Should I get a USB Sound Card or a DAC Amplifier? More ?'s inside.

Update: I swear when I keep switching between the front panel, and the back panel with the extension cord, the sound through my headphones seems more dynamic, less flat sounding when plugged into the back. Assuming this isn't a placebo effect, I'm wondering how much better the sound could be if I paid for a USB sound card or DAC amplifier.

I was thinking recently that perhaps I'm significantly lowering the audio quality I could be listening to by using the onboard sound.

I've a pair of Shure SRH440 headphones, and I've an ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard, if that helps you narrow down the quality of the onboard sound.

For the most part I've been plugging my headphones into the front port on my COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. I was thinking that maybe the signal running from the case to the motherboard might somewhat degrade the signal. I've been testing it and I think if I plug my headphones directly into the port at the back of the tower into the motherboard rather than into the front port and through the tower's wiring, it might increase the sound quality. Haven't proven this to myself yet, still testing by plugging the headphones into each port while listening to the same few seconds of audio to see if I notice any difference.

I've been reading that it might be more important for the quality of the sound, to get a DAC amplifier, than to get a USB Sound Card, and that the DAC amplifier bypasses soundcards and onboard sound solutions anyway, so there would be no point in getting a sound card if I've that.

Should there be a considerable difference if I get one of these? I like to hear every detail when watching movies, listening to music, and playing games (basically anything I do I want the best sound if possible within a reasonable price range).

I don't know how much I should be thinking of spending for a reasonable upgrade.

Oh also, I just went and grabbed a headphone extension cord I've had in storage for probably 10 years or more (it could even be 20 years old or more afaik, I'm just going on when I found it and put it in storage). Could that degrade the quality of the signal significantly, if it's in good shape, just due to being old? It seems to not make much difference, but it's really quite old so I'm uncertain what others would say. I mostly need this cord if I've to start plugging my headphones into the back of the tower, hopefully without sacrificing any quality.

Update: I further affirm that using the extension cord with my headphones plugged into the back of the PC seems to produce more dynamic sound, instead of sounds seeming to be restrained from altering their volume or presence within the mix of sounds. It might be that there is some kind of electrical hum that's preventing silence in places where it should be noticeable, between the instruments that are currently audible, reducing the clarity of the overall sound.

No forum insight for me so far. :-(

If I should be looking elsewhere, please let me know.

Does that mean there should be no difference in the sound plugging in to the front or back headphone input? It's subtle but somehow it just seems less enjoyable overall plugged in the way I was using it for months. Just never thought of trying the back input until two days ago. It always seemed off but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I found random posts on some message boards that suggested that the extra distance the signal must travel could introduce lower quality sound of some sort. It kind of makes sense that plugging it directly into the motherboard would reduce such an effect.

I'm still wondering if there should be any difference if I buy something to upgrade the sound. If someone who knows the answers reads the first post and cares to share, let me know. When I search I find a variety of answers. Some people seem to think that the difference between onboard and dedicated sound cards is quite clear, and worth investing in (though for some time now some people seem to have been saying that onboard is almost as good, if not just as good these days, I don't know how much you'd have to pay for it to be any better, if that's possible). Other people seem to think that you only need to upgrade from onboard if you are into serious recording of some kind, like music. Then I read that the DAC amplifiers are the only way to get the true potential out of decent headphones (I'd assume that's as opposed to what the onboard can produce, not sure how they compare to sound cards). I don't know much about the DAC amplifiers though, so I don't know if these guys are just trying to subtly advertise not so useful equipment, or if they have a valid point.

Updating your source is a good idea if you plan on upgrading your audio gear in the future. Your speakers/cans are the limiter factor, not the electronics, for typical commercial gear.

Thanks for the above info, now I'm uncertain if there is any point in getting an amp or sound card. Some people seem to feel this pair of headphones is for audiophiles and that it's a waste not to have one or the other. I'm just not sure if it's true.

I couldn't find info on the THD for this particular pair of headphones. From searching around it seems some people say an amp isn't necessary for this pair, while for the higher end model (the 840's), it makes a bigger difference. The main gain from what I was seeing for the 440's, with an amp, is that you can boost the bass further, as some people found it lacking in this pair (while others seem to feel that it faithfully reproduces the intended level of bass, rather than "enhancing" it from the neutral sound, like the more expensive version does [840's]).

There is one thing though, if I were to say start recording a guitar being played, would it be best to get a DAC amp? From what I've been seeing, sound cards are likely to introduce noise in a recording, where the amp would not. I don't know if that means I'd hear the noise through the headphones while the guitar is being played, or only after playing back the recording. I also remember reading something about there being a delay in when you hear the sound as opposed to when you play a cord, where either a sound card or amp would make the sound be heard almost exactly after the cord is played.

As I was reading through other forums, I was finding some people saying that amps would produce better sound than any sound card, so that might be something to consider. Some say that a sound card makes a big difference for gaming in particular. I'm not sure how an amp does for gaming. I imagine the rational for the sound card for gaming might have to do with the 3D positioning of the sound. Should I notice much difference in games with a good sound card/amp vs the onboard, and which of those two upgrades would be better?

Hmm, I remember wanting to get a sound card for my laptop and people recommending USB sound cards, so I wouldn't have to deal with the noise/distortion that was really bad on it, so I don't know about USB sound cards not existing.

Perhaps I should have said in the topic title, should I get a sound card (USB or PCI-E or PCI)?

