Headphone dilemma

[GeorgeStorm]

Hey,
I'm thinking of downsizing to mitx, which would mean getting rid of my soundcard (Xonar Essence ST) and possibly chaning my headphones, since I currently have a pair of DT770 pro 250ohms, but if I get rid of my souncard, I won't be able to use them since they use the bigger jack.

What are people's recommendations?
Should I sell and get a half decent set which use the smaller jack, or can I get an external soundcard which would power them fine?

Thanks

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Get a jack adaptor??

My Grado SR125 headphones run fine off my PC outputs,although they do sound better with proper amplification.

[DeludedGuy]

You can get ITX boards with Optical out, plug that into a decent receiver and you should be better off.

[GeorgeStorm]

Forgot to mention, from what I've read etc, onboard audio won't be able to power the headphones properly whatsoever, so that's what I said about an external soundcard or whatever.
And Cat the nominal impendence of your headphones is only 32ohms, whereas mine have 250ohms, which is why I think onboard won't be able to cope.
I don't really have a clue when it comes to audio stuff, so when you say a receiver....?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Forgot to mention, from what I've read etc, onboard audio won't be able to power the headphones properly whatsoever, so that's what I said about an external soundcard or whatever.
And Cat the nominal impendence of your headphones is only 32ohms, whereas mine have 250ohms, which is why I think onboard won't be able to cope.
I don't really have a clue when it comes to audio stuff, so when you say a receiver....?

Get a USB DAC and headphone amplifier combination?? Sorted.

Edit!!

Have a look at this post I made:

http://forums.hexus.net/pc-hardware/...ml#post2591309

Altenatively get the DAC and another headphone amplifier like the Little Dot ones or the Tripath based ones.

[GeorgeStorm]

£200 is more than I would be willing to pay, since I don't want this to cost anything, so the only money I would have would be from the sale of the ST.

[DeludedGuy]

My only advice would be to get something like this...

ITX Mobo with optical Out...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-E35.../ref=de_a_smtd

...then an Amplifier with Optical In

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-STR-DH5...6315538&sr=1-4

And you will be sorted, also you will have a decent amp which you can use for the rest of your life, giving you options if you ever decide to get a decent pair of speakers and sub...

[g8ina]

Told you to buy my headphones didnt I hehehe....

[GeorgeStorm]

Wow that's quite pricey, and big, not sure where I'd be putting it....

I may end up staying matx since it looks like it will be easier/so much cheaper.

[ryandigweed]

Wouldn't the soundcard fit on the mITX board?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Wow that's quite pricey, and big, not sure where I'd be putting it....

I may end up staying matx since it looks like it will be easier/so much cheaper.

The system I suggested will probably sound better though. The ODAC is pretty amazing and the headphone amp has got got good reviews.

[GeorgeStorm]

Wouldn't the soundcard fit on the mITX board?

Not with my gpu aswell.

And fair enough Cat, someone just suggested to me getting a Fiio E7+E9 combo, thoughts?
I didn't hear a massive difference coming from onboard sound to this with these headphones, and I can barely tell the difference between 320kbps mp3 and flac :/

[asderferjerkel]

I'd recommend a USB DAC/amp. The ODAC+ODA is nice, but pretty expensive. The E7+E9 combo is a good choice and will be significantly cheaper - you could even go for an E10 with a 3.5 -> 6.35mm adaptor, which would save you even more (max impedance is 300ohm, so it'd just about manage). The E7+E9 would also let you detach the E7 and use it as a portable amp.

[GeorgeStorm]

I'd forgotten about my speakers (again)
It looks like I'll have to stick to matx unless I want to spend a serious amount of money :/

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Not with my gpu aswell.

And fair enough Cat, someone just suggested to me getting a Fiio E7+E9 combo, thoughts?
I didn't hear a massive difference coming from onboard sound to this with these headphones, and I can barely tell the difference between 320kbps mp3 and flac :/

That E7 and E9 looks interesting - I suspect the ODAC and matching amp might be better,but best to have a look around some reviews. After all any of them will last you for a few years and hopefully should hold their resale value.

[GeorgeStorm]

Would the ODAC and amp mean I could plug both headphones and speakers in at the same time, and be able to switch between them easily?

Really would like to be able to go mitx.