# On-board Audio and Dedicated Soundcards: What is needed?



## Amy730 (Feb 21, 2016)

Hello everyone!

I've been lurking here for a few weeks and I've been learning so much reading the conversations. Some of you are very impressive with what you know. There was one thing that I could not understand that I was hoping to have answered or clarified. 

From what I've learned my motherboard, the Hero VII, has an on-board audio in the way of the supremefx 2014. I could not find any specifications on what type of quality this is, but after contacting customer support I was given this  blog post.



I can't quite understand it myself and was hoping someone could offer some insight regarding how it would compare against a dedicated sound-card and the needs of a headphone such as the  Oppo PM-3  or other headphones in the $250 - $400 range?


----------



## Niteblooded (Feb 21, 2016)

Well most of what is on that blog post is just marketing speak and self promotion of their software which you probably don't need.   The biggest thing to take note is that you have a soundcard built into the motherboard.   It is the biggest reason I went for the VIII Hero myself.   I personally think no one does onboard audio better than Asus.   Would you hear a difference between what you have now and a true dedicated soundcard?   Possibly depending on the gear you have and how sensitive your ears are.

The headphones you have only require 26ohm which is really low so any motherboard would provide enough juice to power them.   Your motherboard should be able to drive 600ohm headphones according to that link you provided so you have room to grow if you decide to go for a higher ohm set.

As for how good the sound quality is, you could try asking at HeadFi.org but I will warn you, replies over there can be hit or miss despite the high traffic.   I don't know how good the VII Hero is but I am satisfied with the VIII Hero's sound clarity.   I personally use a dedicated headphone amplifier for all my serious music needs.    Though I have not done a comparison I'm sure I would be satisfied with the VIII Hero's sound production.  But the VIII could also sound very different from the VII.   One could be weak on the mids while the other may not so I can't really help you there.   Perhaps someone with that board can chime in.   Outside of that, best I can say is if you are happy with the sound than don't worry much about it.   If it sounds flat or otherwise unimpressive to you than look into a soundcard solution.   If you really want to get serious than you can look into audiophile gear but make sure you have some money you can spare before you even start looking because its not a cheap hobby.   You will be looking in the $250-400 range for headphones and the cheapest amp/dac combo (schiit magni and modi) will set you back roughly $240.   Then the price increases very sharply from there.


edit:
Actually you have another option since those are portable headphones.   You could buy a Fiio portable amp/dac so you can boost them on the road too.   A Fiio will definitely drive those.


----------



## hat (Feb 25, 2016)

Sound cards today aren't all what they used to be. There hasn't been true hardware acceleration (that is, your actual sound processing happening on the card) since XP. You can still get better sound quality because a good sound card will have better DACs than what your onboard audio offers, but there's still really no processing going on in the card, only if you use some funky features the card might offer (like X-Fi Crystalizer).

The other reason you might want a sound card is for connectivity. Maybe you want to use optical audio but your onboard sound doesn't have it... you could get a card for that. If you're worried about sound quality, you're better off spending your money on some sort of external device... you can get external amplifiers and whatnot that'll do a better job. You can also easily wire your PC up to a home theater audio system, which'll beat the pants off any PC speaker setup, in many ways.


----------



## Kursah (Feb 25, 2016)

Ortho headphones like the Oppo PM-3's thrive on power, so a headphone amp or DAC/AMP combo would be the way to go. I owned a pair of PM-3's for a couple of weeks and enjoyed them...I was looking for a closed replacement for my HifiMan HE-400 that I had to get rid of due to needing more isolation.

I settled on the Massdrop AKG K553 Pro's... easy to drive, easy to tune with an EQ and sound damn good.

What folks fail to realize is that it's not the resistance that truly matters...but what it takes to power the driver. My JVC HA-DX3's have close to a 100-ohm rating but are far easier to drive than the 35-ohm HE-400's. Some of that comes down to different driver technologies being used as well... or a 25(ish)-ohm Denon D2000 are easy to drive unless you want full bodied bass then you better have a decent HP amp pushing 1,000mW. 

I've used dedicated sound cards, onboard, amps, DAC/AMPS and receivers. My best experience has been using digital out to a receiver (like my Denon AVR-1613) or a DAC/AMP that connects to your PC via USB and replaces your internal audio options.

The nice thing about the PM-3's is they are designed to be more portable as stated above...so you have options. Honestly I feel you should try what you already have and if you can audition headphones before buying, The PM-3's were comfy but only for a short time...I prefer over ear to on ear...and have big ears to begin with so fitment is a challenge. They weren't worth it to me...not detailed enough in the treble range compared to my HE-400's. The AKG 553 Pro's were far more enjoyable for me...but are larger cups and aren't meant to be as portable...though they are very lightweight.

That said the PM-3's are really good...and Ortho drivers have unmatched speed and separation that you won't find anywhere else. I know some users are content running headphones straight off a front port or onboard audio connection, and you might be as well...especially if you're no stranger to EQ tuning you open yourself up to not needing to tube roll or pick pricier sound tuned amps...you might be fine with a FiiO amp that runs off your PC's audio output and have a cheap and powerful setup. There are plenty of options...

TL;DR;

PM-3's are good, I preferred my AKG 553 Pro's in the end and try your current audio solution first, you might be content.


----------



## Beastie (Feb 25, 2016)

If you just want stereo I'd look at an asynchronous usb dac with a good headphone stage.

There are benefits to keeping audio outside the case, if you're looking to spend that much on headphones you should get something decent.


----------



## GamerGuy (Mar 1, 2016)

Some people argue that onboard or soundcard DAC's are good enough for audio up to 192kHz/24bit decoding, and using the appropriate audio player, one can play MP3's, FLAC, WAV....and whatever. There are certain audio formats, like DSD, that require a bit more in the audio hardware department. From what you'd posted, you can choose to go one of two routes:
1. Buy an amp, like the 99USD Schiit Magni 2, Vali 2, Valhalla 2 or Gustard H10 or JDS Labs Objective 2 (literally hundreds of choices), let your onboard audio decode the digital audio data into continuously variable voltage (analog) after which the amp, well, amplifies it.
2. Bypass the onboard audio and head straight to a DAC combo (a DAC with an amp section built-in, basically a single unit). Most audio 'purists' (not one of them) would bypass onboard audio/soundcard for an external DAC combo or stack (the term 'stack' is used when there's a dedicated DAC and separate amp, in other words, two separate units). I have an Oppo HA-1, it's an example of a DAC with built-in amp section. The Oppo has a preamp output which I'd connected my Focal XS Book speakers to, for those times I don't feel like using my cans. The Oppo HA-1 is on the left just below my table.





A shot of the HA-1 when I had it on my desk....






The Oppo PM3 is a pretty good planar and should benefit from being properly amped, though I suppose onboard should get loud enough since it was designed with portability in mind. A dynamic headphone alternative to the PM3 is a Philips Fidelio X2, been hearing many good things about it although there has been mention of some QC issue. The X2 has good treble energy, neutral'ish mids and good bass punch. You can also look into HiFiMan HE400S, but I do suggest that you try to audition them before handing over a wad of cash. Below is my Gustard X12 (dedicated DAC) + H10 (amp) stack....each can be bought separately, in case someone (like you) wants just the amp only.


----------

