[shumtastic]

Hey there! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and I currently have a pair of XB500s and M50's on hand. I was wondering what amps would benefit  these two headphones the most at this price range. I use a laptop as my main source, and it doesn't have the greatest sound card built into it. Would I benefit from using a USB DAC instead of the normal 3.5mm jack or can I just use a normal amp hooked up to the laptop via the cable? Thanks!

 

[proton007]

A DAC+Amp combination can *potentially* be better.
Most popular option around here for your budget is the Fiio.

 

[shumtastic]

Which Fiio are you talking about? I see plenty of them on headphonebar's site atm.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hey there! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and I currently have a pair of XB500s and M50's on hand. I was wondering what amps would benefit  these two headphones the most at this price range. I use a laptop as my main source, and it doesn't have the greatest sound card built into it. Would I benefit from using a USB DAC instead of the normal 3.5mm jack or can I just use a normal amp hooked up to the laptop via the cable? Thanks!

Asus Xonar U3 USB sound card ($40)
Fiio E10 USB DAC headphone amplifier ($75)

 

[shumtastic]

Quote:

Asus Xonar U3 USB sound card ($40)
Fiio E10 USB DAC headphone amplifier ($75)

 
Is the xonar worth it? It seems to be a normal everyday sound card.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Is the Xonar worth it? It seems to be a normal everyday sound card.

I'm sure your laptop uses a very low cost DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) and crude line-out that pretend to be a headphone jack.
You could try a cmoy headphone amplifier, sold on eBay (but does not come with a DAC), prices start at $30.
At $50, you do not have a lot of options.

 

[shumtastic]

Quote:

I'm sure your laptop uses a very low cost DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) and crude line-out that pretend to be a headphone jack.
You could try a cmoy headphone amplifier, sold on eBay (but does not come with a DAC), prices start at $30.
At $50, you do not have a lot of options.

Possibly, I'll go look at other DACs as well. Do you think the JDS CmoyBB is worth $60 though?

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Possibly, I'll go look at other DACs as well. Do you think the JDS CmoyBB is worth $60 though?

 
The CmoyBB is only an amp, right?
Another advice I can give is to wait and save some more. In 200-250 range you'll have plenty of options.

 

[shumtastic]

Quote:

 
The CmoyBB is only an amp, right?
Another advice I can give is to wait and save some more. In 200-250 range you'll have plenty of options.

 
 
Yeah, it's amp only. I'd be willing to just get an amp as I'm sure neither my phone or laptop properly drive my headphones anyways. I'll buy a dedicated sound card down the road when I get a desktop.

 

[thanksalot]

Save $150 and get the Fiio E17. It is an AMP/DAC. Hook it up to your computers spdif and you can use the E17 DAC with 24/192 processing. Much better than my creative X-Fi music card.
You can't go wrong with the E17.