Music

>>59046001
yes

I bought that one because of static noise coming from my integrated sound card.

Hard to listen to digital music files without them.
You should already have them integrated into your motherboard though

>>59046001
some headphones are useless without them, so of course they're worth it.

mostly a meme

Worth it up to $150 or so for headphones, anything more expensive than that is snake oil.

>>59046001
What do you mean "worth it"? You either need or or you don't.

I was having issues with my onboard (crackling/distortion in audio from my browser to Logic Pro X under both windows and os x ) and then got the exact one in OP's pic and it's solved and everything sounds far better.

The hardware bass boost is really great too.

Yes. I got a ~$100 one originally because I was 'sperging about a raspberry pi desktop setup and needed a better audio output, but after that meme got old it's seen constant use as my laptop's output is just as garbage too, and now it's my primary Linux audio output while the motherboard integrated one is dedicated to a Windows gaymen VM.

>>59046001
>Are they worth it?
Yes absolutely

i never realized how mediocre onboard audio was until I got a headphone amp, if you pair one up with a good pair of headphones that uses soundstage, it'll make the lyrics really easy to distinguish.

Open back headphones, closed back headphones, whatever your preference

>>59046001
I have the one pictured and it's worth it on low end hardware, I have a cheap shitty windows laptop I use for light gaming and it makes the audio much better. The DAC in my Touchbar MacBook Pro blows it out of the water though, so try and test it with your setup

>>59046001
I think the ones with 5.1 surround output are cool for notebooks with only stereo jack.

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>>59046001
>What do you /g/ think about DAC's/Amp's?
It's a glorified volume knob. I have that Schiit one and I can't tell the difference from onboard mobo output and Schiit one.

If your mobo was made in the last 5 years, it's fucking useless. Good mobos do audio well now.

>Are they worth it?
No. It's a fucking meme propagated by amp manufacturers and audiophools.

>>59046001
Only if you need more volume or you are getting interference from your source. FiiO is good enough, anybody telling you about some magical improvements they make are the same people who swear they hear more when they listen to FLAC.

>>59046181
>>59046017
>>59046193
>>59046001
You guys are morons. I figured the static only comes from the back of the board. If you actually use the Case's output on a good Desktop you have 0 static. That was at least on a good Gigabyte board for overclocking a haswell.

>>59050267
You fucking moron

>>59050267
>using the case output

>>59050267
>The static only comes from the board
>So use the front connector that is also connected to the board
>No static
It's not that there is no static it's that you can't hear the static that's there becuase the front connector is far weaker than the board input. Meaning it's not pushing the same amplitude of sound.

You literally plugged your headphones into a weaker area and went "haha no static"

>>59050267
>have two amps going into each other
>wooooaahhh static
>get rid of second amp and turn the volume down on the first
>wooooaaahh no more static
You downgraded your setup and counted it as a win, pretty stupid mang

>>59046001
Schiit Fulla 2 is worth it.

Schiit MMU stack... only with the few rare headphones that draw too much power for a fulla2.

>>59046001
I bought one and can't tell different from plugging directly to the monitor or the head phone jack on the case. So I sell it on ebay, not worth it for me.

>>59050393
you are a stupid shit. There is 0 static on extreme volume.
some boards are simply shit at the back because they bundle all kinds of unrelated to audio shit there.
the external connector to the case though might be isolated.

>>59050708
>>59050057
Did you actually have headphones that would've benefited from them?
Did you actually go into your sound settings on windows a bump up the sample rate from it's low as fuck default?

>>59050560
You are literally mentally challenged. There is 0 static on extremely high volume to the point that it would damage your drum.
I do not claim all boards do it but this does certainly.
I guess they bundle all kinds of unrelated bullshit to the audio at the back that noise it out.
The external connector to the case though is fully isolated.

>>59050725
But the source isn't isolated, meaning the static will always be there unless the amplitude of sound is lowered or the sample rate is dropped
And both of those are the case when plugging into cheapo front case connectors

>>59046001
https://nwavguy.blogspot.ie/2011/09/more-power.html

Read "The Easy Way" section.

For easy calculations, do your headphone/amp pairings at:

https://www.audiobot9000.com/

>>59050367
>>59050393
It's not a meme, some good Gigabyte boards isolate their external connectors.
But, it's not the norm.
The cheap normie boards never do that.

>>59050748
>>59050725
Stop samefagging anon

>>59050768
In some boards the source is actually good, it's the bundling of the output next to all kinds of unrelated shit at the back that screw it up.

>>59050783
I literally replied to 2 different people you autistic sperglord. Do I need you permission? I guess he who dealt the samefagging there smelt it.

>>59050796
>>59050796
Get the datasheet of the HDA chip and check specs.

The DACs are generally decent, but the AMPs, when they have them at all, are typically utter garbage.

Not like it matters because, as you said, they typically fail to isolate the signal path properly.

