[xwing01]

i just got a pair of AKG 553 pros on massdrop and i was wondering if getting a dac  / amp like a Fiio Olympus E10 be worth it im really new to the headphone business ive been using some rocks a person called gaming headphones that are SUPER heavy for the last year and tight on cash because im building a gaming pc and want to spend my cash sparingly so for me right now would a dac / amp be worth it ?

 

[Music Alchemist]

It could be worth it for you. The only way to know is to hear for yourself. It really depends on many factors, especially the headphones. There are more affordable DAC/amps out there as well. I'm using a Creative Sound Blaster E1 at the moment.

 

[cel4145]

The K553 have an impedance rating of 32 ohms and sensitivity of 114 dB SPL/V. They are very easy to drive to loud volumes. So while some full sized headphones might need an amp because they need more power, the K553 will be fine.

That's the big reason to look into an amp. Now, sometimes you get sound quality improvements from a DAC/amp, but that's too hard to predict. Best thing to do is wait and see what you think once you get them.

 

[xwing01]

ok thx u two what im going to do is 1 wait for the 553s and see if i love em if i do ill get something cheap i dont like going to high volumes but because umm u cant have a dac with out a amp and im in it for the better quality so ill take the risk if i can find something on the cheap if i cant ill build my pc then get a dac/amp  

 

[Music Alchemist]

  ok thx u two what im going to do is 1 wait for the 553s and see if i love em if i do ill get something cheap i dont like going to high volumes but because umm u cant have a dac with out a amp and im in it for the better quality so ill take the risk if i can find something on the cheap if i cant ill build my pc then get a dac/amp  

 
You can have a DAC without an amp, at least as far as separate products go. (Any computer or portable player has a built-in amp and DAC, but that's not what I'm talking about.) There are plenty of standalone amps, standalone DACs, and DAC/amp (aka amp/DAC) units.
 
If you buy new, you should be able to easily return whatever you get in case it doesn't sound any better.

 

[xwing01]

   
You can have a DAC without an amp, at least as far as separate products go. (Any computer or portable player has a built-in amp and DAC, but that's not what I'm talking about.) There are plenty of standalone amps, standalone DACs, and DAC/amp (aka amp/DAC) units.
 
If you buy new, you should be able to easily return whatever you get in case it doesn't sound any better.

 ok thx for the info as i said im new to this and only know basic stuff 

 

[cel4145]

Note that you do need a headphone amp to go along with a DAC to use headphones. Can't use a DAC alone. The whole point of a DAC is that it converts digital to an analog electrical signal that then is used by something else, such as headphone amp or speaker amp.

 

[xwing01]

Note that you do need a headphone amp to go along with a DAC to use headphones. Can't use a DAC alone. The whole point of a DAC is that it converts digital to an analog electrical signal that then is used by something else, such as headphone amp or speaker amp.

i was planing to get this cheap dac / amp combo i found on amazon witch i heard was pretty good  to test if it would have any  improvements im going to buy it used tho and only plug my headphones in for and hour or two with out the dac / amp then an hour or 2 with it listening to music and playing a game on csgo so i dont need to worry about buying the other one  and wait for both of em to come in the mail and then my headphones todo these tests 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xwing01 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

i was planing to get this cheap dac / amp combo i found on amazon witch i heard was pretty good  to test if it would have any  improvements im going to buy it used tho and only plug my headphones in for and hour or two with out the dac / amp then an hour or 2 with it listening to music and playing a game on csgo so i dont need to worry about buying the other one  and wait for both of em to come in the mail and then my headphones todo these tests 

 

Depending on what that cheap DAC/Amp combo is it might not be worth it. If it's one of those USB dongle soundcards then you're just getting an audio chip no better than what's in an iPad for example, and it isn't a real "soundcard" in the same sense as external gaming soundcards because it doesn't have any headphone surround simulation in it.

 

The cheapest I'd get is the Fiio Q1, but honestly the K553 will barely need anything better. If anything it will benefit from added current and cleaner signal at the same output level, but chances are the differences aren't going to be a lot. 

 

[xwing01]

 

 

Depending on what that cheap DAC/Amp combo is it might not be worth it. If it's one of those USB dongle soundcards then you're just getting an audio chip no better than what's in an iPad for example, and it isn't a real "soundcard" in the same sense as external gaming soundcards because it doesn't have any headphone surround simulation in it.

 

The cheapest I'd get is the Fiio Q1, but honestly the K553 will barely need anything better. If anything it will benefit from added current and cleaner signal at the same output level, but chances are the differences aren't going to be a lot. 

i was planing on getting a fiio e10 or e10k 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  i was planing on getting a fiio e10 or e10k 

 
I thought you were talking about something else already. Even then, there's no telling how much of an improvement if any will be had. If anything the most likely reason for any benefit will be if any device you'd otherwise use with it (computer, phone, etc) could have a high output impedance.

 

[xwing01]

   
I thought you were talking about something else already. Even then, there's no telling how much of an improvement if any will be had. If anything the most likely reason for any benefit will be if any device you'd otherwise use with it (computer, phone, etc) could have a high output impedance.

ummm quick question whats high output impedance 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  ummm quick question whats high output impedance 

 
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html

 

[xwing01]

after trying to read that and probably reading it way to fast for my out of school lets blow stuff up brain to understand most of it i rather just test em my self after doing the 1/8 rule as said of that link because knowing this laptop im on it probably has high output impedance because everything on it is trash