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
Honestly $100 amps can already be very good, and chasing after subtle improvements beyond what can be achieved with simple designs and cheap integrated components starts to incur exponentially increased costs pretty quickly.
Personally I joined the drop because I think it's a chance to get a unique and thoughtfully designed boutique amp without the huge price premium that typically commands. I'm sure compromises have been made to hit the $250 price point, but hopefully those have been intelligently selected compromises, which I suspect is more than you can say about a lot of amps out there.
Of course, compatibility with other items in the sound chain, such as your speakers and headphones, and how well it can handle long term usage goes a long way to making you feel it has not only improved the sound quality but is of value because you love using it. That is kinda what its all about. DAC's are difficult because they are primarily digital items dependent on software/firmware/chipsets - so expect to change them out often until some standardization occurs - if ever. But amplifiers, man when a really really good amplifier arrives, rarely does it ever go out of fashion. Don't get me started on preamps :)