[adamdevigili]

Hey guys,
 
I would consider myself a newbie to the world of audio, however not new to the world of electronics and computers (EE major). Anyway, I just recently bought a budget setup to start getting into the audio world, my setup just consisted of a new audio card for my (gaming) PC, the Xonar DG(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045JHJSS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and a set of Samson SASR850Cs (http://www.amazon.com/Samson-SASR850C-Studio-Reference-Headphones/product-reviews/B002LBSEQS) as I had read some good reviews. Got everything hooked up, and they seem alright, but I enjoy my 6 dollar in-ears better to be honest. They aren't near loud enough, and the bass is lacking (I realize these aren't supposed to be "bass-y" headphones, but still thought there would be more. So my question is, is there anything I can do to improve these? Are there settings within my sound card that I can alter to boost the volume more? Just would like some insight, because if this is the best I can get out of these headphones, I will probably just send them back and keep looking. 
 
Thanks!

 

[NA Blur]

First turn the Xonar down to 20% volume.  Turn up the volume within the Sound and Audio Devices menu ( Windows ).
 
As for the headphones look on the box and see if you can find the sensitivity.  If it is above 100dB then there is something probably wrong with your volume controls not the headphones.  If the sensitivity is less than 100dB it may be possible that the headphone is hard to drive, but I doubt this is the case.
 
If you are still unhappy with them return them and go for something like the ATH-M50.

 

[adamdevigili]

Actually found a good amount of settings in Asus' audio suite that installed with the driver. Everything is getting better. Still, any advice on how to get the most out of my current setup would be appreciated.

 

[adamdevigili]

  First turn the Xonar down to 20% volume.  Turn up the volume within the Sound and Audio Devices menu ( Windows ).
 
As for the headphones look on the box and see if you can find the sensitivity.  If it is above 100dB then there is something probably wrong with your volume controls not the headphones.  If the sensitivity is less than 100dB it may be possible that the headphone is hard to drive, but I doubt this is the case.
 
If you are still unhappy with them return them and go for something like the ATH-M50.

 
In the manual, Sensitivity is at 98dB. 

 

[NA Blur]

A sensitivity of 98dB is lower than headphones that are commonly made for portable devices.  This may be the 2nd part of the equation when attempting to get higher volumes out of the headphone.  Lower sensitivity equates to more power / voltage needed to acquire higher volumes.  It is not as if 98dB is bad or really low, but anything below 100dB can sometimes offer issue with weak amps.
 
Things to pay attention to when trying to improve sound:
 
1.)  Always use low compression reference material when making conclusions about gear
     If reference files are not used then there will be more bias to how the headphone / gear sounds
 
2.)  With no music playing turn the volume up to 80%.  Do you hear hiss, bleep bloops, or other noise artifacts?
      A poorly implemented DAC or a poorly designed amp will not reduce noise and will often introduce more noise
 
3.)  Use a known good headphone like the LCD-2, Denon AH-D2000, HD800, or AKG K712 Pro to make judgements about your gear because if the headphone / speaker is poorly designed no amp or DAC will make it sound leagues better.
 
I suspect the headphone you have is decent enough, but there are probably better options out there that sound more like what you prefer.
 
A really great headphone that you can test them against is the Philips Cityscape Downtown.  Often found for under $100 and at stores like Kohls will have them at $60 or less.  They measure well, sound great unamped, but sound even better amped.  See if you can find a pair in your area and if you have to buy them see if you can return them if you do not like them.  This will allow you to more testing and see if your headphones are your limiting factor.