[Birghtest]

Hello,
 
I need help deciding between a Xonar DG sound card and the Sabre USB DAC, will be used only on my PC.
 
I should also say that I don't need any surround or multi-channel audio support, as I'm not playing any games nor watching any movies on my PC. 

 

[PleasantSounds]

External DAC is usually a better option as far as the sound quality is concerned. If possible look for a model that does not power the DAC chip through the USB.
 
You're not saying anything about amplifier - I hope you are aware that you will need one in addition to the DAC.
 
A sound card may be the cheaper option though....

 

[Birghtest]

  External DAC is usually a better option as far as the sound quality is concerned. If possible look for a model that does not power the DAC chip through the USB.
 
You're not saying anything about amplifier - I hope you are aware that you will need one in addition to the DAC.
 
A sound card may be the cheaper option though....

thanks for the reply.
what do you mean? I can't just plug the headphones in the USB DAC ? do my headphones need an amp?
also, if I'll get some cheap amp, how will the sound quality compare to the Xonar?

 

[PleasantSounds]

Well, quite a few DACs in the market contain a headphone amp, but many don't. If it has a headphone socket and volume control, you're all set. Audio-gd has a couple of very good models (NFB-15.32 and NFB-11.32) that don't break the bank, although they will be more expensive than a sound card.
Based on what I read Xonar may be hard to beat by an el cheapo amp, but I don't have first hand experience in that regard.

 

[hahahigh]

From my experiences, the M-50 is easy to drive and doesn't scale that much with a better amp/DAC. Unless your outboard sound is ghastly, I would perhaps save money towards a bigger upgrade.

 

[Birghtest]

  From my experiences, the M-50 is easy to drive and doesn't scale that much with a better amp/DAC. Unless your outboard sound is ghastly, I would perhaps save money towards a bigger upgrade.

My on-board sound chip is kinda old and there's a slight distortion on higher volume levels...
I'm comparing the sound to my Galaxy Note 2 which has Wolfson's WM1811 and sounds awesome compared to my PC. 

 

[Birghtest]

Got the Asus DG. 
Sound got much much better, bass got deeper (probably thanks to the amp). Couldn't be happier for such a cheap price, amazing product.
I'm just glad there's no more static when nothing is playing, unlike before.