Do these sound good with Realtek HD Audio, or do I need a sound card with an amplified headphone jack to make these sound best?
1587156
They work well non the less, If you where to use Realtek HD audio then i suppose they would sound better. Basically if you get anything that would make your audio sound great without the RIG the audio will sound excellent with them.
1587157
Not sure I understand but I can tell you this:They are comfortable and to me the sound quality is the best I have ever had out of a set of gaming headphones.
2162330
You won't be getting the full potential of these headphones without an amp or a "boosting equalizer" (i.e. beats audio) This doesn't mean they still won't sound absolutely amazing. I still stand by my claims that these are the best head canons I've ever worn.
1562829
These cards are meant to be inserted into a desktop computer. Once installed run the software and then plug your headphones into the green jack. If you have Realtek open that up and set the Asus Sonar until you here sounds in the headphones.
505578
yes they will sound better with a dac/amp. though they run well off just about any source, nothing beats a dac/amp combo to bring out the best in a headphone. unamped you're getting 90+% of the headphone's capability. the dac/amp gets you closer 100%. the results aren't always mind blowing and noticeable though. I run my a900x through a schiit modi dac and schiit vali amp. what I notice most is the bass is tighter and more controlled. overall clarity is also improved. because of the clarity, the soundstage sounds more open. again not a huge difference, but if you're used to the sound signature, you'll notice it. yes they will sound better with a dac/amp. though they run well off just about any source, nothing beats a dac/amp combo to bring out the best in a headphone. unamped you're getting 90+% of the headphone's capability. the dac/amp gets you closer 100%. the results aren't always mind blowing and noticeable though. I run my a900x through a schiit modi dac and schiit vali amp. what I notice most is the bass is tighter and more controlled. overall clarity is also improved. because of the clarity, the soundstage sounds more open. again not a huge difference, but if you're used to the... » Read More yes they will sound better with a dac/amp. though they run well off just about any source, nothing beats a dac/amp combo to bring out the best in a headphone. unamped you're getting 90+% of the headphone's capability. the dac/amp gets you closer 100%. the results aren't always mind blowing and noticeable though. I run my a900x through a schiit modi dac and schiit vali amp. what I notice most is the bass is tighter and more controlled. overall clarity is also improved. because of the clarity, the soundstage sounds more open. again not a huge difference, but if you're used to the sound signature, you'll notice it. « Show Less
2239271
No these headphones works best with an amp. I actually have 4 different kind of amps for my 650.
63475
These will work with anything that outputs through a standard headphone jack. That being said, these headphones sound best when used with a decent amplifier. Using just a headphone jack will allow for sound in your ears but the mic will require a dedicated mic jack in addition to the headphone jack to use the microphone.
879218
There are several issues here. If this DAC is better than the one your computer uses to output analog audio (out front panel or rear panel), which is likely, your computer has a digital optical and/or coaxial audio output, which is also likely, you have really good headphones or better a good audio system (preamp/amp/speakers), and you are generating the digital audio signal from something better than a MP3 file (from CD or HD audio source), then yes it should sound better! Also, I note the DAC which I no longer own only supports PCM, so that means CD quality at best. Finally, I note the DAC does not have a signal gain adjustment which may be very import if you are just pugging in headphones as the signal may be too weak (I can't test that since I since as I said I no longer have the DAC).
939316
I can't speak for that specific DAC/Amp you are talking about, but yes a high quality Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and a dedicated headphone amp should sound better than your standard MacBook outputs for any headphones including the HD595's. I personally have a Universal Audio 2192 (DAC - $3000) that goes through a Central Station (Headphone Amp - $500) in my home recording studio which definitely clarifies the sound but that would probably be overkill for you!
212431
I disagree with Gabriel. I have these and use them primarily for video games and movies. They sound amazing. The extra bass makes a huge difference.
460055
That really depends. The newer Realtek chips are pretty good, the ALC1150 in particular. The ALC888 is also pretty decent. Virtually any other Realtek codec, on the other hand, won't sound as good as this.Bear in mind if you're using a surround headset that plugs in over USB, those decode audio in software on the PC, bypassing any sound card you may have connected. You'll only benefit from this card if you're plugging into the analog inputs on the card, as you would with something like Razer's Tiamat 7.1.
1134337
Hello mate, same story with the mac I'm afraid, I have a couple of macs too, may sound a tad bit better but does not power the drivers adequately. I run mine through an audio interface in my studio, Focusrite Saffire 40, this has headphone amps with volume controls and powers the just fine. If you really want to enjoy these headphones, you do need good headphone amps. I also use them to monitor sound into my Zoom H4N in which do have a small headphone amp on them
523576
I have not attempted to use headphones with this card i only use the coax output to my pre amp processor
1372178
Really depends on the sound device your computer has and what you hope to get out of an attached device. A decent sound card will give you as a good a DAC as the one in this device, so you could most likely "get away with" a less expensive headphone-amplifier only - there's really no reason to pay for the DAC component if you don't need it.
1136860
You bet---A basic headphone jack is all it is.Enjoy these speakers with anything that has a headphone jack.
579664
I use mainly 300 ohm Sennheiser HD 650. I DO run it through an EQ and a tube headphone amp (Little Dot), but they sound good with punch and bass straight from the iBasso, although the satisfying volume is absent.
802140
I bought them for my PC great sound and you can get it very loud. So I would say yes, the sound quality is great!
2239270
No While I'm sure they sounded better than other headphones you've heard, they weren't at even close to their full potential. These headphones require 300ohms to be properly powered, which you MBP won't do. I would highly suggest picking up a amp + DAC combo so you can power these cans to open up the soundstage and let the details of music shine through. If you're looking for a good pair to plug straight into your MBP, I would highly suggest checking out the HD-598's as they are low impedance and can easily be powered by the computers native sound card.