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
Lows: I think the HE 4XX out preforms the HD 6XXs here. The bass is much more tight and punchy but that's not to say that the bass isn't present in the HD 6XXs. Matter of fact, the bass quantity is about the same, just the HE 4XX sound a little sharper / puncher. They might extend a little deeper too, but not by a lot.
Mids: the HD 6XXs wins out here. Vocals sound much more present / clear. This is mainly due to the improved soundstage in the HD 6XX. The mids are not missing in the HE 4XXs, but just not as nice as the HD 6XXs.
Highs: I think many people have stated that the HE 4XX clearly win as far as highs, but for me, it's not that big of a run off. I think they are a it clearer, but I'm not sure they are that much more present as people have stated, although they are slightly.
Soundstage: HD 6XXs clearly wins here. They sound much more wide and concert like. Vocals feel like they are present with you in the room.
Detail: HE 4XX clearly wins here. You can here more instruments, more clearly.
Comfort: They are both fairly comfortable, but the larger circular cups on the HE 4XXs fit my hard head better.
Overall: At first, I was pretty dissatisfied with the HE 4XX performance. They definitely sound more "dull" at first listen than the HD 6XXs. That said, while doing this review, i grew to like them much more. They have more more clarity throughout the frequency spectrum. It's true, the HD 6XX sound more lively, but there's something to be said about the HE 4XX clarity. Unfortunately, they do not respond to equalization as well as the HD 6XX do. Also, they are a little harder to drive and seem more "finicky". At first, for me, the HD 6XXs were the clear winner, but now I'm not as sure. I think if most people were to give the HE 4XXs a chance, they'll grow to like them much more than their initial listen. It's a toss up. It really depends on your personal preference. I think for most people the HD 6XX might edge out as a winner, but not for everyone. The one piece of advice I'll give you is not to buy both. I should have saved up and bought one pair of nicer cans! Damn massdrop always giving us amazing deals!
NOTE: I listened via my Macbook Pro using Boom 2 connected to Bravo Audio Ocean Mini
As far as the soundstage goes, it depends on how you define soundstage. I've seen it talked about in two different ways. As far as the clear separation of left and right channels, I would agree that the HE 4XXs achieve this much better. Instrument separation is overall better in the HE 4XXs. As far as the ability (or illusion) to hear the venue in which it was recorded, the HD 6XXs seem better. Songs seem more spacious and wide. Vocals seem more real and present.
It's really interesting how In doing this review, I grew to like the HE 4XXs much more than I initially did. I really can't pick a clear winner. I can say that I would pick either headphones over my AKG 7XXs. I LOVE the comfort of the AKG 7XXs, but the HD 6XXs outperform them in many / all aspects and have a similar sound profile.
Build Quality: They seem very solid; they feel great in the hands. I might be a little worried about scratching the paint (not that i have scratches now, just that they *seem* like they may scratch). I'm not at all worried about them breaking in anyway.
https://yosihorikawa.bandcamp.com/track/bubbles
The HE4XX seems solid in the frame, but the adjuster caps I'm not sure about. At this stage I wouldn't give the nod to either.
I'd take the 6XX over an HE-400. That's the main reason why I'm not sure that the 4XX is built any better than it. It feels pretty nice right now, but will that hold up? Don't know.
But I wouldn't have any issues recommending the 6XX's build quality - it's good, and they are headphones that will last a decade or more, as I have experience with.
Yes these headphones rattle, but this is because of the way the capsule pivot works - the metal part pivots around the Z axis, and hits the plastic part when it reaches its movement limit. As I said, mine are doing just fine after >10 years of service, but if you own one of these and are worried about it, you can eliminate the rattle with a small piece of foam.
Yes, I own the HE4XX. Don't have a photo at the moment, but evidence: https://imgur.com/a/W1JQs
The headphones have the same number of moving parts that I can tell - two adjustable parts for headband. Both capsules pivot horizontally. Both capsules have a single vertical pivot point - the 6XX pivots around the metal piece that slides in and out of the headband, the 4XX pivots on a screw that comes quite tight from the factory but just seems to be some sort of compression washer, so I'm not sure about its durability.
The only reason for the comparison of 4XX to the older model was to highlight the fact that it's difficult to say at this point whether the 4XX has good build quality, because the 400 had many issues down the line with it's fully metal system. Massdrop say they have worked with Hifiman to fix these, and they do feel solid as I've mentioned, but I wouldn't be confident stating they are a better built headphone to the 6XX having no data on longetivity of the "improved" version.