Maximus IX Formula with Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80

[Paincake1]

A few questions for the audiophiles on the forums;
Will the "supremeFX" on my asus maximus IX formula drive a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80ohm headphones well? I've heard asus claims up to 600 ohms, but marketing will be marketing. There's also all the other specs which I understand very little of (sensitivity, mV at certain ohms etc..)

Is it still recommended to get a dac/amp, or has onboard audio gotten far enough for "low" impedance headphones?

Will the difference (if any) be audible for the untrained ear? Been using steelseries "gaming" headsets for the past 5 years (Siberia something, arctis 3 which is currently dying), but after stepping up to glorious 1440p 144hz gaming I can't help but want better audio as well.


I haven't been able to track down anything online about powering headphones from anything newer than a VII formula, and I believe onboard solutions have improved since then.

 

[jimmysmitty]

The specs I can find show its a decent audio. Still not as good as a dedicated sound card but it has a good DAC and includes a Texas Instruments RC4580 op-amp. It could probably drive your headphones.

 

[Paincake1]

The specs I can find show its a decent audio. Still not as good as a dedicated sound card but it has a good DAC and includes a Texas Instruments RC4580 op-amp. It could probably drive your headphones.

thanks for the answer.

By "not as good as a dedicated sound card", what do you mean? What will I be missing out on?

 

[jimmysmitty]

Most dedicated sound cards have higher dNr ratios, my SB-Z has a 120db dNr while this is 113db. As well my sound card does have a dedicated 600ohm headphone jack along with a normal audio out that I can switch between in the software. Its nice so I can plug my headphones into the soundcard and my speakers as well.

 

[Paincake1]

Most dedicated sound cards have higher dNr ratios, my SB-Z has a 120db dNr while this is 113db. As well my sound card does have a dedicated 600ohm headphone jack along with a normal audio out that I can switch between in the software. Its nice so I can plug my headphones into the soundcard and my speakers as well.

What audible difference could the 7db snr do? Lower max volume / distortion / flat sound?

I'm new to the headphone / hifi scene and would love an explanation

Forgot to add that i'm only using headphones and no speakers, so more connectivity isn't needed.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Most dedicated sound cards have higher dNr ratios, my SB-Z has a 120db dNr while this is 113db. As well my sound card does have a dedicated 600ohm headphone jack along with a normal audio out that I can switch between in the software. Its nice so I can plug my headphones into the soundcard and my speakers as well.

What audible difference could the 7db snr do? Lower max volume / distortion / flat sound?

I'm new to the headphone / hifi scene and would love an explanation

Forgot to add that i'm only using headphones and no speakers, so more connectivity isn't needed.

Cleaner audio especially at higher volumes and yes louder sound overall. I have used older crap onboard and maxing it and the speakers out was still poor and hard to really hear anything properly.

That said I have not used any of the modern onboard audio, even on my Asus Maximus Formula VI which has one of the best for its time. I have stuck with sound cards. And from what I have read if you are using headphones the current best is the Sound BlasterX AE-5 sound card.

However in the end you will have to be the judge. I would suggest you stick with the onboard for now and test it out. If you are satisfied with the performance then you wont have to waste any money. If you are not I would pick up the card I suggested above for the best experience with headphones.