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DonV
67
Sep 30, 2017
"Semi-Open" design - do I assume this means I can't wear them on an airplane and not annoy the people sitting around me???
CamperIV
358
Sep 30, 2017
DonVYeah pretty much, they don't leak THAT much but it's still audible for people in your close proximity. Also I don't know how do you plan on powering a 600ohm headphones on an airplane but okay... :D
JeremyB796
43
Sep 30, 2017
CamperIVSuitcase nuclear generators. Just wrap them in foil first.
Ivaylo
12
Sep 30, 2017
DonVDefinately NO! The alow a lot of the outside noise to intrude. Not as much as fully open design but still .... a lot. Secondly you will not be able to power them on the plane. 600ohm requires quality amp to drive them. If you do not have a quality DAC and Amp do not bother with these as you will not able to reach their potential. It will be like owning a Ferrari and living in the savanah where there are no asphalt roads..
DonV
67
Sep 30, 2017
DonVThanks everyone. And I have a FiiO Kunlun for on the go.
Lamcham
4
Oct 1, 2017
IvayloI'm new to high end headphones. Why would a DAC be necessary in addition to an amp?
Ivaylo
12
Oct 1, 2017
LamchamWell with digital audio you need to convert the binary 1s and 0s to analog waves of electricity which drive the speakers / drivers of you headphones. This conversion is acomplised by a DAC - digital to analog converter. Having a dedicated DAC is much better than having a built in one. The quality of the dac has huge effect on audio quality.
thegammaray
15
Oct 1, 2017
LamchamA dedicated DAC is often unnecessary. You might notice an improvement in quality, or you might not; it depends on the quality of your built-in DAC, and those vary widely by product. If in doubt, just buy the amp first and then see how it sounds. If you're dissatisfied with the quality of the digital-to-analog conversion, then add a DAC; otherwise, you've saved yourself the money.
Ivaylo
12
Oct 3, 2017
thegammarayIt depends on the headphones and on the listener. If you you apple pods headphones there is no need to go balls out and get a dedicated DAC. If you think that beats by Dre sound amazing you would also not need a DAC. However if you value audio quality you buy high impedance headphones abd they crave amping and proper dac. You cold drive your Porsche on chinese tyres and still enjoy it but if you want to push hard and extract the maximum performace you need quality rubber.... its the same with the DAC and amp. You do not nned them but should want them :)
DonV
67
Oct 3, 2017
thegammarayBased on the number of DACs that sell here you're going to have a hard time convincing people of this fact. Virtually every high-end phone made in the last 3 or 4 years (the audio source for the majority of folks DAC shopping here) has had a VERY capable DAC. This is particularly relevant given that the audio format the majority use on those devices is MP3. As the saying goes - "You can't polish a turd."
I bought a FiiO DAC/AMP for use with my Samsung Galaxy. There was no improvement in the sound - it merely needed an amp to drive the cans I was using. Live and learn.
You can't convince people not to spend too much money on audio gear :)
IvayloYou don't need a DAC with a portable device with a jack for IEMs, the output is analog. There's nothing that needs converting. You need an amplifier, however. You only need a DAC for outputs from a computer USB, or other digital out. Optical out is still going to need run through a DAC before amping.
Ivaylo
12
Oct 4, 2017
TiffanyPoodleslideMate its not what you need its what you want when chasing maximum quality available for taking. If your fancy smartfone has a quad dac and amp and you like the performace you are a happy man. My samsung s8 plus can not drive properly my Beyerdynamic DT 990 32 ohm. It does not have the amp power and the 32 bit dac which is supossed to be great is shit. My Arcam ir dac is 24 bit and sounds uncomparably better. To me if you have bought a 600ohm semiopen headphones to take ot the go with you, you are a very strange person. Secondly the mp3 is not the issue. The issue is that the mp3s are often ripped poorly from a sourse and are of a lower bitrate in order to improve compression and reduce file size. Meaning that you are not even using the maximum that the format has to offer. Flac or other lossless files are usually ripped better as with lossless the files are bigger anyway so you might just as well have proper quality.
