[artha77]

hello everyone currently i've a Hifiman Sundara coupled with a sound blaster AE-5 soundcard. I actually want to upgrade my gears and I would want know what is gonna make the most difference, a new headphone(i'm pretty interested by Audeze LCDs products) or a new combo DAC and headphone amp to replace my soundcard (schiit products for example) what do you thinks is the most interesting to upgrade ?

thanks in advance for your answers

 

[loki993]

I dont know anything about the sundara or that soundblaster but ive listened to a few onboard audio chips and they all sounded far worse than even a cheap fiii e10k.

I think an amp and maybe a dac, the dac on the be MAY be ok, would be a pretty big improvement for you

 

[artha77]

it's not onboard it's a dedicated soundcard

 

[loki993]

it's not onboard it's a dedicated soundcard

I realized that which is why I prefaced with Ive only heard on board stuff. Also why I said your dac may be ok because I think at least some of the SBs do have decent DACs, I couldn't tell you which ones though. I still say though Im pretty darn sure you can get better sound from a dedicated amp

 

[artha77]

ok I see thanks for your answer so you think that amp like the schiit magni for example can actually improve the sound quality of my current system ?

 

[Chris Kaoss]

hello everyone currently i've a Hifiman Sundara coupled with a sound blaster AE-5 soundcard. I actually want to upgrade my gears and I would want know what is gonna make the most difference, a new headphone(i'm pretty interested by Audeze LCDs products) or a new combo DAC and headphone amp to replace my soundcard (schiit products for example) what do you thinks is the most interesting to upgrade ?

thanks in advance for your answers

If this is your permanent setup, i'd recommend a dedicated amp.
The dac on the SB looks great so far. But there's no info about the output power of it.
Therefor it's well known that especially planars benefit from more power they can achieve.

You thoughts about some LCD's is great, but for such headphones you need a lot more power to drive them as intended.
So the need for an external amp will be obvious.

 

[Monsterzero]

A new DAC and /or amp can improve things such as staging,depth,air etc...
A new DAC/amp cannot change the nature of a headphone much at all,so if you are happy with things such as bass,treble,voicing of your Sundara then a new DAC/amp would be the best route. If however you find the Sundara to be missing things,such as heavier bass(for example)a new headphone would be the best route.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Yeah but at the same time if the amp is doing a really poor job driving the headphone in question it can affect the way it sounds pretty dramatically.

If in doubt the best thing might be to go to a shop with some music you know and listen to the headphones you already have out of a good amp.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

If in doubt the best thing might be to go to a shop with some music you know and listen to the headphones you already have out of a good amp.

Fully agree with it.
That's always the best way to find your sweet spot.

 

[PurpleAngel]

hello everyone currently i've a Hifiman Sundara coupled with a sound blaster AE-5 soundcard. I actually want to upgrade my gears and I would want know what is gonna make the most difference, a new headphone(i'm pretty interested by Audeze LCDs products) or a new combo DAC and headphone amp to replace my soundcard (schiit products for example) what do you thinks is the most interesting to upgrade ?
thanks in advance for your answers

Sound cards can make decent DAC/amp. And your headphones appear to be easy to drive.
So your current setup is fairly decent.
A Topping DX7s Pro DAC/amp, with it's balanced headphone jack and a balanced cable, for the Sundara, might be something for you to look into.

 

[dazzerfong]

The Soundblaster AE-5 is more than adequate for a while. Get a new headphone if you want the biggest difference. Especially if you feel like there's a fundamental flaw with the Sundara - no amount of amping will fix it.

 

[Whazzzup]

both of course plus a server and cables

 

[ProtegeManiac]

hello everyone currently i've a Hifiman Sundara coupled with a sound blaster AE-5 soundcard. I actually want to upgrade my gears and I would want know what is gonna make the most difference, a new headphone(i'm pretty interested by Audeze LCDs products) or a new combo DAC and headphone amp to replace my soundcard (schiit products for example) what do you thinks is the most interesting to upgrade ?

thanks in advance for your answers

I'd only use a soundcard if you need a DSP and you're using for example a budget motherboard or a good motherboard you picked for other features like good VRM and VRM cooling then it turns out its audio section sucks, DSP and op-amp headphone driver or not.

 

[artha77]

thanks for all your replies ! so if I sum it up:
- amp/dac impact only the "meta" sound (soundstage, depth, imaging) not the actual sound signature(treble, bass, medium etc..)
- the AE-5 seem to be decent as a dac, but might benefit from a amp
- a new headphone is gonna make the more biggest difference on the setup
- but if I want for example a LCD I need a good setup to power it
- and finally it's better to find a good music shop where I can hear by my own the difference

I see, so even if I want to get a new headphone, chance are that I need a new amp/dac anyway to fully power it.

therefore it's seem best to improve my dac/amp setup, and then if i'm unsatisfied with the sound in some way, try another pair of headphone with my now complete setup that can power it at is full potential ?

am I right ?

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Your last step should be your first one.
There you can listen to what your current headphones is capable of.
Benefit is that you'll be able to demo some other headphones in comparison to your Sundara with the same setup.

The worst what could happen is you're falling in love with another pair of headphone. ^^
Or maybe you'll love your Sundara more than before.
Noone can tell what will happen, except you.

May the force be with you and apologies to your wallet.