External sound card? I've got a Gateway DX4300-11 with crappy onboard sound. If I were to get the E9, could that function as a sort of external sound card via USB-out? Also, I have the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones; they have a 50 ohm impedance. Would an amp like this improve the quality of these headphones enough to make enough of a difference for it to be wise economically? Thanks! External sound card? I've got a Gateway DX4300-11 with crappy onboard sound. If I were to get the E9, could that function as a sort of external sound card via USB-out? Also, I have the... » Read More External sound card? I've got a Gateway DX4300-11 with crappy onboard sound. If I were to get the E9, could that function as a sort of external sound card via USB-out? Also, I have the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones; they have a 50 ohm impedance. Would an amp like this improve the quality of these headphones enough to make enough of a difference for it to be wise economically? Thanks! « Show Less
1964273
I'm not sure if there's a way it can actually replace your sound card. If I understand the directions right, all the USB port is for is a pass-through to the E7 dock. I have 50 ohm headphones too (HD595) and TBH it really didn't make a noticeable difference on most music. Music already sounded really good, so I'm not really sure what I was expecting with this. Louder music's sounds seems more balanced out, but that's about all I've noticed so far.
1371524
the L9 is to enable the line out (fixed volume) of the ipod/phone/pad. It will still use the amp and Dac.If you want to use the Wolson DAC and bypass the AMP you will need the L7 (FiiO L7 Line Out Dock). Its like 12 bucks and can be found on google shopping. Its made for the E07k and E17.
686404
NO. External only. The whole deal with external sound cards, which this is on a miniature scale, is to by-pass the laptops super cheap on-board sound processor and hand off the process to a dedicated, full featured Digital Signal Processor, DSP. The laptop circuitry is optimized for size and cuts corners, clipping high and low tones. The sound card fully processes the signal for a richer, fuller sound. But.... it's an external, pre-amp signal for an external amplifier. The internal speakers are completely by-passed.
183674
To be honest I really don't know, I basically sent it right back, I've ended up with Asus muse edition way more expensive but between its dac & headphone amp,it's worth every penny for its mind blowing performance under $1000, happy hunting for your sound!Regards Heriberto
156916
This is a sound card that goes inside your computer to play sound ..music..its not headphones or speakers...its the part that makes the sound work in your computer...it works very well i have one in my computer......you have to buy speakers and headphones to listen to the sound on.your computer..Hope this answer helps..Ken Irishman 55...i would recommend thissound card to any one looking for a good one..
100192
I would recommend this card no matter what. It is 25$ and it was a huge improvement over my onboard sound (although I bought my computer in 2007). I have no idea about the headphone situation though.
2193945
in my experience with the schiit modi, magni, and vali, yes, the dac + amp combo sounds better than just the amp. i'm hearing less noise, more detail, and an overall cleaner sound. I don't have these specific headphones, but the headphones themselves don't matter as it's the other components you're questioning. the vali is supposedly a great amp to pair with the senn 600 and 650 headphones. does that answer your question?
1281198
The A/D cable does not work in both directions - the signal flow must be *from* the audio end *to* the USB end. That means you can not play out through your USB jack using this cable.You will need a D/A box to play out from your USB port to your speakers, and probably an amp as well (unless your speakers are powered). You can find these little guys branded as external USB sound cards, typically for under $50. Some of the nicer ones have gain and processing controls, but most will have an 1/8" TRS jack rather than RCA or full size phono jacks. When you go looking for a solution, remember to consider all the connections you'll have to make as well as power considerations. The A/D cable does not work in both directions - the signal flow must be *from* the audio end *to* the USB end. That means you can not play out through your USB jack using this cable.You will need a D/A box to play out from your USB port to your speakers, and probably an amp as well (unless your speakers are powered). You can find these little guys branded as external USB sound cards, typically for under $50. Some of the nicer ones have gain and processing controls, but most will have an 1/8" TRS jack rather than RCA or full size phono jacks. When you go looking for a... » Read More The A/D cable does not work in both directions - the signal flow must be *from* the audio end *to* the USB end. That means you can not play out through your USB jack using this cable.You will need a D/A box to play out from your USB port to your speakers, and probably an amp as well (unless your speakers are powered). You can find these little guys branded as external USB sound cards, typically for under $50. Some of the nicer ones have gain and processing controls, but most will have an 1/8" TRS jack rather than RCA or full size phono jacks. When you go looking for a solution, remember to consider all the connections you'll have to make as well as power considerations. « Show Less
