Question about headphone amps...do I need one for my PC?

D

Daggah

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Mar 26, 2005
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OK, I want to start my question off by stating clearly: I am not an audiophile.

I do, however, enjoy having decent quality sound, i.e., I'm not willing to settle for mediocre computer speakers or the speakers built into my TV. For my computer, I have a Logitech Z-680 speaker set that I've enjoyed for several years now. For my home theater setup, I have an Onkyo 5.1 HTIB setup. I'm moving out of a house and into an apartment though, so I decided to invest in a decent pair of headphones so that I can still get decent quality audio without pissing off my neighbors and getting noise complaints, so I just ordered a pair of Sennheiser HD555s.

My computer has on-board audio (remember, I'm not an audiophile) and I'm trying to figure out if my purchase will be a waste for using these phones with my computer. I have a Gigabyte motherboard with a Realtek ALC889A audio chip. I'm not too worried about needing any kind of amp for my HT setup since I figure that my receiver can handle that.
 
Try it.
If the volume wont go high enough or it distorts in some way then get an amp or soundcard that has better headphone support.
 
People use that word to mean too many different things for it not to confuse conversation. All it means is that you love good audio - which sounds like the case.

To give you an idea what other people have found with the HD555, there's a sticky at Head-Fi that gives it a 1.5 on this scale:

"1" denotes amp not needed.
"2" denotes amp recommended.
"3" denotes amp required.​

An interpretation would be "it's nice if you have one, it should benefit at least somewhat from a good one, but you don't need one." Also note that there are 50 ohm and 120 ohm versions of the HD555, and the degree of effect may depend on which you have. A headphone-oriented sound card should be ample, and should be a worthy improvement over your on-board audio adapter.

Also, my general-purpose recommendation about audio upgrades is to try what you have first. There are too many psychological factors in the experience of audio, and changing too many things at once leaves you blind to what factors had what effects.
 
I would not pair an amp with the onboard sound. If you get the HD555s and decide they need to sound better, my choices would be (in order of approximate cost)

a) aftermarket sound card (there are more than a few very good choices here)
b) aftermarket sound card with built-in headphone amp (Auzen Forte, Asus Xonar Essence STX)
c) receiver or other external DAC + amp (assuming your motherboard has digital out)
 
I'd agree here. If you enjoy good audio, an aftermarket sound card is a good choice, you won't regret it. If you enjoy good audio through a nice set of headphones, you should either get a sound card with a headphone amp (option B above) or a headphone amp to go with your sound card. If you're mainly focused on movies and music, you don't have to get a X-Fi card, something like the ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 would be very satisfactory I think. Around $100 too.

Dustin
 
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