Audiophile Thread!

[korg17]

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aa/ an amp only (on the audio out) produce a better improved sound and not just amplify it?

---yes. the amp will give more voltage to your headphones, letting you hear frequencies previously not heared due to the lack of power comming from the soundcard. sound will be more detailed, volume will be enough, the headphone's true capabilities will be shown.

bb/ a dac/amp (on the audio out) trigger the dac and amp or just the amp hence the sound would be the same as aa/

---just the amp since you are on audio out. if you want to use the dac, connect it through usb, and set your audio settings to use it as the sound output.

cc/ a usb dac/amp produce a much better sound than the above aa/ setup

---yes. prob 99% of external dacs are built with better components and capabilities than any default/built-in soundcard.

[lespaulibanez]

It's nice to see more activity in this thread for past few days now, if I may join the boat...

aa/ - depends on headphones. Besides having wider volume range from the amp, given the power it needs some headphones/earphones definitely improve overall sound quality(usually lower frequencies) even at same volume level and flat EQ (but also take note some amps have slight coloration even at flat EQ).

bb/ - if AMP/DAC plugged into the analog audio out(3.5mm headphone jack) only the amplification would take effect.
cc/ - Yes if the sound card in /aa set-up is basic.

In my case, used the FiiO E10 DAC in my entry-level HP laptop, the sound difference is quite obvious.

I'm more of an HT guy and never ventured into headphones before.
For me a headphone is just a headphone. Plug it into a 3.5mm jack and you got nice sound coming through the headphone. Not until now that it sparked my interest.

When you say depends on the headphones, do you mean the frequency response or the headphone itself (brand, price, etc.)

I assume you plugged the E10 into the USB jack? How would you compare plugging it into the 3.5mm headphone jack. Is the difference say night and day?

[lespaulibanez]

aa/ an amp only (on the audio out) produce a better improved sound and not just amplify it?

---yes. the amp will give more voltage to your headphones, letting you hear frequencies previously not heared due to the lack of power comming from the soundcard. sound will be more detailed, volume will be enough, the headphone's true capabilities will be shown.

bb/ a dac/amp (on the audio out) trigger the dac and amp or just the amp hence the sound would be the same as aa/

---just the amp since you are on audio out. if you want to use the dac, connect it through usb, and set your audio settings to use it as the sound output.

cc/ a usb dac/amp produce a much better sound than the above aa/ setup

---yes. prob 99% of external dacs are built with better components and capabilities than any default/built-in soundcard.

Tks for the input.
I'm learning fast.
So would you recommend a dedicated amp or a dac/amp combo?

I'm excited to explore the world of headphones.
Slowly losing interest on my Onkyo/Paradigm/SVS HT set-up.

[korg17]

Tks for the input.
I'm learning fast.
So would you recommend a dedicated amp or a dac/amp combo?

I'm excited to explore the world of headphones.
Slowly losing interest on my Onkyo/Paradigm/SVS HT set-up.

oh so you're a HT guy/videophile. welcome to the audiophile world hehe. although this is an audiophile thread we discuss mostly headphones and headphone amps, and not much on vinyls, phonos, loudspeakers, bookshelfs, etc.

with your question, hardcore purists would actually get a separate dac and amp, so they can chose what they prefer, do mix and match and get the best possible sound, but that is mostly very expensive, the more popular (and cheaper) option is to get the dac-amp combo which is actually good enough. Fiio has good amp-dac combos both desktop and portable which wont break the bank. fetzhola is an official dealer, you can ask him

[C'thulhu]

Tks for the input.
I'm learning fast.
So would you recommend a dedicated amp or a dac/amp combo?

I'm excited to explore the world of headphones.
Slowly losing interest on my Onkyo/Paradigm/SVS HT set-up.

Welcome to the hobby, this can be addicting and expensive

Source, dac, amp, headphones. Mix and match to your desired preference.

Good to see this is gaining interest here, maybe one day korg can form a club so we can go on meets.

[kolmewila]

mahalers! pero nindot! khnumdum qs aqng papa na turntable na pioneer. kanang pang play gani ug karaan na cd? kanang dako kaau. hehe nya kanang pa2ng sad2x na mga components.

[korg17]

Welcome to the hobby, this can be addicting and expensive

Source, dac, amp, headphones. Mix and match to your desired preference.

Good to see this is gaining interest here, maybe one day korg can form a club so we can go on meets.

lol im waiting for boss fetzhola to form a club. pa member ko ani.

[C'thulhu]

For those who are using their computers/laptops to play music, what software are you guys using?

I noticed a big difference from iTunes and VLC compared against decibel. Sounds much clearer and much controlled...

btw im using a macbook so Windows based system might have a different set of software...

[shryock]

For those who are using their computers/laptops to play music, what software are you guys using?

I noticed a big difference from iTunes and VLC compared against decibel. Sounds much clearer and much controlled...

btw im using a macbook so Windows based system might have a different set of software...

mine is foobar2000 (for windows) without plug-ins, but i adjust the default format to highest possible.
for example, 24 bit, 48000 Hz (Studio Quality)

i find it better than winamp or WMP.

wide audio codec support.
the UI is also customizable same as others.

[korg17]

Fidelia player on mac here. Songbird for library management.

based on my observations, itunes is actually quite decent and also a good library manager except it cant play flac format. vlc is good for video but as a high-res audio player, nevermind. lol