[Mysticism]

Hi, im looking to get my 1st sound card and update my sound. I own Dre Beats Solo (yes i know they arnt good for the price, but i got them free) so i have some questions:

1. Are the Audio Technica M50 that much better over the Dre Solo's that i already own? (would it be worth it to buy them if i already have Dre Solo's?)
2. Is the Asus Xonar STX 2 (two if it hurries up) a waste of money/overkill to power M50's?
 
I chose M50 cause i want cheap flat monitors for trying to make music and the "eccentric base" is fine, just a little bonus for listening to hip hop type stuff

 

[eyal1983]

1. yes
2. it's quite good actually, you won't be disappointed...

 

[cel4145]

1) I think the M50s are very good for the price.
2) Has it even been released yet? If not, I don't know how anyone could know. And if this is strictly for listening to music, if it's $200 or more, I would wait for review comparisons with the Schiit Modi and Magni dac/headphone amp stack.

 

[Mysticism]

Thanks for the replies.

As for the STX 2 not being out yet, i was thinking its just a better updated version of STX 1.
But my question should of been: Is the STX 1 overkill/waste of money to power M50's?
 
Thanks again

 

[cel4145]

Some headphones are difficult to drive, so they really need a headphone amp to sound good. The M50s are fairly easy to drive, so that won't be the benefit of going with the STX.

Basic computer audio is often pretty crappy. So a headphone amp and dac (which the STX has) can often improve on the sound quality. Also, if you listen to your setup loud and like to boost the bass, then your computer amp may run out of headroom and squash the bass dynamics/distort the bass. A good sound card/separate headphone amp would help with that.

M50s are definitely a step up in sound quality class from the Beat Solos. But you might also consider taking a bigger step up in headphone and spending a little less on sound card. For instance, a lot of head-fiers would agree that the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 is a better headphone than the M50,and the price on Amazon tends to fluctuate down toward the $160-$170 range. You could grab a FiiO E17 instead for cheaper than the STX, spend about the same amount of money, and end up with a better sounding setup because stepping up in class on headphones typically gives you more bang for your buck over going up in DAC/headphone amp setup.

 

[Mysticism]

Makes sense. I wonder if the FiiO E17 goes into the Mobo sound output? cause i cant put anything in there... my headphone jack broke off into it, i cant get it out.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Makes sense. I wonder if the FiiO E17 goes into the Mobo sound output? cause i cant put anything in there... my headphone jack broke off into it, i cant get it out.

You would want to plug the FiiO E17 into the computer's USB or S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) ports.
I would say to get the Audio Technica ATH-A900X headphones (with Hifiman HE Velour ear pads).
I prefer the A900Xs over the DT770s.