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
Alternatively, you could spend a little more for the Schiit Fulla 2, or for a more portable solution, the Fiio Q1 Mark II.
If you could spend a little more, you'd definitely benefit more. Mine are running off an Aune X1s, and an O2+SDAC combo, and they sound fantastic.
The Fulla 2 is a great form factor for a desk, and it's small, and even has a volume controlled pre-out for use with powered speakers, so that's kinda cool. It uses 2 USB's, one for power and the other for data, It will do PCM up to 24-bit 96khz, which is arguably all you'd need starting out. It is Class 1 as well, so doesn't require a separate driver download. Also, top mounted volume knob. http://www.schiit.com/products/fulla-2
I just noticed the NuForce uDac3 available on Massdrop: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/udac-3-amp-dac
The uDac is powered by MicroUSB as well, but doesn't have any extra, it's just whatever the hub can supply, and older uDacs have gotten mixed reviews. I'd suggest you read the reviews from the drop, or somewhere else.
It really depends what headphones you're using, but I generally recommend units with an external power supply, as it generally means a more powerful amping stage that's usable with more headphones. The Fiio has it's battery to fill that role, and the Schiit has, as I said, an extra MicroUSB input that's solely for power. The FX-Audio DAC-X6 is also externally powered, and like I mentioned above, does have a decently powerful amping stage. http://a.co/gXIOlgx
Bottom line, check over all 3, they can all be used for desktop, or laptop use. But the Fiio is the clear winner for portability. Though, for a desk, the Fulla, the DAC-X6, or even this Micca Origen G2 (http://a.co/ac46cyH) would be a fantastic first amp/dac with a desktop. As a side note, the Origen G2, and DAC-X6 both support optical for use with consoles, because I forget if I mentioned that before. Anyways, good luck!