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 need a breakdown of what IEMs are going to give me the same or better sound as my aging Shures. Anyone have a broad experience with the Massdrop IEMs to give me some guidance?
I also own the Pinnacle PX and while I've been using them on and off, they require a bit more power and EQ to get them to where I think they shine. They're a great set that's very comfortable but I don't always want to lug around amps/dacs and switch over my EQ settings for a new set. If I didn't already own and love the 535's, the PX would be my dailies for sure. The 535's I barely have to push them to 50% volume before they get loud. The PX I have to push to 80-90% to be equivalent.
I also have the Nuforce HEM2's and much like the EDc's, they're just more "fun" sounding. They do however have better separation and clarity than the EDC's but tend to distort a bit at higher volumes and definitely don't have the same bass impact. I'm eyeing the HEM8 as I don't have a quad-driver set yet from everything I've read they're a very pumped up HEM2 (which I would enjoy compared to some of the leaner HEM offerings).
Personally, if you're used to the Shure sound, I would check out their current se535 as it's still on sale from them and other places. Actually most of their IEM's are still on sale except for the 846. I just snagged my 535's for $270 new last week thanks to a bunch of holiday deals.
I will say though the 535's give me the best sense of feeling as if sounds are above and below my head as well as a bit behind my ears. And they do it consistently across a vast majority of my music compared to my other current sets. Kinda curious if a quad-driver type will yield more of that widened soundstage and separation.
I don't have to buy from Massdrop, but there's tons and tons of earbuds to choose from here that have been curated by the Massdrop voting process, so this seemed like a good place to start.