Budget audio question: DAC or sound card upgrade?

[Roadsong66]

I will be moving into a small apartment in Chicago in a few months where I am certain that enjoying my music will be limited to headphones or at moderate volumes in front of my computer.

 

After doing my research I have settled on the Audioengine A2 for speakers, and Sennheiser HD555 for headphones (I will be listening to a lot of classical).

 

I have a budget of about $250 to complete my computer audio upgrade. Am I better off buying a DAC/headphone amp combo (such as a Fubar III) or simply purchasing a sound card that claims a 24-bit/192KHz sample rate?

 

Additional info:

* The computer is windows-based

* The computer will also be used for graphic design, gaming, and the occasional DVD movie.

* I haven't purchased the Sennheiser HD555 yet, so if you can suggest a good headphone for classical music in the $100 range, I welcome your input.

 

All advice and product suggestions greatly welcomed!

 

Cheers,

 

Patrick

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Patrick - I'd go with the external solution if I was in your situation. I'm not a fan of internal DACs / Soundcards. I am a fan of internal digital I/O cards like the Lynx but that's not what you're looking for here. I'm guessing you would connect your headphones directly to an internal card's analog output. Again, I'm not a fan of this, but whatever you like is totally cool with me.

 

[Mr.C]

I don't have much to base this on, but an external dac will likely have a 1/4 inch headphone jack, verses an 1/8 inch jack from an internal sound card. Personally, when something has a 1/4 inch jack, it seems to be saying "I'm meant for good headphones" verses the 1/8 inch jack that says "I don't care what you plug into me". Internal sound cards also seem built for being multi-purpose computer audio like hooking up 5.1 computer speakers or accepting whatever mic will fit in its 1/8 inch in, and other lower end applications, verses an external dac which only outputs to two places: the headphone jack, and the line outs.

 

[Roadsong66]

Thank you both for your input.

 

I think what I am getting from each of your comments is what I intuitively thought would be correct--get a DAC/headphone amp.

 

My goal is highest possible audio quality on a budget.

 

So, am I on the right track?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Your on the right track in my opinion :-)

 

[Al]

misunderstanding, at that!

 

Chris - you seem to drawer a distinction between an I/O and a soundcard...? Have i misunderstood?

 

I'm not disagreeing, you understand, i just need to learn.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Al - You are correct. I make the distinction but not everyone else does. To me a sound card is capable of producing analog sound that's audible. This it has a DAC on board. A Digital I/O is just a way to get digital audio in and out of a computer. I guess you could also call USB, FireWire, and Ethernet Digital I/O devices.

 

Who knows, maybe it's a distinction without a difference :-)

 

[Al]

"capable of producing analog sound that's audible", otherwise how could you hear anything? Or does it need to be used with some external device, before the amp?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Al - I suppose adding the term "audible" after "analog sound" is kind of redundant. The Lynx card only outputs a digital signal. This it must be connected to a DAC.

 

[Al]

So I'd have to spend £600 on the lynx then get a DAC before I could hear anything lol! I think I'll wait 'til my budget rises a little.

 

Anyway, thanks for the explanation chris, and apologies all for the detour!