Headphone Amp

Don't really know to much about these things and looking for some help

Trying to find a good Amp to push my head phones for PC gaming , casual listening/Movies

Trying to keep the budget with in $ 200.00 if possible ?

Any insight would be appreciated

Does it need to be portable?

There's a lot of options out there for under $200

I know a lot of recommendations will come in for buying a Schiit Stack DAC/Amp combination: http://schiit.com/
NSFW Language:

I personally went with a Micca Origen DAC/AMP after watching and reading around from this review:
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There's also the FiiO line of products, but I think generally most would recommend Schiit for a good product for the money.

I second the Schiit recommendation.

no portability is not required

Witchdoctor said:

no portability is not required

Click to expand...

A Magni 2 would work.

http://schiit.com/products/magni-2

I will check out the vids tonight,

does your mini jack out from motherboard sound just plug right into this ?

Thanks

Witchdoctor said:

I will check out the vids tonight,

does your mini jack out from motherboard sound just plug right into this ?

Thanks

Click to expand...

On the magni you would need RCA to 3.5mm. The Fulla is usb. Fiio also make some that are usb like the e10k

If the DAC is built in or part of the stack , it will be SPIDF mobo>DAC or optical out in the same configuration.

What cans are you going to be pushing?

Okay, only 32Ω, pretty easy to drive.

The DAC/AMP I use is this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006IPH5H2

Quite good and has very versatile input/output options.

Also consider the Asus STX, which has an impressive 124dB SNR.

Just thought of this unit this morning:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00OIUUGRK?psc=1

NiHaoMike said:

Also consider the Asus STX, which has an impressive 124dB SNR.

Click to expand...

That's over his budget.

Wow, there are so many solutions

Thanks for the in site guys ......

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-sound-card-xonaressencestx
It seems like the STX goes for less than $200 at some times. Unless I'm misunderstanding and the $200 budget is for more than just the DAC/amp.

I have the STX and it is a great card, I was able to buy mine for $130 on ebay. It is an investment. For those who need the drivers for this card, I recommend, third party drivers, http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/

I tell you, I have done a tremendous amount of reading on this over the last few days. I have learned a lot. Re-thinking what I am doing for not just my headphones now but speakers as well.
I have the original 5.1 Logitech 680 powered speakers. No complaints, it is over ten years old.
they are shot, headphone jack is blown out and pre-amp is in and out at times.
After doing some research into some modern solutions I am thinking using an amp to push some speakers I have collecting dust in the attic as opposed to having to shell out for another powered speaker set up. The amp I am looking at also happens to have an on board DAC and head phone amp as well. I looked to the same company that I used for my home theater set up NAD, While I am not an audiophile by a long shot I do appreciate good sounding music. While going this direction throws my budget out the door, $ 399.99 shipped on Amazon it does solve the problem that is coming my way sooner or later that my z680 set up is on it's last leg

here is the unit, hopefully you guys will have some insight on weather it is a decent unit or not.

http://www.amazon.com/NAD-D-3020-In...ie=UTF8&qid=1457446447&sr=1-1&keywords=d+3020

Lastly do you think this amp can push a pair of ML LX16's ?
Any insight on any alternatives types of units is appreciated if this thing is a total POS

Thanks

At 92 db sensitivity , that amp should have no problems driving those speakers , especially as near field computer speakers. I've heard some good things about that amp in particular. I wouldn't worry about it being a pos , it's a very nice little amp , with a nice feature set.