>>59050796
I've never heard of a board isolating front panel connectors but not having the source sound chip near the rear not being shielded and somehow allowing the front panel to hear none of the static

>>59050796
That's primarily why good boards have atleast 4 different connector options on the back

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>>59050833
>>59050834
>>59050847
It's this board that does that behavior. Notice how it has an isolating barrier to avoid noise. For some reason they fucked up and while the isolation does work well for the case connector it gets screwed up at the back.
(the yellow line at the top)

>>59050834
Funny enough, my Asux Z97M-Plus behaves like that.

But do not use it anymore... got the shitstack which is a huge improvement over the warm amp that HDA chip provides.

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If I am going to be listening to anything high end audio I use my DJM-900Nexus 2.

>>59046001
I have one so I can get balanced outputs for my monitors.

It's just a $50 lexicon alpha though, a lower noise floor would be nice but I'm not gonna complain.

>>59051106
>DJM-900Nexus 2
>Using a DJ mixer to listen to music
>Uses dithering to achieve 64 bit
dude what the fuck lmao

>>59046001
I bought a cheap Fiio because I only have a laptop. Speakers sound much better with it.

>>59046001
>Bass On/Off
what tf does this switch do?
Makes it look toy-ish af

>>59051797
Turns bass on and off

>>59046001

Its fine on a device that lacks a decent DAC, like a Raspberry Pi for example. On a PC it's absolute snake oil (unless there's a real hardware/design issue with the onboard soundcard).

>>59052030
>anything out of my pricerange is snakeoil

what is a good audio interface that has ports for multiple monitors and isn't shit and isnt >$500?

>>59051797
>not owning subphones

>>59050740
>Did you actually go into your sound settings on windows a bump up the sample rate from it's low as fuck default?

44.1KHz covers the entire audible range of the human ear.

>>59052257
Ah so you're one of those people
yeah just stick with your monitor output and earbuds

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>>59050778
>https://www.audiobot9000.com/

I don't know if they still do it, but this site used to have a retarded feature where expensive headphones would get paired with expensive DACs/Amps for no reason other than the admin thought it was wrong to pair cheap hardware with expensive hardware.

>>59052282
I don't believe in magical thinking

>>59053568
Sure thing bud, you should never have bought the dac in the first place

>>59053594
I'm not the guy with the expensive DAC. I still don't believe in magical thinking, speaker crystals, cable lifters or inaudible frequency ranges.

>>59053610
K bud

>>59050740
>upsampling
kys

>>59053629
Literally didn't say a single thing about upsampling

>>59053657
that's what windows does if you force it to default to a high sample rate

>>59053669
Not with an external dac going through a USB driver, it only does that if you stay with analog

>>59053688
nothing of what you just wrote makes any sense

>>59053688
Windows always resamples audio to the "default format" in the "Advanced" tab of an output device. The only way to bypass that is for either have the input and default rates match, or with exclusive mode.

>>59053704
If you don't understand that doesn't mean it's wrong
>>59053733
Yes, you need to have the hardware that can push it, USB drivers are not limited like analog is. In analog it's limited by the amp and dac on your motherboard, USB is not limited by any of this

>>59053783
I don't think you know what analog is, m8
also not how any of this works

>>59052212
> Owning subphones

>>59053783
>Yes, you need to have the hardware that can push it

You don't understand. Setting default rate at 96KHz resamples EVERYTHING not at that rate, the Windows mixer operates on a single sampling rate.

>USB drivers are not limited like analog is In analog it's limited by the amp and dac on your motherboard, USB is not limited by any of this


This doesn't make any sense.

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I got myself this dac/amp, what am I in for? :^}

>>59053905
Burnt out headphones

>>59053905
It will be worse than any modern mobo headphone output.

>>59053917
>>59053921
I'll probably post about it in csg desu. bought it for my ps4 as a less laggy audio out for my ps4 (the ds4s jack is shit even over usb). I'm not expecting much desu.

I think the audio out on my samson go mic is pretty good, but it is set to listen to mic by default and you can't change that in the ps4s settings. I was hoping the chink thing would be somewhat close to mobo lvl.

If this chink thing turns out to be worse than cancer, what should I get as a simple usb audio interface that is as good as your standard mobo or smartphone jack?
I ain't buying a hipstery meme dac amp thing desu. Should I get a creative branded usb soundcard or some shit or what?

>>59046001
I use one to easily switch between my headphonse and my stereo system. And for galvanic isolation between my PC and my stereo system

>>59053800
I'm referring to the analog output on your motherboard as apposed to digital.
The analog output directly correlates to whatever the sound chip in your motherboard is capable of, USB is not limited.
>>59053824
Explained above
Hence why you don't use the default windows sampler, plugins are the only way to go

>>59053905

The real problem with these is the lack of filtering/capacitance on the supply rail. You're at the merci of the quality of the USB power supply. If you stick this in a rpi for example you'll have massive interference.

On a phone or PC they are OK-ish but not better then the built in DACs. I used a similar device when my mobo's soundcard stopped working.

>>59054543
I guess I'll see. I feel like almost anything under $40 is going to be chink shit anyway. I looked at western shops and a lot of the usb soundcards are just the $.90 soundcards with a different brand slapped on.

