[kumaiti]

In short:

Considering the built-in audio hardware on computers and mobiles phones and assuming mid-range headphones ($100~$200), which one is usually the weakest link in the chain, the DAC or the AMP??


In long:
 
I have been using the Xonar ST for about an year and while I am pretty happy with the sound, I am kind of stuck to my desktop when listening to it.

I want a little more mobility (like being able to listen to music in the bedroom, for instance) so I am considering getting either a DAC with a built-in amp or decent amp, which takes me to the question above: which one is weaker on built in audio hardware? 

 

[obobskivich]

Assuming you've got a clean output (no nasty noise due to bad QA and grounding issues), the amp is the weak-point for most computers; because the onboard soundcard is designed as a line-driver (see here for more: http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/soundcard/sennheiser.htm). Many add-in boards these days add an amplifier section though, which is fairly competent for many dynamic headphones.

For mobile devices, they're usually designed with efficient and low impedance headphones in mind, and drive from batteries, so they're generally fairly clean and competent as long as your power needs are small-ish.

You can get combination DAC/amps for relatively cheap, that will work with a variety of inputs (analog or digital) and allow you to use more sources with your cans with relatively freedom (because you only need a line or digital signal). Fiio makes a few examples that are worth looking at. Just take digital or analog from the PC, and analog from your mobile device (line is best).

 

[stv014]

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