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IAmAgainst t1_itzvhnf wrote

I went from a Sound Blaster card to a fiio e10k and then an SMSL c200, the difference between the last two is quite small, but the jump from PC to the e10k was abysmal.

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-kerosene- t1_iu04rkz wrote

Do you mean really big?

B cause I’m thinking of getting a dirt cheap DAC/Amp like a Fiio K5 or an iBasso dongle.

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IAmAgainst t1_iu06vuu wrote

Yes, really big. And that was many years ago when I had a pair of €25 HD220, with better headphones it's probably more noticeable but I can't confirm that. I'd recommend you to get the one I have so you're set for good instead of getting a cheap one, discovering what a difference it makes and then getting a better one leaving the first one obsolete.

And another benefit of having a dac is getting a constant sound quality regardless of what device you use as a source. Maybe your PC produces a decent sound but your phone doesn't so you'll be stuck with the device that sounds good. Which btw is a good reason for not going with one that takes power from the USB like my previous e10k.

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szakee t1_iu0icsi wrote

a 200$ device is dirt cheap to you? :D

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Leather_Vegetable10 t1_iu0s82w wrote

weird, my daily drive is Sound Blaster g6 and I've checked fiio e10k and send it back to Amazon, there is practically zero difference

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IAmAgainst t1_iu0vvvj wrote

I don't remember what SB it was since we're talking of six or five years ago, but it wasn't high end. In any case, I'm never going back to a sound card no matter how good they sound since an external dac is always going to sound better and, most importantly, it's fixed inside the PC. You can take the dac to a couch, nightstand or wherever.

For a multiple channel speakers system used with the PC only then yes, a sound card is definitely more practical.

Edit: I just googled the G6 and saw it's a dac, I assumed it was a sound card, which is what I meant in my first comment.

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