[thehighlander123]

my buddy wants to buy a sound card and headphones for his rig,

does he have to buy a card that has a headphone amp? (ie. stx and xfi forte)

or will any soundcard be able to drive headphones, i never had this problem since ive only ever had the Forte which has the dedicated headphone amp

 

[meticadpa]

Any soundcard will be able to drive headphones, but one with a dedicated headphone amp would be better if the headphones had a high-impedance.

 

[Lord Xeb]

Need for an AMP. First off, is he an audiophile?
Personally, if you really wants some kick ass sound. Have him grab an Asus Xonar DX and some AD700 headphones.

 

[beasty]

It depends how hard the headphones are to drive.

if they are large headphones then i would say ether get a sound card with a headphone amp or buy a small amp like the LDM+ other wise he wont be able to get that much volume