I'm looking to get a bit more je ne sais quoi out of my headphones (Technics RP-DJ1200s) running direct from my motherboard, and have just made the *huge* investment in a FiiO E3 headphone amp (hasn't arrived yet). I'm obviously not looking at audiophile solutions Anyone got an E3 or E5 running from their motherboard audio? Any improvement in level/clarity? I used to run my headphones from a Delta-66 card in my old PC to a vintage NAD 7125 amp/receiver, which was wonderful, but I'm trying to downsize the amount of crap stacked up around my workspace
Once again I'm the only one participating my own threads... I got an E3 today, and for the AUD$12.99 (delivered), I'm happy. I've only tried it straight out of my motherboard into the E3 then into my old Technics RP-DJ1200s headphones. I now have my PC volume at about 60%, instead of 100% (and always wanting a little bit more). Hiss is noticeably louder at low volumes, but that's not really a problem since I generally only use headphones when I'm totally wasted and all I care about is volume. If your motherboard volume isn't loud enough, this will fix it.