[chronomitch]

A few months ago I decided to get serious about a headphone audio setup using a computer as the source, and I started buying equipment.

I originally was using a Sennheiser HD595 without any kind of amp. Then I purchased an HD650 along with a Xonar STX sound card. The STX was MUCH better than my on-board sound card, especially in the noise department. The HD650 was also a big step up from the 595, but I soon understood what everyone meant by the Sennheiser "veil."

Not long after that, I bought a used M3 headphone amp and connected that to the RCA line outs on the STX.

The improvement, IMO, was HUGE. The M3 caused the veil to go away, and the bass became much more defined and controlled (but still strong). This was finally the sound I was looking for.

To be frank, I really love the setup I have now, but my upgrade-itis is causing me to ask how much better things can get. Right now I am considering buying a decent external DAC (currently eying the Meier StageDAC). The consensus around here seems to be that a dedicated DAC tends to be better than a sound card due to upgrade/noise concerns, but I am wondering how much of a difference it will make in overall sound quality. Is it worth investing another $500 - $800 in my setup for an external DAC, or have I hit the point of diminishing returns in the sound quality vs price graph?

Thanks.

 

[etiolate]

you definitely have not hit the point of diminishing returns yet... peruse the forums and look at what people have to say about different DACs. there's a bunch of threads about DACs in that price range. good luck! and sorry about your wallet.

 

[nyjets28]

that point of diminishing returns that you speak of is subjective, imo. You may not hear any more difference on a $100 DAC compared to a $1000 DAC, so I think you should just check out different equipment and if you have reached that point, then good for you (no more worry about upgrad-itis) and you can always just sell that or return it depending on where you purchase from.

 

[ninjikiran]

I am getting my first external dac this week, hope it is an improvement over my prelude.

 

[LingLing1337]

Look into good bang-for-buck DACs. The $250 Beresford 7520 that I owned has an audibly better DAC than the Scott Nixon DAC in my $800 Peachtree Decco, for example. I say get a sub-$400 DAC and, here comes the part that's going to be unpopular, stop there. You have as high-end a dynamic rig as you can get without dropping considerably more money. Take some time (and money) to enjoy music. I am not even thinking about upgrading (tweaking yes, upgrading no) now, and it's awesome (being able to listen to all of my music and truly appreciate it!) Good luck.

 

[chronomitch]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I will forge ahead and try to find a decent external DAC for my system. I think I will wait a few months for my bank account to recover first, though.