[tomjonesrocks]

Currently I'm going from an X-Fi Xtreme to my Headfive--and on several occasions many have told me I need to get away from my soundcard and go to something else. I never received much of a definitive answer though and it seems like it's something of a contentious issue.

I could probably afford to spend up to $300 on a DAC if it's going to make a significant difference in SQ. Is this a worthwhile upgrade or is it going to be one of those things where the difference in SQ is really minimal?

Another option of course is to buy a corda aria and just use that (which may make the headfive sellable). Have been pretty happy with the headfive though without really having a whole lot of other amps.

Opinions appreciated.

 

[Redo]

X-Fi's analog output sounds good, but there was a big SQ jump when I started using my MicroDAC. So any external DAC upgrade would be worth the money for music listening.