Currently I have a Xonar Essence STX, but I'm looking at getting another video card which means I'll have to take the sound card out to make room. I could get another motherboard with more PCI-E slots, but I don't want to upgrade until Haswell comes out so I'm considering an external amp/DAC. I...

Title says it all.   I'm using a laptop, so I need an external USB Sound Card.    If you have other recommendations, please do state it here. I would highly appreciate it. Thanks!

Hi everyone, this is my dilemma.   I've just bought a new pair of headphones: Audio Technica ATHM50, which by the way I bought because I saw them reviewed and recommended here. I thank this community for that.   I'm no audiophile by any means but I've noticed that my desktop PC sounds...

I have a pair of JVC HA-RX900 and an HP Probook 4530s. I am running Windows 8 64-bit and OS X Mountain Lion. I am tired of the crappy onboard audio and want to get something better. Being a non-gaming laptop, I mostly listen to music and watch the occasional movie or TV show. I do play a few...

I've got an O2+ODAC on the way, but I'm looking at my options for gaming audio on a laptop.   As far as I can tell these three are basically my only options (I have no use for the 5.1 out on the X-Fi 5.1 Pro).   I keep reading on these forums that the U3 has "very little gaming support,"...

hi. i plan on getting the beyerdynamic dt 770 pro 80 ohms...   my asus mobo has bad onboard audio, so i plan on getting an external usb sound card (i'm running a mITX build so my only pci slot is taken by my gfx card)   i also am thinking about getting an amp for the beyers also. any...

Hello all. I'm just breaking into the audiophile community, so I've done pretty extensive research over the last couple of weeks. I've settled on the O2+ODAC for amp and DAC. I did so because the headphone output jack is 1/4", so I won't be worried about it wearing out, and it has RCA inputs on...

Currently have a Sager NP9150 laptop.  Anyone have any opinions or suggestions?

Hello   Currently I have two headphones: AKG K240S and Audio-Technica ATH-M30 and want to upgrade my onboard Realtek ALC270 which itself claims capability to produce even 24 bit 192 kHz sound. I am guessing that those specifications mean nothing. Is it possible that cheap entry level laptop...

Just wondering if, based on the above "chain", there would be any need to buy a "better" sound card like the STX or Titanium HD?   I *think* the answer is "no", since the U3 is the "DAC" and provides Dolby Digital Live for surround sound gaming through the headphones, and the O2 drives the...

I will be getting Sennheiser HD 558s in two days, and i am looking for a decent USB sound card to use with them. Along with the usb sound card I get, I will also be using a CMOY RA1 amp that I am building. I will be using this for gaming and music.   So far people have recommended the ASUS...

Hello Head-fiers!   I'm planning on buying the A-T ATH-AD700s. Now I've been told you can improve the lack of bass in these cans by adding and external AMP (FiiO E5 was recommended). Thing is, I also need a USB sound card as the on-board audio on my laptop is... sub standard.    My...

Hey everyone!    As stated above I'm looking for a good pair of headphones for gaming/music. I've been looking at the AudioTechnica ATH-AD700 but I've been getting mixed messages. Everyone says they are amazing for location perception in games (perfect for FPS) But some say they're...

I own the Grado SR60i and I currently have them running some 320kbps MP3s out of an Asus Xonar U3, which I have plugged into my laptop. I am going to be doing some nice mods to my Grado, and I was wondering if I might benefit from a better source. For the DAC + AMP, I don't really want to spend...

I have bought the Sennheiser HD598 and I'm using it combined with the integrated sound card on my motherboard. I want to buy an external soundcard or DAC since I'm already using all of my PCI/PCI-E slots. The furthest I am willing to go is around 100USD unless there is some significantly better...

I just got a Asus Xonar U3 to get an idea of what Dolby Headphone is like. When I plug in the U3 Win 7 shows that my onboard optical out is still the output device. But with the U3 plugged in I can only get sound from the U3 despite what Win 7 shows.   Is there some way to get sound out of...

Hey there! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and I currently have a pair of XB500s and M50's on hand. I was wondering what amps would benefit  these two headphones the most at this price range. I use a laptop as my main source, and it doesn't have the greatest sound card built into it. Would I...

Which would you chose to connect your computer to an AV receiver, connect from Computer HDMI-out to HDM- in on receiver? Or would you connect from computer to ASUS USB DAC, then from ASUS spdif out port using TOSLINK optical cable  to receiver's optical input. I think they should be the same as...

I own Beyerdynamic DT990 32 Ohm and Audio Technica A700x. I also have the Razer Surround Sound Software and the Xonar U3 which has DolbyHeadphone and Dolby Pro Logic IIx.     My Questions :     How good the above mentioned headphones can get when used in combination with razer/xonar u3 in...