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
For the price, these cannot be beat...I've tried. :)
I have no experience with the K545's, nor the 550's. But I do know the design these all use benefit greatly from placement over your hear. YMMV.
But EQ = Equalizer. It's how you can modify the sound frequencies to be stronger or weaker...usually measured in decible increments.
If you want more bass add +6-12 dB in the bass frequencies. (20-80 Hz), start cutting off around 100Hz...though depending on what kind of bass you want, you might want to change that...there's no right or wrong...just what sounds good to you.
The soundstage on the K553 Pro's is excellent IMHO, and I loved the HiFiMan HE-400's, being fully open-backed...those were amazing. Being able to have a good soundstage in a closed headphone is really challenging, but I feel the K553's did admirable.
Bass can satisfy if you use an equalizer. What are you using as a source? PC sound card? Desktop amp? Reciever?
I find the bass reaches really deep, and has decent impact. Not nearly as-hard hitting as my XB-500's, but the overall sound quality and soundstage is leaps and bounds, and miles ahead. I find these headphones to be a good compromise many areas and doing it quite well (for my needs).
If you don't like these, you could easily sell them! This is the 4th or 5th drop for these since last spring iirc correctly to give you an idea. :)
The K553's are good, and I'd say are the next step up...but if bass is your priority...I'd recommend you look at something else. If you want bass + clarity, and don't mind using a software equalizer (that your SupremeFX control panel has, check Google ;) )...you can tune it to your liking.
I don't know anyone that has the K545 because they're more a portable oriented set...but the 553's are plenty easy to drive. I've used by cell phone and Sansa MP3 player with great success, though I also have an EQ tune for those as well. The 553's are designed to be more neutral than the K545's...or more flatline...which sounds more boring to me. I like a little color (read: bass) to my sound...an EQ easily provides plenty.
If you want thump, these will provide some...but there's more boom. The Sony XB-500's provide more thump than any other headphone I've owned other than the HiFiMan HE-400's. The XB's would shake on your head they hit so hard... Gen 1's from 2010/11.