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
X2: great for bassheads, has a spacious open air soundstage, easy to drive, lighter weight, great build quality/materials for the price, feels and looks like a high end headphone. Headband system seems like it would work well for bigger, wider heads. Comfortable, but hammock system will tend to slip down on the ears on smaller heads. Midrange is clear but seems a bit recessed compared to the Hifiman. Treble is clear and sweet, never harsh but also not particularly brilliant either. Overall response seems a bit V-shaped with an emphasis on a plummy lower end compared to the Hifiman. HE4xx: very clear, pronounced midrange, clear but not sparkly treble, and a very clear but seemingly polite bass response. It seems that these were tuned for a flat, neutral response curve, and midrange presence brings vocals and guitar to the forefront while compressing perceived soundstage width. Channel separation seems very good though. The build quality is good enough given the price , especially as planar magnetics, but the fit and finish do not give the impression of luxury. Very utilitarian looking, these are surprisingly compact and heavy given the large cup and driver size. Ear cushions are soft and very comfortable out of the box, and these seem to give a greater amount of isolation despite being open backed. be warned, however: these are MUCH less sensitive and efficient than the X2s, Sennheiser Momentum over ears, and B&W P7s. We’re talking like 30% more volume crank to achieve same SPLs. But these seem to handle power and high vol levels very well. They stay clear and balanced and seem to sound better the louder you can cleanly drive them.