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
Thanks in advance :D
I'm not sure about the high resolution files though. I had though iPhones supported ALAC but I could be wrong. But my comment was really for the context of him using the e17 with an iPhone.
Your first link shows some nasty distortion in the 997Hz sine plot coming from the iphone. The ~26mW output power capacity for 33Ω is not enough to properly drive headphones (especially for bass). Compare that with the >200mW @ 32Ω output by the E17K. The 24bit support will provide significantly improved SNR, and the higher sample rate will add clarity and definition.
The moral of the story overall from my brief research into the two is that iphone not even close. To be fair though: this is something of an apples to steak comparison. I'm sure it does very well compared to a samsung smartphone or another similar device.
I'm not sure what distortion you are seeing, but the measured THD+N of 0.0054% seems to suggest that the distortion isn't that nasty. Again I do question audibility of differences at that those THD levels but that's besides the point. Yes I agree, having more power available is definitely a reason to get this device. I can't imagine trying to drive say HD800s from an iPhone that would be ridiculous.
Look at the output of the iphone of the 997Hz sinusoid picutre with the 15. Specifically the bottom of the negative swings. Do you see how it is squared off where it saturates the amplifier? That is called distortion. Just lowering the volume will remove that but that also decreases the output power capacity and that's where the FiiO amp will win every time.
I do see the squared off in that graph but I think that's misleading since it's driving a pure 15ohm load. Even the E17 is rated to drive loads above 16ohms. For most applications it'll be 30ohm or above for the load.
Don't get me wrong, I love the E17 and think it's a great device. Just not for replacing the audiopath of an iPhone 6. I have tried both before and from my own personal experience the iPhone 6 sounds clearer than the E17.
You've touched on the ever present and probably most important aspect of listening though. It all depends on the ear of the listener. Personally, I can hear a significant difference between 44/16 and (96|192)/24, and the detail that comes out with a better amplifier, so I'd choose the E17 out of the two. I am almost always in a quiet enough environment to appreciate it though. For your case if your iphone is sufficient go for it. There's nothing wrong with that, but others' tastes may differ. However, your original assertion was that iphone measures better (performs better electrically).
Sorry to keep beating on a dead horse, but I do enjoy discussions about the science behind the sound (specifically the electronics component of it).