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treeinc
498
Jul 3, 2017
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OK, so I am sooooooooo completely lost now. I just purchased the HD6XX as they were a great value and intend to use them with my iPhone. So now do I need an amp (like this) or just plug and play? I like the idea of a better sounding system for my home/office based computer system but just wondering if this is a mandatory purchase or just one to make the music sound better? Thanks in advance.
rhinocerosbladder
383
Jul 3, 2017
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treeincI'd say sort-of mandatory. You can get a portable amp, one very popular one that I also use very often is the Fiio e10k if I remember correctly - shouldn't be over $100. But otherwise listening the HD6xx on an iPhone let alone generic computer with no external or proprietary amp and/or DAC will be like keeping a sports car in a school zone speed limit.
treeinc
498
Jul 3, 2017
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rhinocerosbladderHere is a list of "cons" for the Fiio from a review on Amazon. What do you think?
CONS - Bass boost feature is poorly executed and essentially useless. The Hz range boosted, which I believe is around 100–300 Hz, is too high which creates a significantly “muddy” effect. They should have limited it to 10–100 Hz or made it configurable. I can understand why at this price-point, FiiO cannot afford to provide complex firmware editing software, though. At the end of the day though, most buyers purchase this product with the intent of listening to lossless audio, such as FLAC/Tidal, I have no idea why they would add a bass boost feature besides to appeal to the youngsters or to help drive headphones with >150 Ω impedance and not sound too bright / tinny. - 3.5mm jack is either convenient or a burden, depending on who you talk to. - Recommended headphone impedance 60–150 Ω, thus it can ONLY PROPERLY DRIVE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CANS. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 650's which have an impedance of 300 Ω and not only is this DAC/AMP underpowered, it also requires a 1/4“ adapter. If you have a pair of quality compact to mid-size headphones, though... you're all good. The sound quality is fantastic on my Bose QC 15's.
CONS - Bass boost feature is poorly executed and essentially useless. The Hz range boosted, which I believe is around 100–300 Hz, is too high which creates a significantly “muddy” effect. They should have limited it to 10–100 Hz or made it configurable. I can understand why at this price-point, FiiO cannot afford to provide complex firmware editing software, though. At the end of the day though, most buyers purchase this product with the intent of listening to lossless audio, such as FLAC/Tidal, I have no idea why they would add a bass boost feature besides to appeal to the youngsters or to help drive headphones with >150 Ω impedance and not sound too bright / tinny. - 3.5mm jack is either convenient or a burden, depending on who you talk to. - Recommended headphone impedance 60–150 Ω, thus it can ONLY PROPERLY DRIVE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CANS. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 650's which have an impedance of 300 Ω and not only is this DAC/AMP underpowered, it also requires a 1/4“ adapter. If you have a pair of quality compact to mid-size headphones, though... you're all good. The sound quality is fantastic on my Bose QC 15's.
rhinocerosbladder
383
Jul 3, 2017
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treeincI disagree with parts here and there but you'd be pretty well off going on headfi and asking/searching there
mattris
1267
Keyboard Club Member
Jul 3, 2017
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treeincMy advice is to pass on the Fiio e10k. Look into the iFi nano iDSD LE.
rhinocerosbladder
383
Jul 3, 2017
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mattris@treeinc @mattris sorry guys, I meant the Fiio A3. After looking it up the e10k is my little desktop amp. I love my A3 but I don't remember what it used to be called in the e-line unfortunately. Mine came free with a headphone order a year ago before it was called the A3 but I think it goes for $60. Drives my AKG 7xx's, Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250's, and Philips X2's really well, amongst tons of other IEMs. I also use it with my Thinksound On2's and sometimes my ATH-m50x's when I don't want to take something breakable or bulky with me. I'm definitely looking for something in the longer run but for now I love that little thing. Even use it in my car on occasion.
kltp567
60
Jul 4, 2017
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treeincLike rhinocerosbladder said, you do need a dac and an amp. Using your phone's headphone port directly to a lone amp would sound pretty bad. These are headphones derived from a very expensive pair of heaphones, so yes you do need an amp, no this was not intended to play directly from your phone.
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
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treeincI'm upgrading from a e10k. It's a great little amp/DAC for the price. I used them to drive 50 ohm cans, but I got in on the HD6XX and more amp is needed to drive the properly.
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
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treeincI'm giving this drop a try. It sticks within my budget. There are certainly other options, but it seems from my research, that to drive the HD6XX, you need to get to $200+ range to have enough power. If you don't need a DAC however, you can slice about $100 off that requirement.
kltp567
60
Jul 4, 2017
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MooseKnuckleSo you are saying something like the zoorloo zuper dac cant drive the hd 6xx? Is it really true?
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
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treeincDigital to analogue converter. Takes the digital sound signal from your computer and converts it to analogue so you headphones can process it. But yea, Google it and you can get good info on it.
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
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kltp567I'm not familiar with that one. The hd6xx doesn't need amp for it to make sound, however they are high impedance. 300 ohm a with a 600 ohm spike at around 150 Hz if I'm not mistaken. Essentially, if you want the most out of your headphones, you need an amp. Even my 60 ohm headphones sound better with an amp.
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