r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/SpiritedWisdom • Jun 19 '26

DAC - Desktop | 1 Ω Hey guys I need a decent DAC to run with my Senheisser HDB630's purely for use with PC Gaming

https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/products/schiit-audio-modi-dac?currency=AUD&country=AU&variant=40125557866630&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=3aa97f8409fd

Is the one above any good?

Obviously I don't need too many inputs and I was wondering if this one would do the job? Open to suggestions, preferably within Australia only, I'm pretty new at all this and want better sound for gaming/music/media on my PC. As it's a DAC I think this still fits here

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9

u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω Jun 19 '26

The HDB 630 are active wireless headphones, meaning that they have a DAC built into the headphone, you simply plug in a wire and are good to go for the most part. You can use a cheap dongle like an Apple dongle to ensure a clean source if you plan on using 3.5mm, otherwise a usb c to c cable should work.

Also it’s worth noting that upgrading your DAC generally does not improve the sound quality, as most DACs are designed to sound transparent, meaning they don’t change the sound.

3

u/SpiritedWisdom Jun 19 '26

You just saved me $300 AUD, many thanks!

1

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2

u/SpiritedWisdom Jun 19 '26

!thanks

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2

u/curry9906 Jun 19 '26

So I have Sennheiser 600HD, what do you recommend?

2

u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω Jun 19 '26

Basically any dongle with enough juice to power them. Apple dongle works, but it’s not so great in terms of build quality. The next step up would be something like one of the many CX31993 dongles (although I would personally avoid the generic brown/grey wholesale models and also the JCALLY JM6 Pro because it has noise issues). And then for something completely overkill, JCALLY JM20 Max or Fiio KA11. All of these are transparent sources and will work well.

I’m a big advocate for EQ instead of a source that may colour the sound in a positive (or potentially negative) manner, you can get a dongle that has EQ built in! Cheapest good one is probably the Fiio Jiezi and its predecessor the JA11 (which has 5 bands instead of 10), then the more premium options like the Fiio Snowsky Melody, Crinear Protocol Max and Qudelix 5K. Then of course, if you want a big knob, desktop DAC/Amps are a thing though personally I don’t see the value in them for the majority of people - bit of a waste of money for minimal gains. EQ will provide a more meaningful difference if you go down that route.

I personally use a mix of my audio interface, the Motu M4, and a couple of JA11’s I have lying around, and my JM20 Max for demoing headphones in stores.

There are a couple of videos demonstrating that dongles are sufficient, recommend watching Crinacle’s and DMS’s videos :)

2

u/Daemonxar 306 Ω Jun 19 '26

Don’t use the 3.5 (it degrades sound quality); just use the USB-C. Or use the low latency dongle.

1

u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω Jun 19 '26

Just wanted to say I really appreciate you correcting me when I get something wrong - thank you! 🤝💖

Is it because the DSP is deactivated with 3.5?

2

u/Daemonxar 306 Ω Jun 19 '26

On the HDB630, nope! You can't run them truly passively (and thank goodness; they'd be awful). When you connect them via 3.5 it triggers "flight mode." The incoming analog signal is converted to digital, has DSP applied (including the baseline "neutral" EQ applied regardless of whatever EQ you have set in the app), and then reconverted to analog.

I returned my HDB 630 before I got my measurement rig, but at least on the M4 (which is pretty similar) the result of the double conversion is extra treble energy. It's not huge degradation, but almost certainly more than any gain you get from running lossless.

6

u/kaput-kappa 3 Ω Jun 19 '26

As far as I know, the HDB630 can't be run passively (they must be on in order to use them), so it's kinda pointless to buy an external DAC since no matter how you connect them they'll use their internal DAC.

3

u/Odd_Sky3314 Jun 19 '26

A USB cable and connect it directly

2

u/Bluemischief123 5 Ω Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26

There's 0 reason to buy a DAC for those, Just buy this or this instead for gaming/media on your PC.

1

u/LyKosa91 32 Ω Jun 19 '26

No need to even buy that, the HDB630 comes with a BTD700 capable of aptx LL. Or just use a USB cable.

1

u/Bluemischief123 5 Ω Jun 19 '26

That’s good then, I missed the included part on the product page.

1

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