Do I need a DAC for Sennheiser HD 560S headphones?

[Sinister80s]

Hey, I am currently looking to buy some new headphones to replace my cheap and old Astro A10s. I wanted something that was a big upgrade and would work well with music and gaming. I found the Sennheiser HD 560S suited my needs and had good reviews for it's price. I was wondering if they would be fine plugged straight into my Asus B550-F motherboard or I should get a cheap AMP/DAC (like the FiiO E10K).

[UserNotFound]

No harm trying it on your mobo first, let's see how you feel about the sound....does it get loud enough? Most mobos, especially newer ones, have pretty decent amp/dac built into them, whether they're good enough depends entirely on the listener. At 120Ohm, a decent mobo audio system should be good enough....try it on your mobo first and see how you feel.

[76561198343548661]

it uses a plug to connect , so i see no reason for any DAC

[Sinister80s]

Origineel geplaatst door littlecat20160:

it uses a jack to connect , so i see no reason for any DAC

Audio quality

[76561198343548661]

the sound card could be something more than just a sound

[_I_]

they are 120ohm
will need a higher voltage amplifier to sound good (or louder)
normal headphone are 16-20ohm and work good with 5v signal

16ohm 1w = 4v (4v / 16ohm = .25a x 4v =1w)
120ohm 1w = 11v (11v / 120ohm = ~.1a x 11v = ~1w)

5v 120ohm = .04a x 5v = 0.2w

[Talby]

What are your music sources? If they are not 320k+mp3 or FLAC then a cheap usb sound card like the Sound Blaster Play! 3[www.amazon.com] (up to 300 ohm) would work just as well - not to mention a killer deal under $20 at that sale price...