Suggestions for a newbie budget Desktop setup

[Mayonnaise Ghoul]

I've just this month graduated from listening to music from my gaming headsets (Astro A10s) and got some new audio hardware to use with my PC. After looking around a bit, I ended up buying a Superlux HD681 and a SMSL SAP6 amp, and I'm using Equalizer APO with some config I found online for the HD681's. My motherboard is an ASUS TUF B550m Gaming Plus which advertises 108dB signal to noise ratio from a Realtek ALC S1200A, and supports up to 24bit 192kHz playback. No noticeable noise or interference so far.

Overall I'm pretty happy with how it sounds, at least compared to my previous setup, but what I'm not sure about is if I'm bottlenecking my experience somehow since I really don't have any previous experience at all. Do I need an external DAC? Should I just save up for better Headphones or speakers? These kinds of tips and suggestions are what I'm looking for.

As you could probably tell from the price range of the components, I'm keeping a tight budget since I'm just starting out, so what motivated me to make this post is to discover what the next 'cost-effectiveness' conscious upgrade would be.

Please let me know if you got any other questions about my situation, thanks a lot!

 

[tomtoo]

I've just this month graduated from listening to music from my gaming headsets (Astro A10s) and got some new audio hardware to use with my PC. After looking around a bit, I ended up buying a Superlux HD681 and a SMSL SAP6 amp, and I'm using Equalizer APO with some config I found online for the HD681's. My motherboard is an ASUS TUF B550m Gaming Plus which advertises 108dB signal to noise ratio from a Realtek ALC S1200A, and supports up to 24bit 192kHz playback. No noticeable noise or interference so far.

Overall I'm pretty happy with how it sounds, at least compared to my previous setup, but what I'm not sure about is if I'm bottlenecking my experience somehow since I really don't have any previous experience at all. Do I need an external DAC? Should I just save up for better Headphones or speakers? These kinds of tips and suggestions are what I'm looking for.

As you could probably tell from the price range of the components, I'm keeping a tight budget since I'm just starting out, so what motivated me to make this post is to discover what the next 'cost-effectiveness' conscious upgrade would be.

Please let me know if you got any other questions about my situation, thanks a lot!

Could you please descripe what you miss? Dont get me wrong, but all this sounds like hey all i have is great, could you please tell me what i miss? Thats realy hard?

 

[twsecrest]

The Superlux HD681 is a great bang for the buck ($35) headphone.
For audio budgets, it's recommended to spend more for the headphones, than the DAC/amp.
An IBasso DC05 or FiiO KA3, small USB DAC/amp, would be a low cost way of improving the sound for the HD681.
Knowing what headphones you might buy in the future, would help with recommending a DAC/amp.

 

[Mayonnaise Ghoul]

Could you please descripe what you miss? Dont get me wrong, but all this sounds like hey all i have is great, could you please tell me what i miss? Thats realy hard?

You're right, I didn't quite express myself right. The main doubts I have, going forward in the hobby, are 1; Is any part of my current setup a bad match or handicaping the rest? I don't know how exactly this specific amp affects the headphone output compared to say, running it straight from the motherboard.

2; Would a DAC be a good investment? I was looking at the Fiio e10k since it's at a good price point, but since I have never tried one of those before I don't know what difference it would make or how it would match with the amp and phones I already have. I have no experience and I can't really try it out before buying.

or if 3; I should just ignore all this stuff for now and save to get some other heaphones to try out.

 

[twsecrest]

The FiiO is decent and might(?) improve the sound of the HD681.
But it's very dated and the DC05 and KA3 have much more modern DAC chips.

You could just keep using your current setup.
And take the time to figure out a budget for your next audio upgrade.

 

[Mayonnaise Ghoul]

The FiiO is decent and might(?) improve the sound of the HD681.
But it's very dated and the DC05 and KA3 have much more modern DAC chips.

You could just keep using your current setup.
And take the time to figure out a budget for your next audio upgrade.

Oh, the KA3 looks very interesting, and had the upside of working with my phone as well... Will keep that one on my list. And for headphones maybe the SHP9500. But you're right, I'll just take some time and listen to some music (that's the whole point! lol)

 

[Vict0r]

I would NEVER buy a "better" DAC than the Realtek 12xx series chip that's in your motherboard for a $30 Superlux headphone. It wouldn't make sense, economically. Also, those 12xx series integrations are often pretty decent, so I'm sure any improvement on your Superlux would be marginal at best, and placebo more likely. The most logical way forward is a more resolving headphone and then building a rig around that one.

In audio, there's a huge fear of missing out. Learning to enjoy what you have is much more beneficial for your sanity. And wallet.

 

[Berwhale]

@Mayonnaise Ghoul Welcome to ASR!

You remind me of me in 2019, this hobby can get expensive

Back in 2019 I decided that I wanted a decent headphone setup for gamming. I did a little research and bough a pair of AKG K712Pro headphones and a Fiio K3 DAC/Amp to drive them. I was quite happy with this setup and I started to enjoy listening to a lot more music on my PC, but like you I thought it could be improved in some indefinable way. Then I found ASR and over the next 3 years I bought...

