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
In no particular order, just a little bit of everything. Generally I'm paying particular attention to a small detail that I'm very familiar with. The tone of RL Burnside's guitar, the depth and clarity of the bass in Big Church, the breath and room noise in No Name #1, every tiny little thing in A Day In The Life.
In particular, I tend to think a little different than a traditional audiophile coming from an audio engineering background. Instead of referencing high end gear all day every day I've always had to know the sound of every day stuff. Beats (or $10 grocery store headphones, same thing =P) car stereos (the big analog studio i worked at had a VW Van inside to reference an average car stereo!) etc. When mixing I usually referenced just one or two pairs of headphones, and I started with HD650's nearly a decade ago, and to this day still use them just because I'm so familiar with the sound. The real point here is that ANYTHING will actually work, any song, any extra pieces of equipment, as long as you are intimately familiar with how they sound. This makes referencing new equipment much easier. Of course, there is a lot more to really testing gear, but this is where I'd start.
Also, @DuncanCampbell, when you coming over to drink and listen to some cassettes?
Expert response, my friend. I've made your list official! Now using it to start my Friday morning here.
https://open.spotify.com/user/duncanhc/playlist/29RCzYV217YbKnmrFWg3ky
Agreed on Beats. They're fashion over function and some people can dig that enough, but for me, can't justify them in any way, and for that reason.. I'm out. #ForgetAboutDre (jk).
Great point about the everyday equipment and how to reference how something should sound. A solid recommendation and consideration for someone like myself who's trying to get a little more familiar.
Some slightly NSFW covers on some, be warned.