Filo K3 DAC/amp with Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 80 ohm headphones?

[AMD64Blondie]

I'm using a pair of Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 80 ohm headphones, hooked up to a Creative Sound Blaster Z PCI-E soundcard.

Recently bought a Filo K3 USB DAC/amp to use with my headphones(this is only being used with my PC.)

Does the DAC still use the PCI-E soundcard's features?

The new K3 is arriving today. I'll update this post with my results.

Will I run into any issues with this new setup?

(In terms of over- or - under driving my headphones.)

 

[UsandThem]

The K3 will use itself for all the audio duties with your headphones plugged into it.

I'm not sure you'll notice much difference between it and your sound card (assuming you plug your headphones directly into it). Since you already ordered it, you can always use it and compare it to your Creative sound card and see if you can notice anything.

80 ohm headphones really aren't that demanding to drive as well, so that won't be an issue for either of your options. You probably should skip using the high gain setting on the K3 as that is designed to be used on much higher ohm headphones/devices, and that's the only "watch out" scenario that would possibly damage your headphones.

 

[AMD64Blondie]

Thanks for the advice.

Surprisingly, I do notice a big difference in high-res audio listening(24-bit,either 48,96 or 192 Khz FLAC).

The sound is a lot clearer with the USB DAC/amp hooked to my headphones,
versus having my headphones plugged into my Sound Blaster Z.

 

[UsandThem]

How it sounds to you is always the best comparison a person can do, so enjoy your new audio toy.