A JDS Labs Atom headphone amp (keeping the K3 as the DAC): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-new-jds-labs-atom-headphone-amp.5262/

A pair of JBL 1 Series 104 monitors (purchased way before Amir's review): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-one-series-104-powered-monitor-review.11076/

A Topping D50s DAC (replacing the K3): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nd-measurements-of-new-topping-d50s-dac.7914/

A Topping A50s headphone Amp (replacing the Atom): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ne-amplifier-review.16290/page-10#post-528883

A Topping P50 linear power supply to complete the x50 stack. It provided no audio benefit (it actually reduces the power output of the A50s) but it looked nice and simplified my power connections and cabling.

A pair of JBL 305P MkII monitors: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...mkii-and-control-1-pro-monitors-review.10811/

I couldn't stand the hiss from the tweeters on the 305P's and they were too large for my desk so they went back and were replaced by...

A pair of Tannoy Reveal 402 monitors.

A UMIK-1 USB measurement microphone.

A pair of Drop Hifiman HE-4XX headphones (I wanted to try a planar headphone)

A pair of Sennheiser HD 660 S headphones (purchased way before Amir's review): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sennheiser-hd660s-review-headphone.34755/

A pair of AKG K371 headphones (I wanted some closed back headphones): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../akg-k371-review-closed-back-headphone.19657/

I treated myself to a pair of iLoud MTM monitors (it was my birthday!): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...imedia-iloud-mtm-review-active-monitor.18347/

Unfortunately, I got ground loop after adding the MTMs to my setup. I fixed this by isolating the D50s DAC from my PC (by both USB isolation and TOSLink optical connection), but I wanted fix this permanently by moving to a setup using balanced interconnects, so I bought...

A Topping EX5 DAC/Amp: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ex5-review-dac-and-headphone-amplifier.24341/

A Presonus Sub8 subwoofer (connected in-line between the EX5 and MTMs).

If I were you, I would perhaps invest in some nicer headphones before embarking on any other 'upgrades'. The Superlux HD681 sound fine (I bought a pair for my son), but the fit and finish isn't great and they're a bit sweaty on the ears.

 

[Berwhale]

You're right, I didn't quite express myself right. The main doubts I have, going forward in the hobby, are 1; Is any part of my current setup a bad match or handicaping the rest? I don't know how exactly this specific amp affects the headphone output compared to say, running it straight from the motherboard.

2; Would a DAC be a good investment? I was looking at the Fiio e10k since it's at a good price point, but since I have never tried one of those before I don't know what difference it would make or how it would match with the amp and phones I already have. I have no experience and I can't really try it out before buying.

or if 3; I should just ignore all this stuff for now and save to get some other heaphones to try out.

3!

 

[Doodski]

@Mayonnaise Ghoul I have a ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI with the ALC4080 + Savitech SV3H712 headphone amp. I use the Sennheiser HD 598SR headphones that cost about CDN $250-$300 depending on sale prices. I replaced the motherboard sound with a Schiit Heresy headphone amp and a JDS Labs Atom DAC+. Upon listening to the new amp and DAC I could not find a difference in a non-blind test and without being able to switch instantly from the amp and DAC to the motherboard. The difference that is realized is that I have much more power to the headphones than with the motherboard. So... The best advice that has already been given and I am giving is to put your money into better headphones. The difference will be huge as you go up to about ~$600 and then the sound improvements start to get smaller. If you can get together a couple of hundred or even $300 you can get some really nice headphones and they will sound fantastic on your motherboard.

 

[Mayonnaise Ghoul]

Thank you all for the good wisdom!

 

[twsecrest]

Takstar HF 580 planar headphones, with Sendy Audio AVIA ear pads.
Great bang for the buck.

 

[BeerBear]

Would a DAC be a good investment?

No. A new DAC is rarely a good investment, unless you have a problem to fix or there's a specific feature that you need.
Otherwise, it's better save that money for better headphones or speakers or room treatment or something. They're going to make a much bigger difference.

And I tried both the HD681 and the SHP9500 that you mentioned. I apologize if this hurts your wallet, but... the SHPs are significantly better IMO, both in terms of sound quality and in terms of comfort (with even too little clamping force, frankly). But I imagine that with EQ the HD681s can sound fine (and the SHPs need EQ as well).

 

[tomtoo]

You're right, I didn't quite express myself right. The main doubts I have, going forward in the hobby, are 1; Is any part of my current setup a bad match or handicaping the rest? I don't know how exactly this specific amp affects the headphone output compared to say, running it straight from the motherboard.

2; Would a DAC be a good investment? I was looking at the Fiio e10k since it's at a good price point, but since I have never tried one of those before I don't know what difference it would make or how it would match with the amp and phones I already have. I have no experience and I can't really try it out before buying.

or if 3; I should just ignore all this stuff for now and save to get some other heaphones to try out.

The dac is the last place to search for improvement but the headphone outs of MB's often have not much juice. So a dac/headphoneamp combi could be a improvement if you miss power. If you eq the differences of headphones are not that big as long you compare open to open and closed to closed.

 

[Palladium]

For speakers, iLoud MM is fantastic for near field. I actually like it more than my 305Ps for desktop listening.