[Joaovidal12]

Greetings,

I bought Audio Technica M50x cans, went home in a happy mood to plugged them to my (Asus Z170P D3 motherboard with RealTek ALC887 codec) and I was a bit disappointed after comparing them to my In-Ear JBL J22 that I used for 2 years now (I'm aware of the new vs. old shoe analogy).
With just 38ohms of impedance I already knew that I wasnt going to need a Amp from the start, but afetr plugging them to my friend's MacBook Pro (A1502) the SQ and Volume was no match for my PC.

So I get the idea that I need some solution to achieve better SQ and higher volume.
I'm not sure if I need a Dac+Amp or a soundcard, either internal or external. (I know external don't suffer from interferences)

Option that I considered after research: 
- Asus Xonar DG  » 28€ ~ 32$
- Asus Xonar U7  » 75€ ~ 85$
- Shiit Fulla » ? (Cant get it in Portugal)
- Fiio E10k  » ? (Cant get it in Portugal)

Do I NEED to buy something? If the answer is yes, what sould I buy? (please mind that some products are hard/impossible to get in physical shops in here).
I know that they are good cans, not in the audiophile tier, but my fear is that I will be spending money on improving on something that these cans cant translate in better sound.

 

 

[jodgey4]

Unless you're having noise problems, i wouldn't bother spending money on a DAC. Just get whatever amp you need for more volume.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Maybe find a used Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card.

 

[Joaovidal12]

  Maybe find a used Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card.

 Why?

 

[PurpleAngel]

 
 Why?

 
Nice CS4398 DAC chip and half-way decent headphone amplifier.
Used SB-Z cards usually sell for around $60.

 

[Joaovidal12]

My PC shop said that I would be better off with a new internal soundcard, external are weaker (dont know they evaluation parameters ).
My local music shop is trying to figure out if they can source a FiiO or Shiit and see what other DAC/Amp they have for to me, up to 100€.

 

[jodgey4]

Hmm. I'm not sure that's true at all, sounds like they're trying to pull a fast one on you. The SBZ is probably one of the most powerful internal sound cards there is, but is still easily outclassed by most external amps.

The internal DAC you have is probably fine, again, I'd reiterate that maybe just focusing on an amp is the best idea.

The only reason I'd go for an internal card is because they're a great value. PurpleAngel does make a great suggestion . The SBZ is probably easily worth double what you can find it for, compared to external gear. Mass production and using your computer's power supply instead of having to construct a new one really cuts costs for internal sound cards.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  My PC shop said that I would be better off with a new internal sound card, external are weaker (don't know they evaluation parameters ).
My local music shop is trying to figure out if they can source a FiiO or Schiit and see what other DAC/Amp they have for to me, up to 100€.

 
Internal sound cards can be powered off the PCI & PCI-E bus and sometimes directly by the PC's power supply.
Where as a lot of external sound card are powered by the computer's USB port.
 
So technically internal cards have access to more power.
But external sound cards seem to get enough power to do their jobs decently.
 
You may not need the feature that an external (or internal) sound card has.
So an external USB-DAC/amp should be a better value for your needs/use.
 
FiiO E10K or Q1 or K1
Schiit Fulla
 
Maybe you can find a good deal on a used USB-DAC/amp.
 
 
This $42 USD (+ $8 shipping) USB DAC, from Hifimediy,  should offer some decent improvement in audio quality.
http://hifimediy.com/sabre-dac-uae23
Should easily drive the 38-Ohm ATH-M50X.

 

[Joaovidal12]

   
So an external USB-DAC/amp should be a better value for your needs/use.
 
FiiO E10K or Q1 or K1
Schiit Fulla
 
Maybe you can find a good deal on a used USB-DAC/amp.
 
 
This $42 USD (+ $8 shipping) USB DAC, from Hifimediy,  should offer some decent improvement in audio quality.

The PC shop said the same thing.

Looking for the K1 right now. Never heard of it!
Q1 has batteries, so it is a NO (I dont need portability) .

I have a Shiit for 50€ near my city. No warranty though.
I dont feel buying that Hifimedy, sorry ...

 

[Joaovidal12]

  Hmm. I'm not sure that's true at all, sounds like they're trying to pull a fast one on you. The SBZ is probably one of the most powerful internal sound cards there is, but is still easily outclassed by most external amps.

The internal DAC you have is probably fine, again, I'd reiterate that maybe just focusing on an amp is the best idea.

The only reason I'd go for an internal card is because they're a great value. PurpleAngel does make a great suggestion . The SBZ is probably easily worth double what you can find it for, compared to external gear. Mass production and using your computer's power supply instead of having to construct a new one really cuts costs for internal sound cards.

I'm pretty sure they are not. They recommended a Dac+Amp, not trying to get a quick sale.

I know that, but if I'm buying an Amp I will add a DAC.
If everything fails I will buy a 70ish € soundcard.

 

[jodgey4]

"My PC shop said that I would be better off with a new internal soundcard, external are weaker (dont know they evaluation parameters )." Was what I was talking about. A Fiio E12 for <$100 has much more power than any internal sound card I've ever seen. That's all .

Sounds like a good plan!

 

[Joaovidal12]

Just wondering, is the K1 enough?
It is small and cheap and seems to delivery volume and SQ.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Just wondering, is the K1 enough?
It is small and cheap and seems to delivery volume and SQ.

 
As your headphones (ATH-M50X) are not very power demanding, the K1 should do the job.

 

[Joaovidal12]

As your headphones (ATH-M50X) are not very power demanding, the K1 should do the job.

Should I get the E10K or the K1? SQ wise, which is the best?
K1 doesn't have a volume knob and the other features.
I'm still trying to get them in here

 

[PurpleAngel]

Should I get the E10K or the K1? SQ wise, which is the best?
K1 doesn't have a volume knob and the other features.
I'm still trying to get them in here

 
Unless you need some of the extra features that come with the E10K, might as well get the K1.