[LOllie]

So I've finnaly decided to improve my listening (which i do rather a lot) from my old set-up which was on-board sound and some sennheiser pc161 headset.

From lurking around in the depths, I think I'm right in thinking i should completely bypass a new sound card and go straight to a USB DAC, am I right in thinking this?

Also I'm not sure if I need amping, I've just ordered some HD595'S, and I have no idea which DAC to choose. My budget is very tight, less than £80.

So far I've seen HA NG98 24/96 USB Sound Card + Mini DAC + Headphone Amp on eBay (end time 11-Jan-10 10:25:28 GMT)

Thanks for any advice

 

[johnwmclean]

LOllie, welcome to head-fi. Bypassing a soundcard into an external DAC should yield better sound, if you also need an amp maybe a dac/amp combo is the way to go.
Here’s a shortlist http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/be...-200-a-291449/ good luck!

 

[IPC_Skeeder]

I've also spotted this miniDAC+headphone amp for my computer, at 99€ (80£), and I was wondering if any one have tested it?

I noticed, that NG 98 uses OPA2604AP for headphone amplification and Cirrus CS4398 for DAC function.

Maybe this is a good combo for my Ultrasone Pro Line 750?

 

[LOllie]

Thanks for answering my first question and giving me some options. Can anyone shed any light on if I'll need any amplification?

 

[johnwmclean]

You will if you want to use an external DAC, no two ways about it. Either a separate DAC and AMP (way to expensive according to your budget) or a DAC/AMP combo.

 

[fenixdown110]

The HD595 is a great can unamped. Amping it won't yield significant results either. If you decide to upgrade cans later, then an amp will be a good addition.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

If you bi-pass your soundcard, you will bi-pass the headphone amp built into it. You will be without any amplification, so yes, you'll need an amp. A more pertinent question would be "do I need a dedicated headphone amp?" No. The 595s are very efficient and most op amps in most PCs, laptops, DAPs, etc. will drive them with sufficient headroom. A small, even portable and battery operated DAC/Amp combo will do a great job. A great place to start your search would be with Headroom's Total Bithead, at $159. There's no need to spend more. Honestly, I'm not sure you need to spend that much. Give the 595s a good run with your existing set-up. There's no doubt that the inside of a PC is a noisy environment, but they're not all create equal (and neither are all sound cards). Some are pretty quiet. And some op amps (the little amplifiers on your sound card) are excellent. Plug in and listen. Enjoy the headphone upgrade for awhile. Then decide if you should shed some more dollars.

P