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Showing 1 of 41 conversations about:
lshriver
152
Nov 12, 2020
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Is there a volume difference between one of these and the Apple brand adapter? I’d like to use some of my nice IEM’s from my phone for a reasonable price but the Apple ones can’t drive them to a suitable volume. (Or quality, but I’m going to assume this will have better quality DAC than the Apple one anyways)
Rowdy2026
801
Nov 12, 2020
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lshriverThe adapter doesn’t ‘drive’ anything. It’s only a replacement dac for the standard connector...which I’m willing to bet you won’t hear a significant difference.
Also, 95% of iems don’t need additional amplification.
lshriver
152
Nov 12, 2020
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Rowdy2026My IEM’s do need additional amplification, they cannot be driven to an even remotely acceptable volume or quality with the Apple dongle. But they sound great through my headphone amplifier
Rowdy2026
801
Nov 12, 2020
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lshriverConsidering any portable device including later iPhones can sufficiently drive headphones with impedance up to and including 80ohms...you must have some very specific iem’s to need more to drive them?
Amplifying a source for louder playback is not proof your iems need extra power...nor does it equal better sound quality.
lshriver
152
Nov 12, 2020
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Rowdy2026I’m literally a sound tech, I know how that works, and I have custom IEM’s. They’re around 60 ohms impedance but they take a lot more current than other 60 ohm devices to drive properly. When I use them on my Fiio EO9k headphone amp (which can easily drive 600ohm beyerdynamics and 300ohm HD6xx’s to ear damage level with less than half volume) they sound incredible. I just don’t know how much power delivery from my phone I’m missing out on due to the Apple DAC, or if the limitation is the phone itself not being able to give more amps to the device. If I have to get a DAP I will, I was just wondering if I could get by without. I guess not
Evshrug
3772
Community
Nov 13, 2020
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Rowdy2026To produce sound, all component signal chains need an amplifier. This device would therefore be a (tiny) DAC/amp (probably digital volume control). Also, an IEM might not need much voltage (which is often tied to volume), but may benefit from more current (also low distortion etc).
Load impedance (the headphone’s impedance) is only one third of the power equation “triangle,” you also have to consider the power output and headphone sensitivity. For example, a Fostex T50RP might have a moderate impedance, however it’s sensitivity is several times lower than most headphones so it requires more power. IEMs typically have high sensitivity (as befitting their portable use-cases), but not all.
I agree with @lshriver, it would be very helpful to see specs of power output, either in mW, V, or I (amps, current) @ some standard load like 1 kHz to a 32 Ω load.
(Edited)
Rowdy2026
801
Nov 13, 2020
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EvshrugThanks for the electronics course but replying with basic impedance blurb doesn’t contradict what I said..Iem’s do not need external amplification to drive them. Nor will another lightning adaptor drive them over an above a standard Apple connection. Perhaps you are as confused as much as the op over what this product’s primary objective is? It’s a dac first and foremost...good luck relying on it’s amplification capabilities though.
Evshrug
3772
Community
Nov 14, 2020
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Rowdy2026Thanks for the luck in clearing up confusion
Logistics
13
Dec 6, 2020
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Rowdy2026Actually, you need to try this for yourself because you are terribly mistaken. I spent over a decade with a pair of MDR-V700's, which almost everyone dismissed as garbage. Their sensitivity is the likes of 107db. But their maximum power handling is rated at 3W. And they suffered all the weaknesses people said they did, when used on stages that yield tens of milliwatts: bottom heavy frequency response, poor mids, hashy highs. And everyone gave me the same tired story over the years, "you shouldn't need more than xx mW to reach ear-deafening levels at that sensitivity. Which was true, but volume is not the whole story to using headphones.
I refused to believe they could be this bad. I, and everyone else, must have been using them wrong. I decided to start cranking up the juice. I tried a reciever with a headphone output, which at my 24-Ohm impedance, would theoretically yield approximately 300mW max. They sounded very different, and improved. I then moved to a pre-amp, which yielded approximately 600mW, and things were even better. One day I attended CanJam, and tried them on a Schiit Magni 2 (latest at the time), which had a max around 2,500mW, and they sounded amazing, and to my ears even better than the highly regarded Sennheiser HD series that were available for comparison.
