# Sound card or Amplifier? (Z170 gaming pro)



## Honey (Feb 7, 2016)

hi,
I like music, im using supreme FX hardware on Asus motherboard z170 gaming pro,
Audio is fine,
But i have 4 12 inches diameter speakers attached with 15 years old amplifier with my pc,
Im thinking to change something to get nice and crystal clear music,
What should i buy?
Sound card for mobo or amplifier for those speakers?
If amplifier then which? Please suggest me,
Good and not much expensive.
I saw a amplifier cost 100$ company mame ahuja very nice brand in india,
Thanks.


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## RejZoR (Feb 7, 2016)

Audio is very "what"? Your message seems to be cut off at that point...


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## Honey (Feb 7, 2016)

RejZoR said:


> Audio is very "what"? Your message seems to be cut off at that point...


Fixed xD thanks


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## RejZoR (Feb 7, 2016)

Sound quality will only be as good as the input audio. New expensive amplifier won't magically make bad audio of higher quality. Besides, for $100, I think you may just as well stay with your existing amplifier. I don't think amps for such price are of any good, I mean, to make a significant upgrade to your existing setup.

As for soundcard, latest SupremeFX audio is pretty damn good, so that's fine as well.


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## Filip Georgievski (Feb 7, 2016)

First of all, we need tech details of your speakers to suggest an amp.
Your sound sistem should run as a quadronic.
Bare in mind that good amps dont come cheap. Denon, Pioneer, Technics, Yamo, Yamaha etc are all brand you should consider.
Next you shoud know that your amp MUST NOT OVERPOWER YOUR SPEAKERS.
So if your speakers are 100W each, an amp that has 4 x 70 - 80W support will run just fine.

Now about the sound card. I can recommend the XFI Blaster sound card, it is not cheap, but for clear sound it is f.....g awsome (a friend uses one for studio work). But now these days,  mobos have preety good sound cards on them, that you may not need one. Just a little fine tuning on the sound in your audio driver and you are good to go.


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## Niteblooded (Feb 7, 2016)

If you are only using PC speakers than I recommend staying with onboard audio.   Asus motherboards are a great choice for this.

Now if you had expensive headphones like Beyerdynamics, Sennheiser, HiFiMan, AKG, Grados, and others I'm too lazy to mention right now than I would recommend a standalone DAC/Amp.   Best combo in the $100ish (for each) range being the Schiit Magni (amp) and Schiit Modi (dac).

But for PC speakers if you are unhappy with your current sound you may want to consider a different set.   I've had more luck with 2.1 sets than 5.1 or above but of course YMMV.


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## Honey (Feb 7, 2016)

Filip Georgievski said:


> First of all, we need tech details of your speakers to suggest an amp.
> Your sound sistem should run as a quadronic.
> Bare in mind that good amps dont come cheap. Denon, Pioneer, Technics, Yamo, Yamaha etc are all brand you should consider.
> Next you shoud know that your amp MUST NOT OVERPOWER YOUR SPEAKERS.
> ...


actually my 10 years old amp is creating sound like zzzz, its not clear as it should, i thought i could buy which produce fine tuning, im not able and cant buy expensive one,
btw is sound king or ahuja or deltan good?
http://www.flipkart.com/ahuja-dpa-5..._7&query=audio+amplifier&otracker=from-search

http://www.flipkart.com/sound-king-..._3&query=audio+amplifier&otracker=from-search

http://www.flipkart.com/deltan-dx20..._2&query=audio+amplifier&otracker=from-search

?


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## Honey (Feb 7, 2016)

Niteblooded said:


> If you are only using PC speakers than I recommend staying with onboard audio.   Asus motherboards are a great choice for this.
> 
> Now if you had expensive headphones like Beyerdynamics, Sennheiser, HiFiMan, AKG, Grados, and others I'm too lazy to mention right now than I would recommend a standalone DAC/Amp.   Best combo in the $100ish (for each) range being the Schiit Magni (amp) and Schiit Modi (dac).
> 
> But for PC speakers if you are unhappy with your current sound you may want to consider a different set.   I've had more luck with 2.1 sets than 5.1 or above but of course YMMV.


thanks alot,
are these DAC amplifier which i mention earlier post?
sorry i have less knowledge about it,
can anybody suggest me  some amps from indian websites? budget 4-6k

edit and this one http://www.amazon.in/Sony-XMN502-Ch...73&sr=8-5&keywords=amplifier#customerReviews?


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## Niteblooded (Feb 7, 2016)

I'm sorry I just don't know those brands in post #7 and I'm not familiar with that particular Sony amp either.   I tried doing some searches in your Amazon and it doesn't seem like any of the stuff I would normally recommend is for sale there.   I still think your motherboard's onboard audio should work fine, but it also sounds like you have some pretty decently sized speakers so if they require a lot power to run than an amp is definitely preferred - might want to find the Ohm (‎Ω) rating.

Maybe a guide like this will help you decide what to look for when looking through the options you have available to you => Picking the Right Amp Guide

You can also try asking in the AVS forum since the speakers you are using may not be PC speakers so they may be better equipped to answer this question.   More people will be on in a few hours so perhaps someone else can chime in at this point.   I'm mostly a headphone guy so the amps and dacs I look at are geared for headphones.   And for PC speakers I really don't see a need for a stand alone amp.   If they are PC speakers and not home/theater speakers and you're not happy with the sound the motherboard is producing than I would consider a soundcard before a standalone amp.


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## Honey (Feb 8, 2016)

i order a Amp have 8ohms 300 watt, its not much expensive, if it would not worth then i would return it,
actually it would better than old amp, old amp is heavy but create bizzz sound,
do you think i should buy DAC too for attacthing leads from Amp to DAC ? or DAC is for headphones recomended? or BIG 12 inch speakers?


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## Niteblooded (Feb 11, 2016)

Well I hate to say it but if the amp you purchased is only rated for 8ohms than you should have stuck with onboard sound.   Only worth it to buy a separate amp if you have something that needs a lot of power to drive.   For example the headphones I listen to the most are 250ohms.   But I also have a 600ohm headphone.   If you are simply driving normal PC speakers you don't need a standalone amp.

Again, try onboard sound and if you don't like the sound you are getting than try a soundcard.   This will actually power your speakers better than your 8ohm amp and take up less desk space.


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## Honey (Feb 11, 2016)

I cancelled this actually, forgot to update,
I bought from local industry, in my state theres all factories big to small,
May be you heard, punjab, ludhiana.
This have 20hz - 20khz and 500 watt,
Im listening, actually heaven, really crisp and deep bass is awesome, i think we made great decision.


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## Niteblooded (Feb 12, 2016)

That is awesome! 

Good to hear you got the sound you want!  I love music and even though I listen to it all the time and many times the same songs over and over I can't get enough.  Great song quality makes songs sound unforgettable.


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## Honey (Feb 12, 2016)

really, really big difference. in heaven.. all favourite songs have new bass and lot of are Never heard before..


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## monim1 (Feb 28, 2016)

Why would someone buy a soundcard? There's a few reasons. A lot of people with sound cards they're from Asus. Well you probably just bought your motherboard from Asus and it's of great overclocking ability and it looks great and they have great advertising so you thought their sound card would be good. Also PCI-E is a nice way to keep it nice and clean and all what you have to do is route a cable to the back of your case and you're done. It's much better to grab a DAC over a sound card because it will (almost)always provide you better sound quality.


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