[bmur]

Hey, so I'm planning to buy a pair of DT 770 80 ohm's... they will be used at my desktop mainly. I might lug em around and use my galaxy s2/ipod on occasion.. will look into quality mp3 players eventually. Usual uses apply - gaming(fps), music, movies.
 
I've been looking into budget options, and after a lot of reading, searching, price checking etc., I'm getting kind of burnt out. I'm considering a xonar dg(quick search finds $26 shipped) and a fiio e6(can be found quite cheap used).
 
I'm not opposed to using a dac instead of buying a soundcard, it just seems less efficient. I have an asrock e3g3 with Realtek ALC892 currently.
 
I'm not going to give an exact budget, I'll look at the price + pros/cons of each setup instead. I've read a lot of mixed things about the pa2v2 with 770s, some say they work very well and others say there's barely a difference(hard to believe... but I've seen that stated several times during my surfing the hi-fi wave). I don't have a problem with buying used, in fact I'd probably prefer it unless retail was only a bit more.
 
Your efforts will be well received, oh great connoisseurs of the sonic!

 

[bmur]

Anyone know about the minibox d and hifiman hm-101? Found them both pretty cheap..

 

[bowei006]

I have tested the DT770/80's and am a computer enthusiast.
 
That intergrated soundcard in your Asrock? Laugh at it. It's specs mean nothing. Most intergrated units these days boast specs that in actual usage are terrible and horrible sounding when you finally hear the difference.
 
The DT770/80 do need a bit of amping depending on how loud you listen to. 
 
Having an external DAC unit is not counter intuitive. It depends on what you use it for. Some get ASUS STX's as it fits their desktop needs($200) while for the same price some may get Audio-gd's or Arcam desktop units. 
 
The internal dedicated sound card is a stationary object while the dedicated one can be used with most computers and laptops. This is because the good dedicated sound cards are mainly for micro-ATX and above size computers that can have a PCIE card in it.
 
Instead of getting both of them, you could just get a MUSE or a FiiO. Those are the most popular options at this price. I have tested the DT770/80 with the E17's. The DT's were not burned in and had sonic problems, but I didn't have enough time with them anyway.

 

[mrbigsby]

i had an e17 and 770 250 and they are a great match, owever i much prefer my C421 as its a little more high end in sound qualities. odac is a great dac too, but i dont use one as i have no need for a DAC. Most devices these days have one built in that is decent enough/

 

[bmur]

I do like to bump my cans on occasion, so I will need some sort of amplification. IIRC the STX has a decent built in amp, but that's definitely out of my price range... will the xonar dg be able to drive my phones sufficiently?
 
The e17 looks great but it's a bit expensive for me atm, unless I could find a good deal on a used one. That C421 looks even better, quit making me want to buy things I can't afford!

 

[mrbigsby]

the difference in price isnt unreasonable. Considering the step up in sound and craftsmanship. JDS labs is AMAZING. Plus its so slim and sexy

 

[bowei006]

Quote:

I do like to bump my cans on occasion, so I will need some sort of amplification. IIRC the STX has a decent built in amp, but that's definitely out of my price range... will the xonar dg be able to drive my phones sufficiently?
 
The e17 looks great but it's a bit expensive for me atm, unless I could find a good deal on a used one. That C421 looks even better, quit making me want to buy things I can't afford!

 
The E07K is the baby E17. It is $90 with free shipping.
 
I personally would just like a dedicated amp on the go.