[Aquarian]

Hi guys,
I have Audeze LCD2
with my PC:
just to give you guys an idea i have ASUS Maximus IX Hero mobo

now I had plans to upgrade to
Schiit Bifrost 2
Schiit Loki (coz I really want some more bass in my music)
Schiit Mjolnir

but again I thought will it be enough if I buy a good Sound Card.
so any suggestions about my situation .... if I go for a sound card .. which one would u guys suggest ?

Cheers
Aditya

 

[PurpleAngel]

Your motherboard comes with very decent on-board audio (for a motherboard built in sound card).
It even comes with an add-on DAC chip.
Sonic studio might even be good for FPS gaming (but I've never used it myself).
Do the newer Creative sound cards (AE series) come with a better DAC chip, yes.
Do you even have a need for headphone surround sound (for FPS)?
If not, then an external DAC/amp might be the better choice.
Do you have a max budget?

 

[Aquarian]

Your motherboard comes with very decent on-board audio (for a motherboard built in sound card).
It even comes with an add-on DAC chip.
Sonic studio might even be good for FPS gaming (but I've never used it myself).
Do the newer Creative sound cards (AE series) come with a better DAC chip, yes.
Do you even have a need for headphone surround sound (for FPS)?
If not, then an external DAC/amp might be the better choice.
Do you have a max budget?

Hi,
Thanks for a quick reply.
I dont have a need for surround sound, i am looking for something only for music. I do play games but not that particular about surround sound.
And yes, i have already narrowed down my choice of external dac amp to schiit setup as mentioned in my post, so i have budget set to that equipment, which is $1700
Let me keep an open mind for few more days and then decide
Thanks and cheers

 

[AlanHell]

If you want better high res file support, then Schiit DAC might not be the best choice. They do not support DXD nor DSD. Otherwise, I guess they are OK.
$1700 is a lot of money and can get a very high end all in one solution. In general, Planar drivers are very good at bass, and LCD2 has a lot of them already. As long as your amp has the power, I do not think you will need any EQ device at all.

Maybe you can just get he Mjolnir and power it via the line level output from your on board sound card?
My friend use to own LCD2 and from my memory they are very source in-depended. I tried plug it into different amp and dac systems, and they normally carry the LCD sound over. Unlike my HD800 that will either sound brighter or warmer depending on the DAC and AMP I am using.

 

[theveterans]

IMO, you don't need the Bifrost 2 if you're just gonna feed it to Loki. Your motherboard is more than enough for the task, and if you need the full 2V output, there's far cheaper DACs with more features such as DSD256 for a fraction of price that will pair up with Loki such as Khanas Tone Board for example. As for amp, Mjolnir 2 is inherently balanced and you won’t get the best out of it by feeding it with SE input. I’d highly recommend Asgard 3 or Magni Heresy or Magni 3+ for that purpose.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hi, Thanks for a quick reply.
I don't have a need for surround sound, i am looking for something only for music. I do play games but not that particular about surround sound.
And yes, i have already narrowed down my choice of external dac amp to schiit setup as mentioned in my post, so i have budget set to that equipment, which is $1700
Let me keep an open mind for few more days and then decide Thanks and cheers

$1700, that will just about cover my consultation fee.
Guess you should pick out the headphones first, then see how much is leftover for the external DAC/amp.

 

[Aquarian]

$1700, that will just about cover my consultation fee.
Guess you should pick out the headphones first, then see how much is leftover for the external DAC/amp.

I already have the headphones , $1700 is only for those 3 schiit equipment. Which i am rethinking after reading suggestions from you guys.

 

[Aquarian]

If you want better high res file support, then Schiit DAC might not be the best choice. They do not support DXD nor DSD. Otherwise, I guess they are OK.
$1700 is a lot of money and can get a very high end all in one solution. In general, Planar drivers are very good at bass, and LCD2 has a lot of them already. As long as your amp has the power, I do not think you will need any EQ device at all.

Maybe you can just get he Mjolnir and power it via the line level output from your on board sound card?
My friend use to own LCD2 and from my memory they are very source in-depended. I tried plug it into different amp and dac systems, and they normally carry the LCD sound over. Unlike my HD800 that will either sound brighter or warmer depending on the DAC and AMP I am using.

Thanks for your suggestion, will keep that in mind before proceeding.

 

[Aquarian]

IMO, you don't need the Bifrost 2 if you're just gonna feed it to Loki. Your motherboard is more than enough for the task, and if you need the full 2V output, there's far cheaper DACs with more features such as DSD256 for a fraction of price that will pair up with Loki such as Khanas Tone Board for example. As for amp, Mjolnir 2 is inherently balanced and you won’t get the best out of it by feeding it with SE input. I’d highly recommend Asgard 3 or Magni Heresy or Magni 3+ for that purpose.

Will definitely checkout more into Khadas Tone board and other stuff as suggested, thank you for reply