What would be a good portable Dac/Amp to use with my HD6xx and Sony Xperia 1 V cell phone?
I am new to this hobby. I purchased a HD6XX and plan to use it with my Sony Xperia 1 V cell phone, that has a 3.5mm jack. I was wondering if I needed a portable dac/amp or just a portable amp and if so what would one recommend? Any assistance one could provide, would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Haz
Mar 7, 2024
I have a pair of DT 770 Pro's that look cheap as shit too. They get the job done. My HD600's are plastic all over as well. What are the concerns with plastic? My old ATH-M50s were plastic. None of my shit breaks. I always upgrade/replace and then maybe sell before anything of mine breaks. I'm also a very responsible consumer.
If anything bothers me, it is purely: fit on my head, discomfort around the ears, discomfort from shallow earpads, faux leather (pleather) earpads that makes my ears sweat, or a headband that decimates your skull (like the Q701). None of these are issues for me with regards to the K7XX. My old ATH-M50s were the worst headphones I've ever owned comfort wise. Awful. 0/10 experience with them.
If I sound irritated in this post it's cuz I have a headache and the clock reads 3:35 am.
If I could change anything about the design of the AKG line, I really dislike the self adjusting headbands. I much prefer the little manual steps in increments I can set myself as my right ear is slightly lower than my left ear and protrudes slightly more as well. Keeping the headband dead center on my head is the hardest part of putting on and wearing any AKG headphone.
Having OCD related to comfort is also unfortunate. I can take off and put on my glasses 15 or more times in a row if it doesn't feel just right. I can put on headphones endlessly. I HATED those ATH-M50s... If I try to put your product on my head comfortably for 45 minutes straight and cannot feel a satisfying enough sense of comfort.... your product isn't for me.
I can put on my DT-990 Premium/Edition 600 ohm a single time and they're just perfect. Comfortable as can be. Same goes for my HD600's. The K7XX takes me give or take 1-10 tries every time. Really it's hit or miss with the headband being centered properly. If it's on even, I don't have gaps and have a superb seal. If the headband is off-center, there are gaps and the seal drives me insane... thus I make another attempt to put them on properly. Note: just to be clear I'm not wearing my glasses while wearing any of the aforementioned headphones.
All I can really say for me at least is having a buzz cut (especially around the ears) helps me in terms of comfort. Oily, matted down "headphone hair" makes it worse. Fresh out of the shower, clean hair is the easiest for me to put on headphones with and have it feel "acceptable". As the day progresses, I become more picky as my hair gets more and more matted down and oily. Lol. When I go with a #1 (on the clippers), life is easier. Too bad it's winter and too cold for comfort. I'm probably sporting a #4 atm and it can be maddening.
If you don't need 'surround' sound and great directional cues, I could recommend at least trying an IEM. I can wear my Westone W40's for over 5 hours and never think twice about them being in. I can even wear my glasses with them and not be bothered (above the usual level; no extra). There might be cheaper, but equally satisfying options. The W40's are the first and only pair I've tried.
Can't win them all I suppose. I got lucky tbh that the first pair of IEM's I bought work just fine for me. Especially in such a high price range. Research paid off I suppose. I wonder if because I had ear tubes as an infant, my ear canal allows for a very similar seal in both ears with the same ear tips? Idk if that's too farfetched.