Drop 101: What Is An Amp? | Even Little Dot's...

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Drop 101: What Is An Amp?

May 27, 2016

I hope that amp is a Massdrop X something and I also hope it is cheap (less than $70) because I just got into the audiophile community with the HE-350

May 27, 2016

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Frogmeat

562

May 28, 2016

LucasPMagnoA fully balanced headphone amp for under $70?? Not gonna happen, sorry. Maybe under $700, lol.

May 28, 2016

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LucasPMagno

May 28, 2016

FrogmeatI am impressed how I could not realize that XLR output still I wish they made a desktop amp for people getting into the audiophile community or people with low budget

May 28, 2016

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Frogmeat

562

May 28, 2016

LucasPMagnoEven Little Dot's balanced amps are expensive, close to a Grand. I can tell you that the hybrid they make, the 1+, is a nice compact amp with good power and the option to roll tubes and Op Amps to your hearts content, and usually goes for about $100 on sale.

May 28, 2016

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Heefty

1387

Jun 6, 2016

LucasPMagnoYou should look into the Massdrop O2 amp. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-amplifier
I've never given it a go, but the reviews I've read have sounded quite promising and it drops for around that price point.

Jun 6, 2016

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LucasPMagno

Jun 8, 2016

HeeftyI was looking into it but it does not have a DAC nothing necessary but useful might give them a go in the future for now I am going to stick with just the headphones

Jun 8, 2016

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ElectronicVices

2937

Jun 8, 2016

LucasPMagnoI would put an amp purchase as a higher priority than a DAC purchase. The O2 is a good way to get your feet wet, I have one of the MD O2's (launch drop) and it's a pretty solid piece of gear. It doesn't compete in the same class as my Lyr or H10 but those are also several times the O2's price! (feel free to flame me O2 fan boys but the O2 is not gods gift to audio)

Jun 8, 2016

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LucasPMagno

Jun 16, 2016

ElectronicVicesAgree, I juat don't rrally havr the space on my desk to stack two big boxes, lol and does anyone know if the dac and amp from a blue yeti would be better than the one from a motherboard. I can always wait for them to arrive and see if it is better.

Jun 16, 2016

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Evshrug

Audiophile 101: Essential Gear Overview

Image credit @zhugunic https://drop.com/talk/67372/gl-2-k Do I need an amp? What are these acronyms like DAC, DSP, or DSD? What even are all the components that make up an audio chain? Let’s take a beginner’s look at the core, essential building blocks of a digital audio chain, and lay it plain what each piece does. We can cover the major pieces separately, but I’ll still include a few tips to optimize playback here. Please hit the little bookmark button and feel free to check and share this guide whenever you need a reference! For people who need a visual and audible explanation, or are worried it would take too long to get a working knowledge of the audio chain, here is my YouTube video on this subject that is just 7 minutes long! I like writing though, so let’s get started with an overview, then break it down into what each piece does and how an upgrade would benefit the final sound quality. Signal Path Image credit @SpeleoFool https://drop...

Mar 22, 2023

Audiophile

Guides

Drop Updates

HoffmanMyster

New Feature—Product Tagging in Photos (+ Giveaway! - Audio Rigs Edition)

Ahoy, audiophiles! Hot on the heels of the launch event for the mech keys community, we are kicking off the Audiophile Rigs product tagging launch event (with a bonus giveaway for those who participate!). Check out all the Rigs submissions thus far! Audiophile Rigs What’s this about a giveaway? More details can be found at the end! The short version: we will be giving away $100 Drop Rewards credit to one lucky winner (randomly selected) from all participating users who contribute and tag their Audiophile photos using the "Rigs" flair! In order to be eligible for giveaway prizes, your photo must include at least two tagged items (not required to be Drop products—see Tagging Non-Drop Products below). Post must be made in the first two weeks (by 2023-05-10 11:59PM PT) in order to be entered. What is Product Tagging in Photos? Product tagging allows you to tag any products in a Photo post—both those found on Drop currently, as well as write-ins that will be manually approved and...

Apr 26, 2023

Audiophile

Guides

Drop Updates

dekoni

Introducing Dekoni University

Dekoni Audio is excited to introduce our new Dekoni University video education series. Check back frequently to see our latest videos.

