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ZALHERA
843
Mar 17, 2018
I’m not one for bulky desktop setups because I do most of my listening while on the road. Are there viable balanced portable setups? I know IEMs have balancdd cables, but where does one find balanced output outside of buying a whole new DAP? I got the V30 with the purpose of avoiding a separate DAP purchase after all.
thomasharrick
2
Mar 17, 2018
ZALHERAI own the OPPO HA-2SE. It makes headphones sound a lot better, but it doesn't do much on small, cheap headphones. If you have a great pair, this amp will make them sound even greater. Plus, there's an onboard power bank.
Hope this helps!
ktweed
2
Mar 17, 2018
ZALHERAI have a Fiio Q1 MkII, and it seems similar to @thomasharrick's HA-2SE, in that it makes my AKG K240's sound much better, but doesn't do very much to my cheap headphones. I haven't been able to test the balanced output, but the SE output sounds great. It also has an onboard power bank, but it doesn't always use it with Android phones, and it does drain my S8's battery, but YMMV.
thomasharrick
2
Mar 17, 2018
ktweedI just saw the Fiio Q1. I like the looks of it, but the power thing is worrying. Since the OPPO uses the headphone jack on the default setting, it doesn't have trouble with sucking power out of phones. I use it with the lightning connector cable with my iPhone 7, so I haven't tried it with Androids, but I heard they work with no problem.
thomasharrick
2
Mar 17, 2018
ktweedThe Q1 is 3x cheaper, though.
ktweed
2
Mar 17, 2018
thomasharrickThe battery problem with the Q1ii is much better when the battery is full, but it still does draw some power. It completely drains my phone while it's actively charging, so I just have to make sure it stays topped-up.
kukkurovaca
323
Mar 17, 2018
ZALHERAThere are definitely portable options. I made a list of some here:
https://www.massdrop.com/talk/3502/ongoing-balanced-audio-gear/2002037
Darth_Cholo
1
Mar 17, 2018
ktweedwaiting for some parts to re-terminate and shorten original cable with balanced 2.5mm connector. You get almost double the power from going balanced on FiiO MK2. I have that also. It's surprisingly gets loud enough without it.
ktweed
2
Mar 17, 2018
Darth_CholoI'd love to hear how that goes, as I'm wondering if it's worth it to get something like the NuForce EDC and a balanced cable for on-the-go, as the K240's aren't exactly portable.
ZALHERA
843
Mar 18, 2018
kukkurovacaThanks for the recommendations everyone, I’ll have a look at these.
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