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 seen other orthodynamic headphones where they put metal frame or plate to keep the magnets in place and properly aligned.
Essentially, that is the only thing keeping me from buying this one.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he-400i-impressions-and-discussion.698974/page-704
As far as longevity goes, maybe that is some kind of super-duper glue that will outlast the owners. But I just don't like the idea of glue keeping magnets in place.
Although, price is relatively low, so it might be acceptable for some. Same thing in $400 phones is just silly.
A $100 guitar is garbage because it's plywood. Too much glue. A $8000 guitar is amazing despite the 13 layer laminated neck, the top and back laminates, and the fact that the body is made of 5 pieces of wood. There's glue everywhere in both designs, but one is well implemented, and the other cheaply implemented. At least, that's the argument.
Glue itself is a perfectly viable and often extremely appropriate method of mating things. In this application, it could very well be done to provide damping from the driver to the shell. It may be done to save money, but the alternative metal cages and fixed attachment points could have been introducing resonance or distortion that was unwanted and unavoidable without a more open attachment scheme.
Of course, these are all hypotheticals, and you may be entirely correct in assuming it to be a cost cutting measure. No reason to completely discount a method that has shown no signs of being more prone to failure than other designs though.
I wouldn't trust hot glue to hold anything metallic in place. HiFiman is obliged to explain why hot glue was chosen. Wanna know what HiFiman is going to say? "Don't ask. Our designs are proprietary."
Manufacturers often make mistakes, usually to cut cost. I just bought TOSlink cables that are not only difficult to insert correctly, but won't snap into place (as Toshiba-manufactured cables do). The retailer -- without even bothering to test its stock on hand -- said "Duh. Nobody else has complained."
I have a Nitty Gritty Mini-Pro 2 record cleaner, with all sorts of internal plumbing . About 15 years ago, I discovered that the adhesive used to hold the tubes in place had hardened and fallen to pieces. (I don't remember what adhesive was used.) I had no trouble fixing it (I don't remember what I used). The point is that few things last forever -- especially adhesives.
It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but I'm guessing it will be long after the warranty has expired before the glue fails anyway, so I'm glad it's something I can easily repair.
Assuming they use a similar adhesive, I don't foresee any issues unless you're abusive, in which case who cares how it's built.
looks like silicone, used for insulation and keeping fragile wires in place.
"golly, gomer - might them thar ppl be tryin to hold magnuts in place whit hot glue?"
seriously.
freakin' wow...
I.AM.SPEECHLESS.
thanks for the laff.
really.
Yeah, they've only been building and selling orthodynamic headphones since 2009, they should be 'splainin' themselves to you. yep.
Hoo wee!! Best be askin' 'em bout the cyanoacrylates, 'cause I'm sure they done used some super glue too.
Etc, etcetera, etcetera. You got your manufacturing technology degree where, again?
Don't worry, stuff some toilet paper in the back and tack it in place with some surgical tape, and you'll have the latest and greatest Monoprice M1060 Mod. Why don't you just get them instead?
"I read it on the internet, so it must be true..."
"Always assume the worst." We have no idea what the adhesive HiFiman is using is, or what purpose it serves. Yet people are reflexively defending a company, just because someone has the gall to ask reasonable (and possibly embarrassing) questions. Buyers have the right to know what they're getting.
Since you're so offended by it, perhaps you could suggest a way to make it more suitable for your tastes rather than decrying the injustice of not knowing every step in their manufacturing process. That goes to everyone who is on here whining about hot glue. I have seen 3-4 of you in this chain now. Not one of you has the ability to suggest something better?
That's a fair and reasonable question. It can't be answered until we know what this glob of hot glue (or whatever it is) is used for. There might be an excellent purpose (such as damping). But it looks... odd.
HiFiMAN is owned and run by Dr. Fang Bian. "Fang Bian is quite young, and quite passionate about what he does. With a Master’s degree in Science from Nankai University (China) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry, with a sub-discipline in Nanotechnology and Materials from the City University of New York"
https://www.strata-gee.com/look-up-in-the-sky-its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-hifiman/ (2012)
i bought his company's RE0 back in 2010, and it is still one of the most exceptional IEMs I've ever heard. one of the shells separated when I used too much force to remove some aftermarket ear tips. the other wasn't abused as badly. cyanoacrylate undid the damage. oops. they offered to swap them some five years after purchase, for a nominal fee. i kept them.
so, "people are reflexively defending a company" in part because they make extraordinary product. well, perhaps the HE-350 excluded... ;-)
you are claiming to have "the gall to ask reasonable (and possibly embarrassing) questions"?
the only embarrassment i see here is your own, sir.
One question.
How in all the name that is holy has there not been an internet wide backlash to this yet? I mean, assuming even a somewhat bad failure rate (let alone a high rate) after a few years in the wild, so many different models sold, etc. wouldn't you expect there to be a crapload of results from me googling "hot glue Hifimans" to have to do with the magnet structure? If there's one thing I know about the internet, its that such scandals, if you will, rarely go unnoticed. If anything, many times they're blown out of proportion. So what's the deal?
That might be the best argument against what you're saying I guess, just the lack of evidence that plausibly woulda been there if you're right, but isnt. I suppose the best counterarguement would be that its just not been long enough for the complaints to start trickling in. Give it more time, say 5-6 years. Or maybe for this particular massdrop specimen, they used a different method to cut costs (note the seemingly more sloppily applied glue), and we all just bought a ticking time bomb. Oh well.
BTW, I blame you if this all goes sideways, I'll be agonizing about this until Christmas thanks to you! (Not really)
I posted a question about the glue near the bottom of the page and several people were kind enough to answer. Maybe you'll find it useful. Cheers!
In truth, I'm a total junkie on my Koss ESP-950 electrostatics, and since adding a bass exciter to Foobar - for putting the dynamic speaker distortion back they are missing - I've got no good reason to buy an ortho, or another dynamic [have Senn and Beyer], for that matter. Still love my RE0 earbuds, they taught me that good engineering can yield musically convincing results, without blowing the bank. Thanks, Fang.
Returning to our examination of Theater of the Absurd - I really DID like the suggestion that a better adhesive can be made from Orca Semen. Totally worth the read...