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>>59054661
I heard this was pretty good at $30

>>59057120
everything but the headphone amp part is quite usable, yeah

>>59051106

>redlining

>>59046001
I have the FiiO. Got it mostly so I could plug/unplug my headphones from my desk. Also helps to avoid damaging the headphone jack.

>>59046001
Depends on the headphones you use and what your current source is

>>59052338
> but this site used to have a retarded feature where expensive headphones would get paired with expensive DACs/Amps for no reason other than the admin thought

Afaik, it just shows the combinations people do try, which are generally stupid. Easy to ignore.

Site is useful at what it does... give dB for a given hp+amp combo.

>>59053905
Magical smoke. Regrets.

>>59052338
Nice schiit stack. I have that too (uber variants).

It's just...the fulla2 is much better value per money.

Am I falling for a Zeos meme if I want an amp with a 1/4in headphone jack? I don't think I actually need anything better than an e10k.

>>59057503
Fulla2 has the big jack.

>>59046001
no

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/smsl-m6-dac-amp
Should I pull the trigger?

>>59046181
This is pretty much the most salient reply.

That said, DAC/Amp isn't the only way to go. A good internal sound card can accomplish the same purpose.

>>59053905
I bought something like this. Sound was noticeably colored compared to onboard (I would characterize it as more midrange and less treble/bass frequencies), and the volume control literally did not allow a wide enough range to give a reasonable volume on my IEMs. Setting volume to 0 was inaudible, and setting volume to 1 was somewhat loud, if you accidentally dragged the slider up any further it would blow your ears out.

It also caused static electricity that would tickle my ears from time to time.

>>59046001
>Are they worth it?
do you have headphones that can't be driven properly without one? If so then yes they are worth it. If not then no they aren't.

>>59046001
I use one solely because I think it's cool to have a mechanical volume knob.

they look pretty cool on battlestation threads
they also impress all the normies who see them

>>59050740
>>59052282
>>59053594
>>59053618
https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
Idiot.

i just got a aorus k5 with alc 1220, usb dac-up(for a dac if i decide to get one), do i NEED a dac or is this good enough i just need to get an amp?

>>59051797
I have the Fiio e10k (pictured) and it's pretty fucking decent for the price. The bass switch is simply a bass booster, it's pretty good, doesn't make things muddy and definitely appreciated in movies.

>>59046001
just get soundcard with optical out and use a real stereo

>>59051274
What is dithering?
>>59057158
>implying I redline
No thanks, I don't like distorted signal.

>>59052257
THAT ISN'T HOW IT WORKS YOU FUCKWIT.

>>59060028
That's exactly how it works, you idiot.

most motherboards have built in dacs that are just as good or better than external usb ones

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>>59046001
>bass
>on/off

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why does no one talk about this guy
miles better than any other budget solution

>>59062866
>he doesn't appreciate hardware bass boost

>>59046001
DACs are necessary unless you're listening to records or cassettes and amps are pretty much always necessary.

>>59062897
yes, except everything that plays music have decent ones built in already

>>59062912
I never said anything about whether or not any devices had DACs and amps built in

>>59046001
Without them we won't have sound, so I'm thankful for them.
>he means external DACs/Amps
Oh that placebo shit? No thanks my internal ones are working fine with no added noise.

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I prefer to use a digital compositor with proper cabling for 100% audio accuracy, as you can't trust any analog output to the DAC

they are mostly for the cool factor

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>>59063959
True, but that "cool factor" wears off and then you realize it's just another box gathering dust and wasting space on your desk.

If a physical volume knob is what you want, you can buy that.

>>59064212
I thought that was a 3D mouse before reading your post

>>59046001
>worth it
not this retarded shit again

>>59052338
>where expensive headphones would get paired with expensive DACs/Amps for no reason other than the admin thought it was wrong to pair cheap hardware with expensive hardware.
so exactly what most people who are into audiophile things think.

>waaah you have these expensive headphones there's no way you can drive them 10/10 with your phone

>>59051797
low shelf boost, graphs on fiio's website

>>59052282
stop posting. go to xiph.org to watch digital media primer thing if you don't have the slightest clue on digital signals and the sampling rate.

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>>59064212
those are a bigger waste than just getting a DAC/AMP with one

and besides any true audiophile will have both

>>59046001
It's impossible to listen to digital music without a DAC and Amp.

>>59065367
he is talking about external/aftermarket ones

>>59065325
>>59064212
are these things even more audiophile tier than a DAC/AMP

>>59046001
placebo.
Don't buy
onboard chip is more than enough
delete this thread now

>>59065858
but if a placebo leads to greater enjoyment then that could be worth it to some people. there are many intangible benefits of a product

>>59066097
>but if a placebo leads to greater enjoyment
then you're a retard and nothing can be done for you. I suggest icepick lobotomy for maximum fun in your life.

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You need an amp to power up your speakers.

A DAC is just to make digital into analog, your computer does that and shits it out the 3.5 jack, buying one is pointless.

>>59067172
God damn pregnant9teen was hot.

>>59067275
you know it