# Budget headphone amp for HyperX Cloud Alpa



## cucker tarlson (May 4, 2019)

I'm using alc1150 on my z97 board.Will buying a budget headphone make any difference ? I don't care about the mic at all.I'd like clear,dynamic base that packs a little punch at the same time.
Here are some options

https://www.x-kom.pl/p/320459-karta-dzwiekowa-creative-sound-blasterx-g1-usb.html
https://www.x-kom.pl/p/490482-karta-dzwiekowa-hyperx-amp-usb.html
https://www.x-kom.pl/p/70759-karta-dzwiekowa-asus-xonar-u3-usb.html
https://www.x-kom.pl/p/212375-karta-dzwiekowa-creative-sound-blaster-e1.html
https://www.x-kom.pl/p/259703-karta-dzwiekowa-audiotrak-maya-u5-usb.html
https://www.x-kom.pl/p/60471-karta-dzwiekowa-creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-surround-51-pro-usb.html


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## SoNic67 (May 4, 2019)

A dedicated DAC with headphone output would do more for audio quality.
But if all you want is more bass and the EQ controls in Windows are not enough you can try... different headphones. Some closed back models have accentuated bass.
You didn't say what cans do you have.

Personally I am using for gaming Sony MDR-100ABN


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## cucker tarlson (May 4, 2019)

hmmm,not a bad idea to increase the budget for headphones.I thought cloud aplha + basic headphone amp would do better,but I suppose alc1150 isn't terrible.

can alc1150 handle dt770pro ?


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## SoNic67 (May 4, 2019)

No, they are 250 ohm. The motherboard can drive only the regular 32 ohm headphones.

The ones below are 32 ohm when powered (16 ohn not powered), but they also work in Bluetooth high definition (AptX or LDAC):
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR100-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B06VW3W95J/
Specs: https://www.sony.com/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-100abn/specifications#features

And a AptX Bluetooth transmitter that I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Azio-Micro-Bluetooth-Adapter-BTD-V401/dp/B00JAZGSXY/

You can get it cheaper from eBay probably...


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## cucker tarlson (May 4, 2019)

says 600ohm with Built-in Rear Audio Amplifier 

http://www.gigabyte.pl/products/page/mb/ga-z97x-gaming_5rev_10#kf


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## SoNic67 (May 4, 2019)

Oh, didn't see that. Then it will definitely work. But they won't work for other things...
They have the 32 and 80 ohm versions too: https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B07H45HG23?th=1

BTW, the Sony ones have microphone too... if you like to yell at people when you play online games


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## cucker tarlson (May 4, 2019)

I've wanted headphones for quite some time,but didn't buy cause I know so little.
I want the 80ohm version anyway,I read some opinios and I think their characteristics suit me better.


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## silentbogo (May 4, 2019)

Your board has a built-in amp for rear output (kinda what AsRock did with front panel headphone amp). If it's NE5532 (and it is) - it should be able to drive even 300Ohm headphones no problem (GB claims up to 600Ohm). ALC1150 is good enough in terms of quality, so you shouldn't bother with dedicated DAC or amp. Just plug in your phones to the rear instead of front.


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## SoNic67 (May 5, 2019)

Yeah, the amp is not necessarily a choke point, but the power supply for it is. Feeding it from the 12V rail, after a little cleaning up (hopefully they have a linear stabilizer) you are left with 10V. Drop on final transistors another 1.4V... Remains 8.6V. That can drive indeed 600ohm at the limit... I would say struggling.
250 ohm would be probably better. 80 ohm is probably perfect...

https://diyaudioheaven.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/headphone-power-and-amplifiers.pdf


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## FordGT90Concept (May 5, 2019)

I've been using a Micca Origen+ for a long time now and I'm happy with it.  Mine came with a defective USB-microUSB cable though so I'm not using the one that came with it.  Because of cellphones, most people have a bunch of them laying around anyway.

If you do end up getting an Origen+ manually tell Windows 10 to use the USB Audio Class 2 driver instead of the one that they provide from VIA.  The update for Audio Class 2 I think broke VIA's driver so it's better all around to use the standard driver.


Main advantage of having a separate DAC/amp is that you have a physical knob to turn for volume.


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