[misal66666]

Hello guys,
 
I just bought Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium 32 Ohm Headphones at 265 CAD since I thought it was a good deal. I am primarily using it on my desktop for gaming and music(Rock mostly). I wanted to buy a "cheap" sound card for my desktop to better optimize the headphones and couldnt decide what to get. I was hoping to get something around 50$ if that was possible. Any suggestions?
 
Thanks

 

[EthanB]

for 32 ohm headphones, you won't need a sound card. 

 

[misal66666]

  for 32 ohm headphones, you won't need a sound card. 

Thanks for the quick reply.
 
Would it make any difference if I added a sound card? The headphones dont sound so great to me and I thought it might be my motherboard not able to drive them to their full potential. I have Asus H170 series motherboard btw if that would help.

 

[EthanB]

What is it about the sound that you don't like? A sound card or an amp/dac may be able to help depending on what it is that you don't like, or it could just be that you don't like the sound signature of the headphones that much.

 

[misal66666]

What is it about the sound that you don't like? A sound card or an amp/dac may be able to help depending on what it is that you don't like, or it could just be that you don't like the sound signature of the headphones that much.

The volume lacks the loudness especially. There seems to be minor (really faint) static on low music. I expected them to have low amount of bass but there is "no bass" if you know what I mean.  

 

[EthanB]

An amp/dac or sound card will allow you to make them louder, and will likely get rid of the static, but I'm not sure if it will help at all with the base. What headphones did you have before you got these? It could be that they had a more base emphasized sound signature rather than a more neutral one like the dt880s have.

 

[misal66666]

An amp/dac or sound card will allow you to make them louder, and will likely get rid of the static, but I'm not sure if it will help at all with the base. What headphones did you have before you got these? It could be that they had a more base emphasized sound signature rather than a more neutral one like the dt880s have.

I have been using Soundmagic HP200 for quiet a while now. They have good bass so that might be a reason why I am not feeling any bass on these. I will try adding a Sound card to the PC. If it won't increase the performance of the headset, at the very least it won't ruin it. Any suggestion for a cheap sound card I might want to buy?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I just bought Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium 32 Ohm Headphones at 265 CAD since I thought it was a good deal. I am primarily using it on my desktop for gaming and music(Rock mostly). I wanted to buy a "cheap" sound card for my desktop to better optimize the headphones and couldnt decide what to get. I was hoping to get something around 50$ if that was possible. Any suggestions?

 
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card, you might find one used for around $50.

 

[EthanB]

you could get the schiit fulla for $60, or the SMSL SD793 for around $60-65. Those are headphone dac/amps, which would probably give you better sound quality than a sound card. Though, if you get the SMSL one, check your motherboard before buying, because it only has optical and coaxial digital inputs. 

 

[misal66666]

  you could get the schiit fulla for $60, or the SMSL SD793 for around $60-65. Those are headphone dac/amps, which would probably give you better sound quality than a sound card. Though, if you get the SMSL one, check your motherboard before buying, because it only has optical and coaxial digital inputs. 

Thanks so much for your help. I have decided to return the headphone and buy something else instead of going into all hassle. 

 

[EthanB]

Nice, I would suggest going to the closest audio store to where you are, and trying out the headphones you are considering, then you can make sure that it is a sound you like before buying.

 

[misal66666]

The thing is there aren't many options here that offers wide range of headphones. All they offer variety in is Skullcandy and Beats which I do not like at all. What is your opinion about the Razer Tiamat 7.1. I am a sucker for Razer accessories but havent tried their headphones yet.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  The thing is there aren't many options here that offers wide range of headphones. All they offer variety in is Skullcandy and Beats which I do not like at all. What is your opinion about the Razer Tiamat 7.1. I am a sucker for Razer accessories but havent tried their headphones yet.

 
Maybe find a good deal on some used Sennheiser HD558.
They are fairly easy to drive headphones.

 

[EthanB]

Gaming headsets, razer's included, tend to have not very good sound quality. I would suggest looking at more established audio companies like sennheiser, AKG, Hifiman, etc. when you have a few headphones in mind, check the store locators on the companies websites. There were a few small somewhat hidden audio stores in my area that I hadn't know about, that I was able to go to and try out the headphones that I was looking at when I was searching for my next pair.

 

[misal66666]

Gaming headsets, razer's included, tend to have not very good sound quality. I would suggest looking at more established audio companies like sennheiser, AKG, Hifiman, etc. when you have a few headphones in mind, check the store locators on the companies websites. There were a few small somewhat hidden audio stores in my area that I hadn't know about, that I was able to go to and try out the headphones that I was looking at when I was searching for my next pair.

 Thanks for all your help. I will post what I have purchased later tonight.