934962
That particular slot is only for SD cards. However, there is another option. I just bought one of these: LH Labs GeekOut V2 USB Headphone Amplifier & DAC Black and it provides absolutely *stunning* sound - I use an Audeze EL-8 headphones and am completely blown away by the music. Yeah, it is expensive, but it puts many high-end separate audio component systems to shame! Using it with rip'ed CD's or with original 192kHz and 96kHz lossless files is best - any compressed audio will not be as good, but still way better than what the laptop built-in sound can provide. That particular slot is only for SD cards. However, there is another option. I just bought one of these: LH Labs GeekOut V2 USB Headphone Amplifier & DAC Black and it provides absolutely *stunning* sound - I use an Audeze EL-8 headphones and am completely blown away by the music. Yeah, it is expensive, but it puts many high-end separate audio component systems to shame! Using it with rip'ed CD's or with original 192kHz and 96kHz lossless files is best - any compressed audio will not be as good, but still way better than what the... » Read More That particular slot is only for SD cards. However, there is another option. I just bought one of these: LH Labs GeekOut V2 USB Headphone Amplifier & DAC Black and it provides absolutely *stunning* sound - I use an Audeze EL-8 headphones and am completely blown away by the music. Yeah, it is expensive, but it puts many high-end separate audio component systems to shame! Using it with rip'ed CD's or with original 192kHz and 96kHz lossless files is best - any compressed audio will not be as good, but still way better than what the laptop built-in sound can provide. « Show Less
100193
This card has a virtual surround processing chip built in. It will will produce surround sound on regular stereo headphones. You don't need a "surround sound headphone". I use a pair of Audio Technica AD-700 stereo headphones with this card and they sound amazing with the surround sound turned on. the card also has a built-in headphone amp which makes a big difference in sound quality when you plug in your headset. There are also various surround settings that you can tune and modify to your liking.
1457100
The HD 598 has a 50-ohm impedance that works fine with portable devices like iPhones or iPads. That being said, using an outboard amplifier in conjunction with smart phones and tablets will improve the sound. The HP's will play louder, have better bass, more balanced sound and way better dynamics.
1313192
Michael , the sound blaster is actually an external sound card and not an amp. two different creatures. The X-fi go pro plugs into the usb port on your computer. the computer see it and by-passes the the internal sound card in the computer. ( most computer sound cards are of poor quality and produce a very poor sound quality and volume.) By using the x-fi you will hear a dramatic improvement. vocals are cleaned up ( you actually can understand what the singer is saying ) Instruments are separated so you actually hear each clearly. BIG improvement, really. this unit is a good beginning for music enjoyment. It's fairly cheap ,easy to use and the cd to download the drivers is a snap, too. And to answer your question, it will give you some sound volume increase also. A good investment for short money. In time you may want to try other more costly cards, amps, dac's and speakers. It's a natural progression. But for now, you really don't have much to lose and everything to gain. Good luck and good listening (p.s., I have three of them)
1520941
I 100% always recommend a sound card. Some people do some people don't, it's becoming more popular to say the sound chip on mainboards are so good an add on sound card isn't necessary; I say sound cards are essential. To use this headset look for a sound card that has 5.1 surround 3.5 mm ports, it doesn't have stereo 3.5 mm jacks, or coax, or optical it's only compatible with 5.1 3.5 mm ports. Almost all late mainboards have that built into the mainboard to start.SignedCaleb Anderson
884956
I don't know either for sure, but if you want to bi-amp and remove the internal x-over would mean that you have an external x-over. This sounds kind of strange to me. I had mine bi-amped and also tried bi-wired, but didn't hear a difference. I'm no audiophile, but got fairly good equipment and with the efficiency of the Klipsch you won' t have a big issue anyway.
2092119
I owned 429s Sennheisers i got same problem the amp makes the volume louder on all 400 line Sennheisers i think,also might wanna think about getting fiio e11 i heard it goes louder than e6 but cant be used while charging like the e6 can.Makes Sennheisers sound awesome.
677144
I have a SoundBlaster chip built into my MSI board, which apparently has an amp, and sounds fine. Movies, and some music sounds fantastic. But if you are playing a lot of games, or listening to things with a lot of bass and treble, or just an audiophile, buy an amp. I am still considering getting one.
2066459
Hello. I listen to my headphones in amplifier of Technics and sound great. Sound card, which you want to buy seems to be very nice. There are also built-in amplifier for headphones and very high quality. I see no reason these headphones do not sound good, not to say super good. Good choice in my opinion!