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KTB + Atom vs Asus Maximus Hero Mobo

zblackwell

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Joined
Mar 11, 2019
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Hey guys,

Very new to the audiophile world and I've been patiently awaiting my Atom (back ordered) amp to pair it with my HD800s. In the meantime I've just been plugging up directly to my motherboard. They have worked fine in the meantime with the mobo, but I was hoping if someone had an idea of improvements I should expect when I get my Atom (comes Thursday). I don't want to have high expectations, because when I checked the specs on my mobo this evening... They actually look pretty good... and my headphones sound good with just the mobo as well, and I'm worried I might not notice a difference between the two combos.

mobo spec link: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-MAXIMUS-XI-HERO-WI-FI/specifications/
 

GeekyBastard

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Jan 27, 2019
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HD800s...my headphones sound good with just the mobo as well...
That's because you haven't heard what a properly set up system sounds like, I think KTB + Atom would blow you away with the sound quality, you need some proper equipment to drive HD800s kind of flagship headphones.
 

garbulky

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Feb 14, 2018
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Hey guys,

Very new to the audiophile world and I've been patiently awaiting my Atom (back ordered) amp to pair it with my HD800s. In the meantime I've just been plugging up directly to my motherboard. They have worked fine in the meantime with the mobo, but I was hoping if someone had an idea of improvements I should expect when I get my Atom (comes Thursday). I don't want to have high expectations, because when I checked the specs on my mobo this evening... They actually look pretty good... and my headphones sound good with just the mobo as well, and I'm worried I might not notice a difference between the two combos.

mobo spec link: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-MAXIMUS-XI-HERO-WI-FI/specifications/
Oh boy....
Well I don't know about the amp you ordered. Note: Subjective impressions here, no DBT. have had great experiences with good headphone amps compared to motherboard or phone jack, I have on occasion plugged them into phone jacks and motherboard jacks and I couldn't wait to get back. For me, not all headphone amps sound the same. For whatever reason, some sound better to me than others.
 
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bravomail

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there is no mobo or internal soundcard that will beat external DAC. Go for external Dac/Amp combo/stack if you really care about your sound.
 

amirm

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