Aug 10, 2021

Audiophile

Guides

krist0f

DAC/AMP choice - please help

OK... I am going thru forums, reading and watching reviews for DAC/AMP combo for my pc and... seriously i do not know which one to choose. Here is my 'wish list'... maybe you can help... Main goal is to... like everybody i guess: listen to music / watch movies / gaming. Gaming is priority. I am not audiophile (sorry). But I do appreciate good sound quality. Wish List: will not 'break the bank' - preferable under $200... I would prefer it to have mic input but it is not a 'must' requirement. I would prefer it to be 'external' device. Not a must though. Need controls on the desk though. I would prefer it to work 'driverless'. So... hardware-based. I would like it to have some kind of hardware equalizer. I would like to be able to connect (computer) speakers and headphones the same time it does not need to be 5.1/7.1 etc. I prefer good stereo over these systems. Does anything like this exist? Closest to all checkmarks is Sennheiser GSX1000... i guess... not the newest technology...

Jan 5, 2021

Audiophile

Guides

Evshrug

Thoughts: The BEST Gaming Headphone for All Time?

Pairing up a gamer with the right headphone is a bit like playing matchmaker! In this video, linked at the end, I boil down over 10 years of community advice into 3 Personality types: • Competitive • Entertainment • Immersion I share a few keywords to look for, as well as some software and settings suggestions. I think everyone has a little bit of each type in them, but which type is dominant for you? Thanks to the sponsor of this video: DekoniAudio.com Dekoni is a headphone accessories company, unique for providing frequency response graphs on their website so you know what effect their various pad options will have. Thanks also to Drop for giving me permission to share here. I hope it helps everyone! The video: https://youtu.be/42SRsSlIj-c

Sep 29, 2020

Audiophile

Guides

Evshrug

Launch of the EvShrug Audio Guides!

Hello everyone! I’ve been here in Drop/Massdrop for a few years, also on Head-Fi since 2008, and I’ve seen a few common questions and gaps in knowledge over the years. So, to try answering them so that I (or you) can simply link a video when a common question comes up, I “rebooted” my YouTube channel with new videos to serve as a guide for new and intermediate personal audio enthusiasts! Thanks for accepting my amateur production with a “shrug” and a subscribe, I’ll try to upload 1-2 videos a week and add them here as well. Go ahead and leave audio questions you think others would also want answered! YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bc2SQk0h2TrE0K07t2WI5by66ArtDAb

Sep 12, 2020

Audiophile

Guides

Trending Posts in Audiophile

itsamepe

Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?

Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

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MrChiSox

Big changes coming to my tiny little music room, I've recently purchased a new stack. Currently figuring out where to locate it all and ordering up the necessary cables, it won't be too long before I'm up and running. I am now the proud owner of a brand new stack. It's a European brand called Earmen. Amp, DAC, Streamer & Linear Power Supply. It won't be long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB15yM4UptQ

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

General

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Briankan

Recommendation for my next headphone set? I have Koss 95x

Hey all, What would you recommend I get next and why? I have Koss ESP-95x electrostatic massdrop headphones. These are my first and only audiophile set. I love them. I think my only real requirements is $500 or less for the headphones and that they have a little more low end. I don’t need thump but these are really light on lows…but the experience is still awesome. Also any recommendations on an amp? I only have my electrostatic thingy. I am using the Topping D50 DAC. thx!!

Apr 22, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

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Simthaniel

Rigs

Modded headphones with qudelix at the core

When I received the Qudelix 5K, I had already modified a pair of Superlux HD-681 headphones. I previously soldered my own balanced connections to the drivers, providing multiple ways to connect and...

Apr 14, 2024

Audiophile

Rigs

brothamike

A decent set of IEMs

I am in the midst of a 300 hour burn-in but, I will say I am enjoying how this set sounds so far. Before I received these which was btw late by a few weeks, I purchased a Sony/Kimber Kable MMCX...

Apr 12, 2024

Audiophile

Photos

merrick97

Should I exchange the PC38X for better headphones?

I bought the PC38X headphones FOR GAMING and they are great, but I have NO use for a Microphone since I don't do competitive gaming and I was wondering if there were better headphone options at a similar price without a headphone, where (presumably) more of the cost was put into making it sound better. I also find that my PC38X don't get quite as loud as I would like and I was wondering if a cheap amp like the iFi Go link would draw a little more volume out of my phones. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN6MM822?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I went with the PC38X since it was considered the best bang for buck headphones. I care most about using spatial apps like DOlby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X. Suggestions are welcome.

Apr 11, 2024

Audiophile

General