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Would DAC/AMP combo be worth it for me? (self.pcmasterrace)

submitted 9 months ago by SuperSaiyanSwag to c/[email protected]

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Hi Everyone,

First time poster here. I was wondering if the sound quality of my PC can go to the next level with some minor purchases.

My current setup: Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk Headphones: Philips Fidelio X1S

I was looking to get an external DAC/AMP combo, but wasn’t sure if it’s worth it.

Thank you to everyone in advance

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I barely found x1s (more of OG X1) for some reason, my bad. It is indeed a headphone that exists xd. I mostly seen X2HR reviews and most users are relatively satisfied. I think the 2 main caveats are that:

Detail is not that good.
Bass is boomy.

So if you are looking for tighter bass or more detailed sound, no, you wont really get that much more out of it with better equipment. It is an old headphone and the driver is low impedance, this is most they could bring out of it in those days.

Want better sound? You absolutely can get multitudes of better sound quality with your current DAC/AMP and newer headphones. You can get any kind of not too hard to drive piece of hardware and it will keep scaling without extra equipment. Yes you can get even better with a better DAC, but even I kept myself out of buying one even though I have audiophile equipment.

Im using a chinese 50 dollar motherboard that is for e5 v3 CPU. Even that is kind of acceptable though not preferred. And a headphone jack.

[–] SuperSaiyanSwag 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So just getting new headphones alone could be much better for me? I have been eyeing Sennheisers 6xx/650 because I see them for sale in my price range quite a bit.

And yes, detail is what I was looking for.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Now buying a headphone is a big topic, but HD6xx/650 is a safe choice for sure. Only thing you might lose is the wide soundstage your headphone has.

[–] SuperSaiyanSwag 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So I went back to the drawing board and looked into it more. My headphones are 30ohm, that’s why they won’t really gain anything from amp/dac to begin with. Like you said, new headphones are a different topic, those Sennheisers are 300ohm. I think I’ll just stick with my current setup lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Even that might work. Higher end boards are often made for up to 600ohm headphones. If in doubt, search for your specific board/chip whether it has the power.

[–] SuperSaiyanSwag 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Will do, thank you very much, you have been a great help

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago