[SOLVED] Realtek ALC1200 vs Fiio Olympus 2 E10k

[Ashik549]

From what I've heard, Realtek ALC1200 has a really good sounding DAC. But many people says external DAC/AMP gives the best audio quality.
In my country, I have only Fiio DAC/AMPs or other budget options to choose from. So if I already have ALC1200 in my motherboard, will getting a Fiio Olympus help me to get better sounds during gaming and listening music? Or ALC1200 will give me similar sound quality?
I am also considering how much improvement will a Sound Blaster Zx will give.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

But many people says external DAC/AMP gives the best audio quality.

This is true but onboard audio is pretty good and you need headphones or speakers of a certain quality level to be able to tell the difference. Audiophile sound cards are also quite good although I'd recommend Asus or the new EVGA card over a Soundblaster. Creative's drivers are terrible.

What headphones or speakers are you using this with?

 

[Ashik549]

This is true but onboard audio is pretty good and you need headphones or speakers of a certain quality level to be able to tell the difference. Audiophile sound cards are also quite good although I'd recommend Asus or the new EVGA card over a Soundblaster. Creative's drivers are terrible.

What headphones or speakers are you using this with?

I'm planning to buy Audio Technica headphones (M30x, m40x or m50x) and for speakers I might choose one of these (Microlab FC362, Altec Lancing Octane 7 or Razer Leviathan) depending on my final budget.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

I'd stick with onboard for any of that unless you need something portable. Even then the ATH headphones are easy to drive. Personally I don't like the M50X at all. The M40X is quite a bit better.

Most of the sound quality comes from the headphone. A few percent is the amp and an even smaller percent is the DAC.