I recently purchased a pair of Sony MDR-7506 Headphones, after using $10-$20 dollar headphones, and onboard (motherboard) audio for years and years.
I'm looking to make the jump into delicious audio, as the headphones alone have made a noticeable difference.
I begin to become confused, however, when it goes beyond just buying new headphones, and i don't currently know what i'm looking for in computer audio hardware.
If i am using headphones exclusively, and i like trebles and highs, but by no means dislike bass, what is a preferable configuration?
Do i use a DAC + AMP? Sound card? Sound card + amp? Can someone please break down the differences and potential advantages / disadvantages of this stuff?
It should also be noted, that after much consideration, i may prefer to focus on overall audio quality, rather than, say, video game-focused audio quality. These days, i listen to more music than play video games, so music currently has preference.
Sorry if this is a vague or frequent request. Researching audio can feel like researching camera equipment. There's just so much to chew, and i would like to "get it right" the first time, if i can.
If anyone has any specific hardware, please feel free to post it, and it would be a favor if you can break down why you're posting it.
This is all a tall order to ask strangers to do, but i won't be unappreciative, for what it's worth!
TL;DR Version : Looking for computer hardware to go with MDR 7506. Don't know if should use Sound Card, DAC+AMP combo, Sound Card + AMP, etc. Looking for music centric hardware suggestions. Please explain as if talking to 7 year old.