Motherboard Audio vs Soundcard

[FedeArce3]

Hello everyone, just finished ordering the Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO 250Ohms and now i have a doubt...

I'm running a Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 7 motherboard that claims to have premium audio, built in amp and support for up to 600Omhs headphones, and on the other side i have a Asus Xonar DG , that supports up to 150Ohms..

Which one would be better to plug the DT990s? The mobo can power them better but maybe the Xonar has better audio quality

Sorry if this is a stupid question, i barely know anything about sound, Thanks!





From gigabyte's page : Specially designed for gamers, GIGABYTE motherboards utilize a high-capacity amplifier which is able to drive 600Ω loads, giving gamers a fuller range of dynamic sound with crisper details and less distortion when using high quality professional headphones.


Dedicated Audio Hardware Zone
+ Separation on the PCB layer protects the board's sensitive analog audio components.
+ Separate analog and digital ground to protect against Electromagnetic Interference (EMI).

Also, the connectors are gold plated , and they use high-end japanese Nichicon capacitors.

 

[Dunlop0078]

I'm sure they will work on your motherboard's sound card, if they get loud enough to blow your ears out they have enough power. Try both, worst that will happen on the xonar is the headphones wont get very loud. The xonar dg is only a 30 dollar sound card I wouldn't be too surprised if the built in sound on the gigabyte board was as good or better, it seems the amp is more powerful at least if it supports 600ohm headphones. To get the best out of nice studio headphones I would recommend an external DAC/AMP combo over the mobo's built in sound or an internal sound card.

 

[Mikestum]

I too was just about to inquire a similar thing. I have an old SoundBlaster 24bit. Would that be better than the integrated audio on my Asrock Z270 Killer SLI/ac?

 

[the nerd 389]

Those headphones are high-impedance models, so the only practical differences will be in terms of volume and noise. The Xonar can handle the headphones just fine, at least up to about 80% volume. Honestly, the motherboard will perform about the same.

If you find that the motherboard has trouble driving them (high noise, distortion, etc.), I suggest taking a look at the O2/ODAC combo from JDS Labs or Mayflower Electronics. The O2/ODAC is far better than you'll ever need, to be sure, but you'll never have any questions about whether or not it's holding your headphones back.

 

[Dunlop0078]

I too was just about to inquire a similar thing. I have an old SoundBlaster 24bit. Would that be better than the integrated audio on my Asrock Z270 Killer SLI/ac?

Do you know specifically what model? Lots of 24bit soudblaster cards.

 

[Mikestum]

this one. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102003

 

[Mikestum]

Also, if the audio is better via the sound card, how do I get my front panel connections to run through it?