Zhaolu seem to have a good reputation here.

It may take a little waiting, but these units definitely pop up on the For Sale forums. I just don't recommend purchasing a Beresford new.

 

[bladefd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin /img/forum/go_quote.gif You didnt state what version of the DT880 you bought so i dont know. If its the 32Ohm version you shouldnt have much difficulty running it direct at all. I assume you've plugged it right into your onboard that you have now yes? Did you have to max the volume to hear anything? The Xonar DX is a nice card for music so you'll probably be quite pleased there if you went that route. As to the question of 10% improvment, the Essence has a built in dedicated headphone amplifier. Its made to amp headphones so it goes a bit beyond a tier system of better products but basically the same family. Its more specialized than that. It also seems rather flexible working well with both low and high impedance headphones. Something worth keeping in mind if you want to expand your collection not too far down the road. You could go for the sound card and amp later, as you said. Theres certainly plenty of options, like the little dot mk1, Its entirely up to you. For my money, personally, as i said, i'd just suffer with using it direct through the onboard and get the Essence when money permits. At that budget its the ease for me personally. Its a single component and upgrades your entire audio "system". Better amp, better source, better DAC. I understand price is a factor so just note that the Essence has already dropped to $175 at a number of etailers [that one has free shipping]. Either way i dont think you can go wrong.

You made it very clear and to the point.

To answer your question, this 880 is actually the vintage version of the 250 ohm version that were once made back in the late 80's (refurbished with new drivers though). Currently, I am running it off the onboard sound. It does the job of providing me enough power to listen to the 880 fairly loud. Now that doesn't mean the sound quality is any good. It sounds a bit too dark for my taste, and currently not very clear TBH. Again, I have not tried out this 880 with some top of the line amp to compare with my current setup so I am not exactly sure what to make of it. It is loud enough for me to hear though; I don't even keep the sound maxed out. At max volume, it is almost deafeningly loud (not like I would listen to it THAT loud).


One more thing to mention (don't know if it is worth noting). While going through my motherboard manual to acquire more info on the onboard sound that I have, I found the following:
According to my motherboard manual, it says that my onboard sound already has DACs on it. "High Definition Audio (HD Audio) HD Audio includes multiple high quality digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that support 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 96KHz, 192KHz sampling rate."
I wonder if that is the reason why I am able to listen to the 880 loudly like a person would be able to with an amp?