[ramzes235]

hello everybody i hope i'm in the right section !
i'm going to buy a headphone (shure 840/beyerdynamic DT770 PRo or sony 7506 )
and i' will listen the music on my pc but i don't have a sound card , so i search a sound card that can exploit my headphone ! 
are the sound card with kind of amp ? 
i tought about this sound cards 
- asus essence stx
-creative sound blaster x-fi titanium hd
what do you think ??? 
(THX a LOT an SOOOORRRY for my mistakes !)  

 

[ramzes235]

nobody ? up 

 

[koolkat]

There's a soundcard/chip in every PC/laptop.

 

[ramzes235]

no i mean a intern sound card ( like a creative x-fi , assus xonar etc...)  an add to the soundcard of the motherboard 
and i search one how can drive the beyerdynamic dt770 pro 250 ohm
thx

 

[koolkat]

You don't need a sound card to drive headphones. What you need
is an amplifier. A sound card determines the quality of the sound that
you get, but what is more important is you need an amp to power
your headphones. The sound card comes later. 

 

[ramzes235]

i'am agree with you but the soundcard of my mother boeard is awfull ... so i tought first take a soundcard and then buy headphone while i'm not sure wich i'am going to take ... and think that with a beayerdynamic dt 770 80 oh or a shure 840 or a kns 8400 i don't need and amp while the impédance is low ? no ? 
 
thanx a lot for your help

 

[Cuddlepaws]

Rather than a sound card, you might want to look up at DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) as there is a lot of noise and interference inside a computer. Some USB DACs are also less expensive than sound cards and even double as a portable amp (fiio e7). [first post, please be gentle]

 

[Roller]

Do you plan on just listening to music or also play games and watch movies? Because depending on your preferences, you may or may not benefit from a soundcard or an external DAC.
 
Your listening habits are important to decide what you should get.

 

[ramzes235]

hello roller i listen a lot of music and i play a lot of games and i watch 1 movie a day
thx for help 
 

 

[Roller]

Well, if you plan on doing all those things, then getting a soundcard is indeed a better option, specially considering you play games. What's your budget?

 

[ramzes235]

my budget 150 euro ? i think it will be good no ? 

 

[Roller]

You could get a Creative X-Fi Titanium soundcard for around $50 and a Fiio E11 headphone amplifier for $60, a combo that will enable you to do everything you wanted, and will definitely be a good starting point for when you later on want to upgrade (yes, upgraditis attacks us all

).
If you want a higher quality setup but stretching the budget a bit, you could get an Auzentech X-Fi Forte soundcard and a PA2V2 headphone amplifier.
 
The reason I recommend X-Fi powered soundcards is because they are the only cards with proper gaming support, having all the features requires for gaming without compromises, unlike competing products(like Asus cards) that either have gaming as an afterthought and/or bad gaming features implementation.

 

[koolkat]

I'm fine with my stock acer laptop. The sound is 2590145 times better than my PSP or my phone.
But yes, you might want to get an amp and a DAC if you plan on getting those headphones. I don't
think they drive well without amps.

 

[Roller]

Quote:

I'm fine with my stock acer laptop. The sound is 2590145 times better than my PSP or my phone.
But yes, you might want to get an amp and a DAC if you plan on getting those headphones. I don't
think they drive well without amps.

The OP wants to game, so an external DAC is out of the question as they have no gaming features at all. Given the budget, I feel that the options suggested are the best bang for buck.

 

[ramzes235]

i will get an amp next month i will try with the sound card and if it doesn't  did well i will take imediately a amp . but i live in belgium and i don't find amp for headphones ...  can you give me some models so i can try to find it on the internet ? thx