A lot of the thinking around the external DAC / amp axiom comes down to two factors: there’s a lot of electromagnetic interference and sources of noise a PC enclosure, and switching power supplies introduce low levels of high-frequency noise into the DC they supply. So if you took the exact same DAC as what’s on your motherboard, moved it outside the box into a properly-shielded enclosure, and fed it with a linear power supply, you should get better results. But that obviously doesn’t hold if the DAC you’re using outside the box is lower-quality than what’s inside the box. Alternately, you may yet get better results if you build a little mumetal cage to place around the audio circuitry on your motherboard.
Or just look and go completely outside the box, pc in this case.
Make music go for u’r gear without it, maybe just for control.
Use the pc for something else like the normal stuff. porn, work or games.
Isolation from EMI/noise is actually less of an issue now. A ton of manufacturers now physically split the PCB for the audio stuff (controllers, resistors, capacitors, etc) from the rest of the motherboard.
Is it perfect? No, but it’s honestly as good as an ok external DAC
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DC-DC stepdown as done on modern mainboards has output ripple in the 10mV range (and emits very little EMI to meet EU regulations or FCC norms).
Please don’t do that.
It is very easy to short pins in that area, especially since PCIe power runs close to that edge.
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So for the sake of, “because I can” and I have the same motherboard as you. I decided to try the on board front output “amp” to see if it powers the: 6XX, Aeolus, and Auteur.
Does it work? Yes, but I had to use the Realtek HD audio manager to boost it.
6XX I could get to about 95% volume for comfortable listening.
Aeolus I’d prefer it to be a little louder, I have it maxed.
Auteur 90-95% was sufficient volume levels.
I’m not advocating for the on board, but in a pinch, it can power things. I also had the GSX 1000 at one point, in which I think my on board has actually had more power.
Wondering has anyone been making test’s of different motherboards (pc / laptop) loudness or volume amounts that they give? Even in general terms.
This is what i cannot get my mind around.
Are we all using our players differently or harder drive headphones?
Let’s say if i use spotify and HD6XX’s. Full volume on spotify player and i can maybe use like 25% volume (25 - 100) of laptops realtek 3.5mm plug. It’s damm loud already.
Same thing with Dell’s older PC. It gets like real fuuking loud very fast.
No fuking way can go to 95%, it’s like ear bleeding loud.
Often i think when reading the forums “are these people deaf…”
Like i also have a small FIIO amp that rarely used and will make it louder like 20x times the amount so. RIP hearing if that’s the way. How much “push” you need…?
Same with the Preamp’s in living rooms with 2 WRMS outputs. Baby step volumes in near very low end and maybe use like 20% .
How the hell you go 95% volume to be confortable!?
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Perhaps I worded it wrong. All I’m saying is I can get the volume level of the the PC to 95 with the 6XX. When it is at 100 it is a little too loud for my taste. I probably should not have used percent for volume.
Well does not change anything of that reply or my brain just ain’t translating it right.
That’s still what im asking and wondering…
How the heck near max can be comfortable 95 when to me 25 of volume is near tolerable?
Some even like to “push?” them more. Bet the drivers on 6XX would break with full volume, with the little FIIO for sure.
SO is ur pc output just totally fucked or just deaf? lol
can this “odd low volume output” be other computers properties also or the normal Error40 issues?
That’s why i mentioned spotify, full volume so anyone could test, what the pc’s output volume would be. For shit’s and giggles.
I don’t think so.
With how much manufacturers Copy/Paste board designs, it appears to be easy.
It is not easy at all: 10 big manufacturers have maybe 7 different SKUs per platform, so roughly 50 to 80 motherboards to test. Some of which will share the same Copy/Pasted implementation. Remains the problem to swap CPU, cooler, GPU, reinstall drivers for the specific mainboard, etc. and then to the listening again.
And when you are done doing all of that, you shelve your AMD CPU and do the same for Intel…
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I’ve sorta been doing that but mainly juts to make note if motherboard audio is improving or not and see if its clean for the client I build for.
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Even though the Realtek chip itself is the same, the components around it are not. Some manufacturers use the internal amp, some provide their own dedicated amp.
Tbh I never tried it because I can’t. I’m using Linux and it’s not an option I can mess with without having Realtek’s software. Perhaps it works that way, but I already plopped in the external amp, heh