DAC or Audio Interface?

[redalertomega]

Hi everyone!

I need some advice regarding DAC or Audio Interfaces.

This is my configuration:
- Alesis Elevate 5 monitors
- Sennheiser HD598 SE headphones
- Windows 7 PC
- TRS balanced cable (I can buy RCA if needed)

My HD598 are brand new and sealed, so I still have to try them. I read that they are very easy to drive, so I suppose I don't need an amp.


That said, what do you think is the best solution among these options?

Audio Interfaces:
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
M-Audio M-Track II Plus
Steinberg UR22
Tascam US-322

DAC/Amp:
Nuforce uDac3
Audioengine D1
SMSL M3
Music Fidelity V90-HPA

Thanks in advance.

 

[ssddx]

what is the purpose of the setup?

if you have an xlr microphone and this is a recording setup where live monitoring of your voice is very important then an audio interface is what you want. the 2i2 will probably be fine without an additional amp for the likes of the hd598 but for harder to drive cans one would push a headphone amp after it.

if you just want quality stereo audio and do not care about xlr microphones or live monitoring then a quality dac+amp may be what you want. the d1 is not bad although i would suggst the schiit modi uber and a schiit magni. why the uber? it has aux out for your studio monitors so you can output to headphone or monitors.

of course if you were gaming and wanted virtual surround sound neither of the above are ideal. razer virtual surround may work with them but a soundcard may be your best option in that case.

what works best for you depends on your purpose, needs and preferences which you have not listed..

 

[redalertomega]

Thanks a lot for your great response, ssddx. I really appreciate it.

My main purpose is to listen to good quality music through monitors or headphones (mainly progressive rock/metal). The second purpose is to play videogames.

But since HD598 are very easy to drive, I don't like the idea to have an headphone amp. I read in a couple of audiophile sites that a powerful amp (such Objective2) could cause bad distortion and noise on low impedance headphones. Is that right?

Apart from anything else, there is one thing that I cannot honestly understand:
why audio interfaces, that are build for professional studio recording, don't have an amp on the headphone output? Maybe because having an amp is just an emphasized trend?
Do an amp (compared to audio interface) really improve sound quality or does it just increase the volume?
Do I really need an amp, especially with HD598?!

Thanks again and sorry for my broken english. XD

 

[ssddx]

the d1 is an amplifier paired with a dac. the e10k is similar. units like the modi are dac only so would need an amplifier as dac output only low level.

the interfaces do have an amp built in but its not very strong. it should be plenty for the 598 though

since it sounds like you do not care about a microphone i would suggest a soundcard like the xonar dx. you get virtual surround and a decent dac. if you absolutely wanted to go the external route, then the d1 or e10k would be fine. there is no need to spend bigger money for the hd598

an interface would be more useful if you had a mic and were recording audio.

 

[redalertomega]

Independently of the purpose, which option produce the best sound quality?
I mean, audio interfaces are built for studio recording, how could someone improve that?

For example, is the audio quality of D1 better than Focusrite Scarlett? Not only for headphones, but also for monitor speakers.

 

[ssddx]

i do not have both so its hard to give a definite.

i would say that a dedicated dac/amplifier of similar price to the 2i2 such as the d1 would give better quality since higher quality components can be used. if you have two products of the same price and one has more components tucked into it there are bound to be cheaper components used to make up for it.

is the 2i2 bad? no. for the price it is a good cheap recording interface that does a good job. since you do not need an xlr interface i would just get either a soundcard or dac+amp instead. the audioengine d1 would work, a soundblaster z or xonar dx would work.

in any case you need to realize that you're only driving the hd598 which is not the most articulate and detailed of headphones. yes, a good source matters however if you want to start pushing more money into a source better headphones would be suggested.