Lamcham
4
Oct 5, 2017
IvayloI may not know shit about DACs, but I know a thing or two about AMPs and electonics in general. And if your S8 can't power your 32 Ohm cans then you should get it replaced because the battery's fucking dead. You might just be an elitist, but you have 32 Ohm DT 990s, so probably not. If you're going to use a DAC and Amp, and claim to want the "maximum quality available", which is terribly improper grammar, use high impedance headphones. If it's "not that big of a deal", or "doesn't make that big of a difference" then don't claim to want the "maximum quality available". Also, if something is "uncomparable" to something else, then it cannot also be better than it. They cannot be compared if it's incomparable. Saying MP3s aren't the issue, and then ripping on MP3s makes no sense. Just say the issue is MP3s poor quality or some other shit and then talk about how much FLAC you can fit in your ass like you did. I hope you learned English as a second language, because that would be just about the only thing, less mental illness, that could excuse how someone with the spare change for DT 990s could have such a horrid sense of English.
Lamchamyou are doing better than I am. I couldn't decipher ANY of it.



(to be fair, I think he may not speak English. He clearly did not understand what I was saying about mobile devices not needing a DAC because the output is already analog and does not require converting....to..analog. never mind. It's probably wasted on him.)
Ivaylo
12
Oct 5, 2017
LamchamYeah ....english is not my first language. Nevertheless the S8+ does not have enough amp power to drive the dt 990 32ohm with sufficent volume for me to enjoy them. The headphones are with "open" design and a lot of the sound leaks. For example the Nuforce usb udac 3 that is sold here (80 usd i think) is miles better as a DAC and Amp compared to my phone. Given your amp knowledge this should not surprise you.
I got the 32 ohm as a part of a portable setup with a portable usb powered amp and DAC. I use it when I am out of town at the villa. I have a DT990 600 ohm as well for my main setup at home but thats driven by an Arcam IR dac 2 and a tube amp utilizing phillips e288c tubes.
I have listened to mp3s, Flacs, Dsd256 etc. I am not a big fan of mp3s. I was simply pointing out that there is a variation of quality between mp3s. The same is true for Flac. I have flac files that sound worse than mp3 320k. Now this is an exception not the norm. I mostly use flac files because they work best with my software audio player. DSD256 are huge files and are not for me...
Lamcham
4
Oct 9, 2017
IvayloI understand that English is not your first language, and much of the issues I, and others, have with your comments root from that and are easily excused by it at the same time. The rest of my, and I believe their, issues with your statements lie in the fact that you obviously have no fucking clue what you're talking about beyond the definition of amp, DAC, and the names of your gear. I have a pair of full open backed Audio Technikas with an impedance of 32Ohms and my iPhone 6, which has a much lower output than any mainstream android in recent years, can drive them at sub 50% volume to satisfaction. The difference in quality is minimal when compared to my home setup, but these headphones aren't the best in general. My point in this isn't that my old phone is amazing and great for audiophiles, but that a 32 ohm set of headphones can be run off the the radiation from an easy-bake oven. You wouldn't in a million fucking years need an amp for 32 ohm cans. When I run my 32 ohm ATs without my amp I have to turn down everything on my PC or risk going deaf.
DonV
67
Oct 9, 2017
LamchamTo be fair - I did like running my 38Ohm A-T ATH-M50x's with an amp when plugged into my Galaxy S4. While I didn't really need it for added volume, it seemed to remove the "compressed" feeling at higher volumes, and tighten up the bass / open up the top. So as you say, it's not a requirement - but that's not to say it has no potential benefit. It's dependent on your source.
Ivaylo
12
Oct 9, 2017
LamchamUnlike you I will not judge you or insult you because I think you do not understand something. I have given you my oppinion. I have told you what gear I use and how I like to use it. I will not comment on your combo that you use i.e iphone 6 plus Audio Technika because I have not heard them. Usually a good phone (my LG V10 ) could drive even 80 ohms headphones fairly well. I have told you that samsung s8 plus does a bad job with Dt 990 especially with classical music. You have a right to disagree .... the amusing thing is that you have endorsed a couple of my other comments in the audiophile section of massdrop.
Lamcham
4
Oct 12, 2017
IvayloI endorsed one of your comments in this thread for explaining DACs to me. Non of your opinions were involved. No very amusing at all, considering we've been discussing amps and impedance rather than whether or not a phone can properly convert digital audio to analog.
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