[Uncle AL]

As far as a budget amp goes, many people recommend the Schiit Vali.
As for DAC, explain what you're going to use the headphones for  (gaming, music listening, music production, etc.)

The Schiit Vali are well thought of and should pair well The LD MKIII may provide anotger prospect and is slightly darker with bit more "tube you" sound to balance Q701s clarity and tendancy to be a bit bright.

 

[EdibleStereos]

I just recieved my q701's in, and arent very impressed with the build quality at all compared to the k701's I had many years ago. These seem flimsy, the headband seems to be fake leather. And the worst thing is, I take the ear cups off to inspect the build quality, and my right driver has a small dent in it! I tried to gently poke it to make it pop into place, but it refuses, and I don't want to risk further damaging it.

Really disappointed in the build quality here.

EDIT: I just took off the other earpad, and it looks like there is dust on the backside of the driver, or bubbles in the plastic. Really unhappy with the build quality.

They seem to sound fine, but with these obvious defects in both drivers, it wonders what problems may arise.

 

[DaveK1977]

It was very clear to me from the get-go that the "leather" top of the Q701 wasn't.  Mine makes some tiny noises when wiggled.  Though the lime is a very pretty color, the cables were disappointingly faded looking compared to the headphones themselves.  Contrary to some people, I love the super long cables.  That said, count me impressed by the sound and a little unhappy with the comfort sometimes, but not always.

 

[ZALHERA]

So for gaming, what would be a good chain? Sound card => amp => Q701? I need virtual surround sound which a card can provide, then I can get the Schiit Vali maybe to amp it. Or would getting the Xonar Essence STX be enough?

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

So for gaming, what would be a good chain? Sound card => amp => Q701? I need virtual surround sound which a card can provide, then I can get the Schiit Vali maybe to amp it. Or would getting the Xonar Essence STX be enough?

IMO, get the sound card first, and if you feel it is not enough get the amp.

 

[ZALHERA]

Sounds good. My Q701s should be coming in soon. Worst part about ordering online is the wait. Sigh.

 

[DaveK1977]

The Q701 is power hungry.  I'm not a serious gamer, and my outboard DA converter is the Berhinger UFO that I use to record vinyl sometimes.  Nothing special.  The Q701 does sound very good with the Schiit Vali, with every source I've tried so far.  

 

[Stillhart]

  IMO, get the sound card first, and if you feel it is not enough get the amp.

Agreed.  You'll be fine with something like a Sound Blaster Z or Omni.  You've got room to improve by just adding an amp, but it by no means sounds bad just out of the sound card.  Especially if you're using it primarily for gaming.

 

[ZALHERA]

Thanks for the feedback. I was worried I need to spend more on an amp seeing how the headphones were unexpected to begin with. Impulse buying at its finest haha. I will try with my current card but I might save up for the Schiit Vali in the end.

 

[TsukiNick]

  Agreed.  You'll be fine with something like a Sound Blaster Z or Omni.  You've got room to improve by just adding an amp, but it by no means sounds bad just out of the sound card.  Especially if you're using it primarily for gaming.

I had the Soundblaster Z and Honestly the Asus Xonar DGX sounds a lot better to me and it's cheaper, dolby headphone blows SBX out of the water.

 

[Stillhart]

  I had the Soundblaster Z and Honestly the Asus Xonar DGX sounds a lot better to me and it's cheaper, dolby headphone blows SBX out of the water.

This is very subjective.  I personally think SBX blows DH out of the water.  I generally recommend that anyone who is thinking about which to get should listen to some pre-rendered videos on Youtube to compare for themselves.  The differences are obvious and most people tend to prefer one to the other.
 
@chicolom posted a really great comparison video a few months back in the MLE thread.  I'll see if I can dig it up...
 
Here it is:
 
 

 

[betweentheears]

Picked up new Q701's today. Found the Magni a little underwhelming but my Yamaha C-45 pre-amp seems to be a very good match.
The bass is there and the treble is not too hot. They really like a good recording, not as good with Spotify Premium.

 

[EdibleStereos]

http://imgur.com/a/UisQ7

Links to the damage in the drivers.

 

[ZALHERA]

  This is very subjective.  I personally think SBX blows DH out of the water.  I generally recommend that anyone who is thinking about which to get should listen to some pre-rendered videos on Youtube to compare for themselves.  The differences are obvious and most people tend to prefer one to the other.
 
@chicolom posted a really great comparison video a few months back in the MLE thread.  I'll see if I can dig it up...
 
Here it is:
 
 

Based on this, I actually think I prefer the SBX processing as I heard better positional queues. However, seeing how I currently have the Xonar DGX I guess I'll stick to DH. I mean it's not bad; I can still hear positional queues. But based on that video, the SBX sounded better. It might depend on headphones though, as I am currently listening to A40s. I'll give it a second go when the Q701 gets here and decide my next move from there.

 

[SpiderNhan]

I bought the Sound Blaster Z after watching this video about a half dozen times using my Q701, M-100 and XS on both my PC and Galaxy S3 through various DACs and amps. SBX, to me, sounds the best and has the 2nd best positional accuracy. The others sounded as follows:
 
Dolby Headphone: decent positional accuracy, too much reverb
CMSS-3D: best positional accuracy, treble heavy "hot" sound
Razer Surround: worst positional accuracy, and smallest sound stage but sounds more natural than DH and CMSS. A bit bassy. (*Note: the bass boost can be turned off in the application. I found this sounded way better.)
 
This is how it sounds to me through my headphones and your experiences may differ, but this video was the deciding factor for me.