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
I picked up the 990 600 ohm here on Massdrop in June 2017. The treble was sibilant and the pads weren't the most comfortable for large ears (~7cm from top to lobe) but the bass was amazing coming from the Audio-Technica AD700. I had to upgrade a bit of gear to sufficiently run them. The Fiio E07k was insufficient. E07K + Magni 2 highlighted a nasty high-pitched tone coming from the E07K's amp, which required a proprietary connector (L7, out of stock) to bypass. I picked up a Modi Multibit (the Modi 2 has been called slightly cold).
Pad-swapped with MrSpeakers Alpha Pads, and paired with a Modi Multibit and a Magni 2, it's still my current home set.
However, it still isn't everything I want it to be. The leather pads add comfort, soften the treble, and increase the quantity of bass that reaches my ears. Still, the treble is still a bit sibilant at times and the bass is not enough for my tastes (I like a warmer signature). I'm not trying to knock it, I still like the overall sound better than things like the Sony MDR-V6 (boring/lifeless), AT AD700 (sadly nearly bass-free), Sennheiser 280 pro (uninteresting treble), and Takstar Pro 82 (lacking somewhere in the lower treble but otherwise pretty good).
The problem for me is that they don't fit into the category of headphones that are so fun to listen to that the world fades. For context, the only set that really fits that description for me (so far) is a modded SHP9500S with MrSpeakers Alpha Pads, paired with a Fiio Q1 mk II (bass-boost on). I'm looking at modding a set after hearing the set my friend and I applied the Modhouse kit to. Another thing I've been recommended is to try Argons. Since Modhouse makes both the Shp mod and the Argons, I've got high hopes.
I hope some of this is useful if you're still considering the 990s. They may pierce your ears without leather pads and I may be trying to move on from them, but with leather pads and an amp they can hold you over for a while if you want to save up for better gear.
I have purchased those and enjoying immensely. The incredibly wide soundstage is Godsend for 3d gaming. The design keeps my ears quite cool and comfy. I love the fact that those do not squeeze my brains out as my previous, over tight, DT770 Pro. Think will never go back to closed cups in general unless I will get the Audeze Mobius, especially since not getting my Ossic X anymore as that's collapsed.
I do want more bass so will check out the MrSpeakers Alpha Pads.
Closed cups aside, I am starting to consider DT1990 as a natural upgrade, but, those are worth a lot of pizzas XD.
Update - > returning DT1990 as not good enough upgrade over DT990 considering 3x the cost. Both headphones have got pros and cons but DT1990 Pro are really for studio use, not home.