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Semhook
1
Dec 3, 2017
What about internal sound cards that can cover the 300 ohm tresh hold, even up to 600.
Are they shit compared to external? Should be the same stuff except they're inside a computer? Even got built in DAC.
What's the difference and why is the other better?
loadexfa
281
Dec 4, 2017
SemhookMost internal sound cards don't have enough power to produce quality sound on these even if they can get loud enough. For the dac, external is recommended to avoid computer noise from polluting the output. Another benefit of external is you can easily try different ones. Well, that benefit is a double-edged sword, it easily turns into an obsession to find the "perfect" gear.
Massdrop often has good deals on dacs and amps, I can make some recommendations if you're interested.
Baal_Hammon
9
Dec 4, 2017
Semhooksome high end cards, such as Asus Xonar, or Sound Blaster series, are really interesting .
they are usually optimised for gaming with plenty of features, not needed for music
I have an external sound blaster dac/amp, and it sounds good. I see no reason, compared to entry level amps/dac, not to use high end internal sound card.
-Advantage of internal Card/entry level compared to dac/amp: plugged to superior PCIe BUS, for heavy audio editing. usually a better Driver
-Disadvantage: Some argue that it is too noisy inside a computer less choices optimized for music ?
john40540
7
Dec 4, 2017
loadexfaHi can you make some recommendations? So far I've used the Fiio E10k
loadexfa
281
Dec 4, 2017
john40540Sure, I've found the Little Dot MK III to pair very well with these, even with the stock tubes (even better with tube rolling). Massdrop seems to drop that amp somewhat regularly for a good price (a bit over $200). Or Amazon has it for a little over $300.
If you want something portable, the iFi iDSD BL works great with the HD-6XX. Sometimes you can find it on sale for $350 but normally goes for $550.
The lower end Schiit stack (Modi2 and Magni2 or 3) should have enough power for these. I tried the Modi2 and didn't like it. I upgraded to the Modi Multibit and it is currently my favorite dac.
Many also recommend the Audio-GD products and the low end (NFB-11) also has enough power for these. I haven't tried that one yet so I can't personally recommend it.
If possible it's best to try out the products or order from somewhere with good return policies.
john40540
7
Dec 4, 2017
loadexfaAh alright thanks mate! Cheers! :D
loadexfa
281
Dec 4, 2017
john40540You're welcome, I hope it helps. The hard part is how everyone has their own personal taste, I hope my tastes work for you. :)
If you do end up with the Little Dot, be sure to read this thread about tube rolling, tons of useful info and some of the better tubes are really affordable: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide.563884/
Drizzt321
138
Dec 4, 2017
SemhookYou don't particularly need an expensive amp to drive these (I don't have mine...yet!) but something like a Dragonfly Red (probably the Black as well) should be able to drive them quite well, and all from USB power. There are other portable DAC/Amps (if you're after portable), some of which include a battery and so can end up taking really any audio input (so act purely as an amp). If you're mostly just going to be sitting, lots of quality DAC+Amp or Amp which plug into the wall.
And ask loadexfa mentions, there's actually LOTS of RF noise inside of a computer case, which can easily migrate onto the audio signal, although more expensive add-on cards can mitigate that somewhat. But the ideal is digital out (USB, SPDIF, other) to an external devices in order to feed it into an amp and then to your headphones/speakers.
donatom3
6
Dec 5, 2017
SemhookI think they sound great on my Sound Blaster X AE-5. I haven't tried them on my massdrop o2/odac yet.
AndrewLB
12
Dec 7, 2017
SemhookBuy one of these. Best $99 you'll ever spend on audio gear. http://www.schiit.com/products/magni-3
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