It's the same concept as using a 600W amp to power drivers with 100W maximum power handling--control. Yeah, you could reach uncomfortable levels with a 50W amp, but it won't have the same amount of control over the driver. Today, I am still using those V700's on a Schiit Magni 3, and enjoying swapping DAC's from behind it.
Evshrug
3772
Community
Dec 6, 2020
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LogisticsIndeed, experience trumps theory! CanJams are great, aren’t they? Glad you’re enjoying your Sony monitors.
Just going to add, that while additional current can indeed improve the control over driver impulse, there are other factors that improve sound quality, such as lower distortion, higher slew rate, etc etc, all of which your Magni may be offering over your receiver and preamp. Maybe @lshriver can offer some info from his/her experience?
Matchpik
4
Dec 7, 2020
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Rowdy2026Oh, you're one of those people who speaks before thinking?
Rowdy2026 said, "So you have hearing issues?...talk to a doctor. edit*/ you know this is a lighting adapter right? You’re blabbing on like about how good iems are with the addition of a lighting adapter. You must be as experienced as the ‘literal sound tech’ here."
I established that the use of higher power amplifiers was for control, not volume. This is for both USB-C and Lightning adapters. I did not once mention IEM's nor the impact of any adapter on IEM's.
Rowdy2026 said, "The adapter doesn’t ‘drive’ anything. It’s only a replacement dac for the standard connector...which I’m willing to bet you won’t hear a significant difference. Also, 95% of iems don’t need additional amplification."
Rowdy2026 said, "Considering any portable device including later iPhones can sufficiently drive headphones with impedance up to and including 80ohms...you must have some very specific iem’s to need more to drive them? Amplifying a source for louder playback is not proof your iems need extra power...nor does it equal better sound quality."
Rowdy2026 said, "Thanks for the electronics course but replying with basic impedance blurb doesn’t contradict what I said..Iem’s do not need external amplification to drive them. Nor will another lightning adaptor drive them over an above a standard Apple connection. Perhaps you are as confused as much as the op over what this product’s primary objective is? It’s a dac first and foremost...good luck relying on it’s amplification capabilities though." I was going to make a healthy reply, but your posts are so hastily made, and so completely asinine that I decided instead to keep a record of the hilarity. I will say though that my IEM's, which have a spec'd maximum input of 70mW do sound much better on external amplification, even on my Schiit Magni 3, which can supply 40 times that at their 16-Ohm impedance. Instead of nay-saying other peoples endeavours, you should experiment using their methods and see what all the fuss is about, then accept that if you don't hear a difference, you just hear differently than they do. At least you'll lose less bets!
Rowdy2026 said, "Considering any portable device including later iPhones can sufficiently drive headphones with impedance up to and including 80ohms...you must have some very specific iem’s to need more to drive them? Amplifying a source for louder playback is not proof your iems need extra power...nor does it equal better sound quality."
Rowdy2026 said, "Thanks for the electronics course but replying with basic impedance blurb doesn’t contradict what I said..Iem’s do not need external amplification to drive them. Nor will another lightning adaptor drive them over an above a standard Apple connection. Perhaps you are as confused as much as the op over what this product’s primary objective is? It’s a dac first and foremost...good luck relying on it’s amplification capabilities though." I was going to make a healthy reply, but your posts are so hastily made, and so completely asinine that I decided instead to keep a record of the hilarity. I will say though that my IEM's, which have a spec'd maximum input of 70mW do sound much better on external amplification, even on my Schiit Magni 3, which can supply 40 times that at their 16-Ohm impedance. Instead of nay-saying other peoples endeavours, you should experiment using their methods and see what all the fuss is about, then accept that if you don't hear a difference, you just hear differently than they do. At least you'll lose less bets!
Rowdy2026
801
Dec 7, 2020
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Matchpik“I was going to make a healthy reply, but...”
lol...hilarious!
When making a troll account just to back up your idiotic comments you need to remember which one is replying...learn how to use the internet at least! 😄
Thanks for the comedic relief! 🤣
(Edited)
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