Audiophiles/Gearheads advice please...

I ordered the Audigy external card with my Sager 9262 from Xoticpc back in late December. It didn't come with the laptop when I got it, and when I called and asked about it they told me that the card had been recalled due to problems and that I could either get a refund for the amount it cost me or I could wait until it was back in stock. Now that it's mid march I think I may as well get a refund since I have heard nothing from them about it. Anyway, I was planning on using the Audigy as a DAC for my headphone setup as I believed it to be superior to the internal sound card ( Built-in 8ch Azalia Sound System ) and for the fact that it's external and less prone to interference from surrounding components. Right now my setup is as follows: Sager 9262 digital out => Yamaha HTR 5940 amp/receiver digital input => Heed Canamp => AKG K701. The question is - am I losing anything here while I'm using my receiver as a DAC? Would I gain anything using an external soundcard / standalone DAC, or is the DAC in my Yamaha good enough? I have very perceptive listening ability but also believe in the placebo effect - I don't want to spend money on something that I couldn't pick out in a blindfolded test.

 

It depends on the unit, but you pay for the higher quality.

Look at the EMU, Echo and RME lines and compare your price range with the specs you're looking for.

IMO you're unlikely to notice a difference compared to your AMP, but you might. Really the best way to tell is to take an audio sample to somewhere that will let you test them on your cans; because that's what matters and theoretical differences may be lost due to the interface.