AKG K7xx with Asus xonar DG

[JayWu]

Hi,

I recently ordered a AKG K7XX from massdrop.

I've been seeing people saying that k7xx need an amp/dac to drive.

I have a xonar dg soundcard on my pc and wondering if this card could drive k7xx?

I will be using this headset mainly for gaming.

OR a better question to ask, does k7xx completely unusable without an amp/dac??

 

[Deleted member 217926]

The K7XX is fairly hard to drive from what I understand but your DG has a built in headphone amp. It's not very powerful but it should allow the K7XXs to get plenty loud especially while gaming. If it doesn't then you can start thinking about other options.

 

[JayWu]

The K7XX is fairly hard to drive from what I understand but your DG has a built in headphone amp. It's not very powerful but it should allow the K7XXs to get plenty loud especially while gaming. If it doesn't then you can start thinking about other options.

Thank you for your reply.
I got 3 option in my soundcard driver menu
<32 ohm, 32~64ohms, >64ohms.
it the >64ohms powerful enough to drive? does it make a huge different compare with an amp>

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Yes you want the highest setting which is greater than 64ohms.

A good amp paired with good headphones 'can' increase sound quality. I say 'can' because everyone hears differently and audio quality is subjective. This is WAY more important when listening to music vs gaming.

 

[JayWu]

Yes you want the highest setting which is greater than 64ohms.

A good amp paired with good headphones 'can' increase sound quality. I say 'can' because everyone hears differently and audio quality is subjective. This is WAY more important when listening to music vs gaming.

So what should i be hearing to know if I need an amp to power (or to know my soundcard >64ohms isnt power enough to drive)

 

[Deleted member 217926]

If the soundcard isn't powerful enough they won't get loud. If they get plenty loud you're good.

 

[JayWu]

If the soundcard isn't powerful enough they won't get loud. If they get plenty loud you're good.

Got it. What about Sennheiser hd598, does it need amp as much as k7xx?

 

[Deleted member 217926]

The HD 598 is easier to drive. I haven't heard the K7XX but I own HD 598s. I'd generally consider the K7XX a little higher end than the 598. The 598s are very good though. I still use mine for gaming. I'm thinking about getting the AKG K712 Pro next though so that may change.