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 am still loving the amplifier. A beautiful, sweet, spacious, natural, musical, open sound with very nice bottom end punch and plenty of power.
I will say that the DAC is good but nothing special. Believe it or not, my favorite DAC under several hundred dollars is the $79 Hifime SABRE 9018 USB dongle DAC. I think it is not only a fantastic bargain but also a well-kept secret that is great sound period and punches way above its weight. The sound is more open, wide and holographic, and the bass is more vibrant and alive compared to the Grace.
Not knocking the built-in Grace DAC, it is fine and compares well to the Dragonfly, but I find myself always preferring the Hifime 9018 DAC after having listened to the amp with both.
I do think it is worth the additional $70 to have the Grace DAC built into the amp as a convenience, and it is a nice sounding DAC, just not outstanding like the Hifime.