[Acoma_Andy]

Hey there, I'm new to this forum and looking to learn a thing or 2. I am no expert in audio so go easy on me

Here is my current audio gear:
- Asus Xonar D1 soundcard
- M-Audio Studiophile AV40 speakers
- Ultrasone HFI-550 headphone

I'm planning to buy a Ultrasone HFI-650, and then give the HFI-550 to my girlfriend since she seems to like it a lot.

So basically the question is, based on the above, would a DAC or AMP for my headphone improve soundquality a lot? I could spend $30 on a AMP or DAC, not sure which one I need or if I need both. I could also spend more if this is not realistic...

Edit: perhaps I should also note I'm located in Europe, and can't get many of the American products.

 

[lozanoa11]

Hey I remember your thread on Overclock.net lol. A $30 amp or Dac would not help you i don't think. A $30 DAC would not be better than the DAC on your xonar D1 and a $30 Amp would probaly not help you much aside from making it louder. It may even hinder your performance but im not sure. Save some money and spend at least $100.

 

[rawrster]

can u even buy a dac for 30

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lozanoa11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey I remember your thread on Overclock.net lol. A $30 amp or Dac would not help you i don't think. A $30 DAC would not be better than the DAC on your xonar D1 and a $30 Amp would probaly not help you much aside from making it louder. It may even hinder your performance but im not sure. Save some money and spend at least $100.

Well you see, this is why I'm asking. I don't know much about this stuff but I remember I read somewhere a guy buying a $20 AMP to make his headphone sound better.

So what could I get for $100 and would it benefit my current setup?

 

[lozanoa11]

I don't know what kind of amp goes good with Ultrasone's but a Little Dot 1+ is about $100

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lozanoa11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know what kind of amp goes good with Ultrasone's but a Little Dot 1+ is about $100

Can't seem to find one in the Netherlands. Is there something more widely used?

 

[etiolate]

i think they'll ship there... i know they ship to other parts of europe. they have a website, www.little-tube.com, but it's down right now. should be up again sometime next week.

 

[omg]

have u tried the iTunes Equalizer? i have had wonderufl experience with it. i saved money buying dac amp and use the equalizer instead. to me it sounds just wonderful. i would suggest u try it.

 

[fenixdown110]

You can actually get a dac amp integrated together for around 100 or a little more. That alone would most likely outperform your sound card. If you look in the for sale section here, some deals pop up now and then. I do remember some were selling from Europe. You might want to look into the dac amps such as the Zero, Aune, Musiland 01/02, iBasso D10 Cobra, etc.

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can actually get a dac amp integrated together for around 100 or a little more. That alone would most likely outperform your sound card. If you look in the for sale section here, some deals pop up now and then. I do remember some were selling from Europe. You might want to look into the dac amps such as the Zero, Aune, Musiland 01/02, iBasso D10 Cobra, etc.

Thanks I'll look into those.

 

[fenixdown110]

So some quick searches and read the reviews here as well. You might find another dac/amp to your liking.

 

[kiwi989]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omg /img/forum/go_quote.gif have u tried the iTunes Equalizer? i have had wonderufl experience with it. i saved money buying dac amp and use the equalizer instead. to me it sounds just wonderful. i would suggest u try it.

The itunes EQ causes distortion and clipping. I would advise against using anything like this.
Just get a DAC, much better then trying to supplement quality with the EQ itunes provides.

 

[fenixdown110]

Don't pay attention to him. He's a troll. He started a thread on that iTunes equalizer bs in another thread already.

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acoma_Andy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks I'll look into those.

The xonar D1 isnt that bad.
Once you pay for the case etc, you're probably looking at a $150+ chinese product to achieve similar results to your soundcard, IMO.

Rather than making several small upgrades, I'd suggest making a bigger improvement in one go; since you intend to get another headphone shortly I would think about sinking some spare cash down on that as headphones provide the biggest change

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif The xonar D1 isnt that bad. Once you pay for the case etc, you're probably looking at a $150+ chinese product to achieve similar results to your soundcard, IMO. Rather than making several small upgrades, I'd suggest making a bigger improvement in one go; since you intend to get another headphone shortly I would think about sinking some spare cash down on that as headphones provide the biggest change

So instead of putting money into an AMP, put more money towards a good headphone?

I'm not sure if I can get a better deal then the Ultrasone HFI-650. Tomorrow I get the chance to get another 10% discount which means I can get the HFi-650 for €95. To compare, the HD555 is €90 and for example the Audio Technica ATH-A700 is €170. And yeah, I'm looking for a closed headphone.

Edit: the exchange rate is €100 = 145 US Dollar.