So even for games, you think when considering all things such as sound positioning (like being able to hear the distances of footsteps, in all directions) that the amp would be better? I think this motherboard might have Optical or Coax SPIF digital audio out connections, I'd have to make sure though. Does it make a considerable difference over USB? Update: looking on the details here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131405), it seems this motherboard has both inputs. Could you confirm that for me? They listed it as S/PDIF Out - 1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial.

The amp is preferred for recording over the sound card it seems, if I read that right.

What price range should I be thinking of for an amp to suit this pair of headphones? I read that not all amps work best for specific headphones. I guess though I should also consider which amp would produce the best recording for the price, as well. I don't know if that depends on the guitar.

Thank you for the input.

Update: I was searching around to get a better understanding of jitter, and came across a part of a post here: http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.m [...] io&m=26508

"I also have large misgivings about any system going through (the never to be sufficiently damned) S/PDIF interface. This is so frought with peril that its almost impossible to get a really good clock out the other end. This makes me very suspicious of "jitter reduction boxes" that output S/PDIF, they STILL have to go over the interface. Yes if the "transport" is really bad they can help, but its never going to get really good.

There are a few DACs that actually do an extremely good job of cleaning up the clock from a S/PDIF interface, but they are very few and far between. These are the only ones I would consider using with S/PDIF. And even then the jitter from the recovered clock has a tendancy to make itself heard through mechanisms such as ground noise and supply contamination, it takes a lot of work to keep it out of the final result. "

I'm not sure I understand, but they seem to have some qualms with this interface you're recommending. I don't know if it's generally considered better than the headphone input I'm using for plugging into an amp or sound card, even considering what they said. The post is a few years old though, things may have changed.

Hmm, I think I need more opinions on my questions above. I don't know enough to either buy something to improve my listening experience with these headphones, or not.

I'm starting to wonder if I should just opt for a sound card. It sounds like you can get some that have a proper amp built into them, and they shouldn't be any worse than a dedicated amp as far as the sound quality goes. I've read otherwise, but I can't be sure.

The only concern at that point is what I'd have to do to be able to record a guitar, or other instrument. I'm guessing I'd have to buy something in addition to the sound card (or is there sound cards with inputs for instruments that aren't too expensive and are still good for movies/games/music?), though I'm not in a hurry to be able to record any instruments. It sounds like you can buy a sound card, and then later get an amp to boost the signal further if you want. If that's the case, does that mean I could just wait until I need an amp that I can plug a guitar into, and start recording? Would it still be making use of my sound card?

The only real plus I'm seeing with an amp atm is a higher volume threshold, and the ability to adjust the volume with an analog knob, rather than digital adjustments through windows. I do also remember reading that upping the volume in windows too high can lead to distortion, where a proper amp of some kind would prevent that, though I'm starting to think that a sound card with a good amp built into it might prevent that kind of distortion on its own.

When I studied the differences between the SRH440 and SRH840, I actually found that the SRH440's had characteristics in the sound that I liked better than the more expensive model. From the overall standpoint it seemed like the SRH440's were better, though that might just be my taste in sound. I ended up buying the higher quality earpads of the 840's to put on my 440's (better sound isolation and comfort).

I've been using different audio sources, Blueray movies, FLAC audio, games, as well as varying quality MP3's to test with. This is all from the computer though, so I haven't had a chance to test the onboard sound vs a sound card, or a completely separate listening device from the computer. I probably should try a CD player, though aren't I at that point putting the CD audio quality my computer can produce up against the CD audio quality the stand alone player can produce? I'm wondering if it would be any different than just putting CD's into my PC's disc drive and listening from there.

In the start of your post, were you saying that it doesn't matter if I use the analog input, or the coaxial/optical ones? It also sounds like the amp can only boost the volume, with some options for sound customization (and I personally want to hear what the original sound engineers intended, I don't want to "enhance" the sound by changing it from what they wanted me to hear).

From what I've been reading EAX is not going to be implemented much in the future, so it may not matter if I get a card that has that feature. I also ran into a program called Alchemy that's supposed to enable EAX on Vista/W7, but I don't know if that only works for sound cards that normally support EAX, or if this would enable the feature for all sound cards. If it does enable it for all sound cards (even it it's a type of emulation, though an accurate one), maybe I should opt for a sound card that's better for music/movies. In the end I'm not too concerned about EAX if it's not going to be used much in the future.

I'd probably be the most concerned in the end about the overall listening experience, and my ability to plug in an instrument, and get a good recording quality out of it.

First off... electrical signals do not move at the speed of light over copper. anything the current travels over provides resistance, slowing down the signal. thats why they came out with fiber optical cable.... which is the speed of light. the signal doesnt actually travel over wires, it is reflected inside a mirrored tube. as for the difference between a dedicated and integrated sound card the main point is the cpu. the onboard processes through the cpu on the mobo. a dedicated processes through that sound cards cpu taking the pressure off your mobo cpu. if you have a dedicated sc that has the same specs as your onboard there would be no difference in sound quality (as an example). as for the difference in ports, that is because when you plug your headphones into the front panel is has to travel over a copper running from the soundcard to the front panel then to your headphones. when you plug it directly into the sound card you eliminate a slight bit of resistance. it should be negligible, however if you have really good hearing or your are really anal and noticed every little thing (like me) then im sure its annoying.

Final point... if your onboard sound card is decent then just plug into the back because whether you use the ob or ded w/ the front panel you will still get resistance. Only worry about buying a dedicated if you want more features that your onboard does not provide or if you need the extra processing from your cpu.