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
So if I buy the WA7d + WA7tp, it will be $1,393.18 shipped for me, definitely not cheap. As I said before, I plan on pairing them with my HD 650s.
Do you guys think I would be better off skipping the WA7 and just buy better headphones, like the LCD-3s? I can get a pair for about $1650, so just $250 more than the WA7 setup I was considering. I would probably keep my same amp then (NuForce Icon HD).
I always hear better headphones make the biggest difference, but I wasn't sure.
I could also just get a vanilla WA7 for $873.98 shipped and an LCD-2 (composite) for about $850, so about $1723.98.
So: WA7d + WA7tp with HD 650s ($1400) LCD-3 with NuForce Icon HD ($1650) WA7 + LCD-2 ($1725)
On a side note, I think the WA7s (and tube power supply) look really awesome and would look great only desk. I also kind of feel that I should go high end on either the headphone or the amp, so I never have to upgrade again.
https://www.audeze.com/products/headphones/lcd-3
I jumped from HD600 and Schiit Modi/Magni to Burson Conductor SL 9018 and LCD-X a few months back. It definitely is better but when you consider the dollars invested relative to the improvement returns are definitely diminishing.
I would also consider that you can get a deal on Audeze cans on the used market or even new from various retailers. Getting a deal like this on the WA7 & WA7tp isn't going to come around very often. Also, do you have a need for the optical input? You can save some cash by just getting the WA7.
Now on the notion that you wont have to upgrade again... that will only last sooo long until the upgrade bug bites again lol. So when you look at the opportunity cost, Woo Audio deals are very seldom (even used typically goes around the current asking price) vs Audeze deals are quite common.
Would you consider 15% off a good discount on the LCD3 (new)? There also seems to be a lot of revisions of the LCD3, so I kind of feel like the longer I wait, the better it will be.
As for the discount on the LCD3, I haven't looked in a while but I feel like I've seen more than that. I would do some searching around but it seemed like lots of different places had deals going on. They also seem to be available on the used market pretty often.
Still debating on the Tube PSU though....
I'd for sure get what you want here and save up (or sell some of that unused audio gear you've hanging around, we all do...) for the headphone upgrade. You'll likely save more cash in the long run.
Regardless, I am sure that the WA7 is a capable & good amplifier, and I am sure that they will still sound lovely with any pair of headphones you choose.