Sound card or Amplifier ?

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H

Heart beats

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Jul 13, 2010
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You guys helped me a lot building pc couple of years ago.. :)
now i have a problem with it..

Yesterday i bought Sennheiser HD 439 and connected to my pc [onboard realtek sound card]
problem is that volume level is not the level i've expected of them... then i searched the net and found out that onboard sounds sucks big time with headphones with 32 ohms or more.. .

Now will i able to get anything more out of it using any software or anything ? [volume is maxed 100% now.]

Or if i need to buy anything what would it be ? a sound card or an amplifier ? and will it guarantee to turn the volume up big time ?
Then suggest me a good amp or a dedicated sound card that's cheap...

The headphones i bought looks wonderfull.. even at low volume i can experience rich bass..now i just need to turn up the volume !

Help !
 
Solution
O
For a cheaper budget, I recommend this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132052

as someone said, there are some comparable brands and models in the same price range, but the difference between them is negligible and somewhat depend on personal preference. Each card may slightly emphasize certain frequency ranges, but all will provide a better quality and volume then onboard sound.
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oczdude8

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you would need a new soundcard.

Seems like you are an audiophile so I recommend this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102040

it is 40% off which is a steal and it will work in your case, as it's amp supports headphones of up to 600ohms.
 
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H

Heart beats

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Thanks for the quick reply.. its a little high on budget :( anyway,will i notice a big difference in sound quality ?
also i'm using windows 8.1 preview.. supported ?
 
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Traciatim

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I'm kind of struggling with the same question and I was looking for a headphone amp for multiple purposes, but I can't find a nice one that is very cheap. There are a number of sound cards with a dedicated headphone amp though, ranging in price from the 50 dollar range way up the spectrum, so that seems to be the best answer I have found so far.

Things like the Asus Xonar DX, DGX, Phoebus, or essence STX . . . or even the Creative Labs Z, Zx, or ZxR.

 
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Cla55clown

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Those Senns aren't particularly hard to drive so I would suggest something like a FiiO E10 USB/DAC. It's a DAC and headphone amplifier combined into one compact unit about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Just plug it into the motherboard USB and you'll never have to worry about volume not being loud enough with those senns. I'm listening to my E10 now as I type this with a pair of Ultrasone DJ1.

I would recommend a USB unit instead of a discreet soundcard installed in your PC because it gives you more options with upgrading and portability. You can use the E10 on a different computer or laptop on the go for example.

Here's a link for the FiiO: http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000028262517&MenuID=105026003

You can pick one up usually for about $50-60 bucks.
 
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Heart beats

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Those fiio's are not available anywhere near me.. i'm from india. very hard to find one :(
 
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oczdude8

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For a cheaper budget, I recommend this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132052

as someone said, there are some comparable brands and models in the same price range, but the difference between them is negligible and somewhat depend on personal preference. Each card may slightly emphasize certain frequency ranges, but all will provide a better quality and volume then onboard sound.
 
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Solution
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Heart beats

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Suggest a good sound card that can drive a headphone volume... $70 is my budget. 4410 INR.

Given that i have creative 2.1 SBS & creative 5.1 t160 speakers.. they do sound good with onboard sound card now.

my primary target is to drive these headphones...
 
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Jan Pepe

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Oh yeah guys should i get ASUS XONAR/DGX 5.1 or 7.1 for cloud 1 headset whats better to louden it beacouse i have the same problem with cloud 1 beacouse its too quiet
 
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