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Idk what to do! Should I buy a dac for the HD 598?

John

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I'm having some issues with my onboard sound and I did some research on the web and for what i understand I need a dac like the modi 2 which, is this any good to drive the HD 598? Is it better than my Asus Z370 realtek s1220a soundboard (it has an amp I think) ? But like I said I'm having issues and tbh idk if the problem is the HD 598 or the motherboard, it's really annoying hear pops or static sounds while I'm listening music or gaming/discord etc Sadly I can't test on my LG g3 because it's not a decent device to test with I believe, tomorrow I might test on other computer with the basic realtek acl 888

Anyways I heard the modi 2 has problems with usb esolation, I'm afraid I need something with great quality and reliable to power my HD 598 with no static or pops, but my second question is, do I really need an amp as well or a simple dac like the modi 2 is enough?

Any advices?

Ps: I will test with different drivers just to make sure it's not a software problem.

Tdlr: is a dac enough to power the HD 598 headphones? Which one should I buy?


Cheers
 

Blumlein 88

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John

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Modi 2 is probably not your best choice. First I don't think it has a headphone amp just a DAC.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/budget-dac-review-schiit-modi-2-99.1649/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...n-of-schiit-modi-2-uber-and-topping-d30.3207/

Measurements indicate poor performance. Especially with isolating computer sounds over USB.

I'll let others with more headphone experience suggest an alternative.
Ty so much for the reply, is the topping D30 the best option? Could I use it without an amp?
 

amirm

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Ty so much for the reply, is the topping D30 the best option? Could I use it without an amp?
No, you would need an amp for it. So either look for combo units (you can tell these as they have a headphone jack) or a separate headphone amp to go with it.
 
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John

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No, you would need an amp for it. So either look for combo units (you can tell these as they have a headphone jack) or a separate headphone amp to go with it.

Thank you, sadly it looks like its quiet hard to buy the topping d30 in europe (im from Portugal) and since im a "noob" im quiet lost and i dont really know whats the best for my hd 598 without spending more than 130 euros. In your opinion @amirm what should i buy dac/amp combo unit or seperated dac and amp!? and which ones, i do love this kinda of music (https://www.youtube.com/user/MrSuicideSheep/videos) and i do play quiet alot.
Thank you,
John
 
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John

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To be honest, thats a good question and i dont really know, but for what i saw, i can get the schiit (is difficult and expensive, for example fulla 2 worth 145 euros) fiio, probably the most known dac/amps.

btw im thinking if the psu Corsair RM650X could cause the issues im having, or is it impossible!?
Testing with diferent realtek drivers with DTS audio OFF, and so far so good, no pops or static, i need to test it for some days, but the sound is kinda boring even using 32bits 192k.
Cheers @amirm
 

Timbo2

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I run my HD600s on the Sabaj DA3 that Amir has reviewed. If you invest in a set of balanced cables it has more than enough power.
 
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John

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No, don't spend money on power supplies and such.

Going back to your original post, pops and clicks are not normal. What program are you using to play your music?

Games, chrome/firefox twitch, youtube etc etc, i was watching a stream few minutes ago and used and firefox to make sure the problem is not the browser and i was hearing "crackling" distortion and some pops, i turn on my brothers pc and i tested exatcly in the same stream with the hd 598 and yeah the problem was there as well, so might be the hd 598 dying, after 5 years, but the thing is, its so so random sometimes i can stay on pc for 2 hours and 0 problems and in 5 minutes i could have the pops going crazy, could it be the cable!?
 

Wombat

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Games, chrome/firefox twitch, youtube etc etc, i was watching a stream few minutes ago and used and firefox to make sure the problem is not the browser and i was hearing "crackling" distortion and some pops, i turn on my brothers pc and i tested exatcly in the same stream with the hd 598 and yeah the problem was there as well, so might be the hd 598 dying, after 5 years, but the thing is, its so so random sometimes i can stay on pc for 2 hours and 0 problems and in 5 minutes i could have the pops going crazy, could it be the cable!?

Try with another headset or two.
 
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