How good is the Soundblaster Recon3Di card?

Hello.

I just purchased a pair of Sennheiser 558 headphones. I'd like to know if I should now invest in a dedicated headphone amplifier, or if the Recon3Di that is in my Alienware M17X R4 will be good enough to where I won't notice a difference.

Is it worth getting the dedicated amp? I know the amp I'm looking at will sound great, I'm just wondering if the Recon3Di card is just as good.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks,

Fluent

 

It's ok but you can hear faint noise when there is a gap between songs. Headphone amp will just amplify the noise, you would be better off with a DAC. On the sound output level front you should be fine. I am using Sennheiser HD25 1-II (Adidas edition, just different colour, the same specs), which are 70 Ohm, 558 are 50 Ohm, meaning they are easier to drive. I never need anywhere near max volume to get comfortable sound level. I do use DAC most of the time though, which improves audio quality, reduces noise levels etc. With my DAC I loose all the Recon3Di customisations (colouring the sound) and only have basic Bass, Treble and gain adjustments on the dac itself, other DAC might have eq and more control over sound.

 

From Soundblaster website
600 Ohm Dedicated Headphone Amplifier
Supports studio quality headphones and headsets of up to 600 ohm impedance.

 

Where did you copy that from? It sound completely wrong for what the onboard audio actually is in Alienware M17x R4.