2. pc-audio
  3. 1366250703

What should I upgrade?

I am in a generally noisy environment, so I tend to stick to headphones, I'm currently setup with my ASUS Xonar Essence STX PCIe Card (TI Burr-Brown PCM1792A DAC 24/192 W/Stock Op-Amps), a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones (I think might be the weak part here, they're old as well)

My non headphone setup is the ASUS Xonar card, a pair of Polk TSi 100 Bookshelf speakers, Yamaha RX-V365 Reciever for analog amplification, also of note is that I have primary audio reflection points insulated with foam.

I'm on a budget but willing to save, what component would I need to upgrade, or add, to get the most bang for my hard earned buck? My target audio file is 24/192 FLAC/WAV when I can find them.
zunaro

Showing 1 response by sturgl

sturgl
24 posts
 
04-18-13: Swampwalker
"If your primary mode of listening is headphones, I would upgrade them AND get a stand along headphone amp."

+1

I own a set of Senn HD595s because of their versatility: they're easy to drive, and sound pretty good. Driving them off of the Xonar Essence wouldn't be a problem. Given your noisy listening environment though, you might want to consider "closed" cans rather than "open" ones. That may well mean a headphone amp. Maybe look at something like the Beyerdynamic DT770. The iBasso D7 or similar would give you a headphone amp w/built-in 24/192 DAC for about $180. A set of used Beyers for maybe $150, and you'd have yourself a significantly upgraded headphone rig.
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