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
Since you are listening primarily on a computer, having even a decent DAC would likely be a large boost. I always suggest starting out there the DAC/AMP side with "decent" so you can actually tell the improvement with better headphones/ headset.
As far as a "decent" DAC/AMP goes, the Sound Blaster E5 (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/creative-sound-blaster-e5-usb-dac-amp-combo) isn't too bad. It is basically an external sound card with some profiles... and a bluetooth connection for your phone. It should be able to support IEMs and up to 600Ohm headphones (I haven't tried the hi-gain on my G5 yet, so I can't say for certain how well it works, but the lo-gain can easily drive 32Ohm up to uncomfortable levels).
I wound up going with the Sound Blaster G5 (has a headset input instead of the second headphone jack, no bluetooth, and other than that seems to be basically the same) for my home PC until I eventually move to a Schiit stack. But considering the price difference, it is good enough to last for a while, and a large step better than integrated sound.