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
IMO, closed backs are pointless for: 1. Commute (ANC is a must for me) 2. Workout (IEMs are preferable)
But they do have some value at work. Given I already have a pair of ANC headphones for commute (Bose QC), I don't want to carry work headphones in my pack. So I want something I'd feel safe leaving in the office over the weekend. And obviously, they must sound better than the QC I'm already carrying around for commuting, or I'd just use them instead. Sound signature should be warm or even fun, as my focus should be on the work - i.e. I'm more likely to listen to pop than opera.
Priorities then are, in descending order: Warm / Fun Sound, Cost, Comfort, Leakage, and Isolation.
Right now, I have the E-MU Purplehearts for work. I've considered the Thinksound ON2, ATH-M50x, and maybe even Sony MDR-V6 as a possible change. A $150-or-so item with a similar value proposition to the Purplehearts would be appealing.
At home, where cost is less of an issue until my wife sees the receipt and starts to wonder why I couldn't have bought a new sofa with the funds instead: the E-MU Teak, TR-X00 Ebony, Oppo PM-3, Audeze LCD2, and PSB M4U have all hit my short-list. However, the fact these happen to be closed back is incidental.
Shame about Oppo Digital, I really liked their PM2 and hoped to see further developments of their line.
Yeah, it's be nice if Oppo returned to the market. I never got a chance to sample their products, but everyone agreed they'd hit gold.
Off topic: a friend is telling me to look at IKEA couches with microfiber, since my cat won’t be able to claw it and it should resist my wife’s drink stains. My main worry is she’ll flatten the padding in the couch by sleeping on it, like she flattens the inside of the soles of her running shoes every six months. I really would appre to hear about your experience with your new sofa!
So far, we quite like the sofa. Other customers have complained about the foam being too firm, but it's the correct grade to use for seat cushions (seat cushions should be a firmer grade of foam than back cushions). And with both of us needing to lose a few pounds, the firmer grade is good for longevity. It's held up well this past month anyways, which includes it being slept on for about three weeks.
More importantly - at least for our model - we can buy replacement sofa and cushion covers instead of reupholstering the whole thing. Which means even if the foam flattens, we can replace it. When I was pricing foam, it was about $100 for enough to replace the seat cushions on a full-sized sofa. I probably would have tried to repair the one we originally had if it hadn't sustained frame damage.
Sorry to hear about your change of job status... it seems almost like jumping job to job has become the modern norm instead of building a career. I’ve been looking at ways to reduce my cost of living... I can technically do my current job from anywhere with internet and shelter, and the appeal has been growing for me to stop handing out rent money and instead making or converting a tiny home or RV. I’d be able to attend more audio meets, which would help my current work, and also be able to travel and stay at rewarding places in the US. I’d be up for trying to make it happen now if my wife agreed to an adventure! Kind of like the Hobbit’s adventure, changed his life but made it all the more interesting :)
I reattached the back of my couch and now it’s nice and secure, and I’m reconsidering the whole mobile home thing because I’m thinking security could be an issue.