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
It seems like many Android-based DAPs stick to version 4 or 5. Maybe there’s a sonic, battery, or cost-savings reason for that? If keeping an up to date OS is important for something like latest web security updates, then your best bet is an iPod until Apple discontinues those, an iPad, or a second hand iPhone with a SIM card but no service. Apple is good about letting users update their hardware for something like 5 generations.
An iPod gets like 30 hours of music playback, has decent sound quality, supports all the same aftermarket external Amp/DACs as the iPhone so you can expand its sonic capabilitie, is really thin and light with a great touchscreen, and of course is a great WiFi streamer. But, by itself, it just doesn’t quite sound as good as this Cayin or many other players. And the storage is what-you-buy-is-what-you-get. Pick your priorities.
I believe there is a drop for just such a device right now: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/naztech-xtra-drive-mini-for-iphone Also, SanDisk makes products where it allows back-and-forth access and transfer.
all that said... I still like a DAP, because they offer superior DACs and amps as an all-in-one instead of a rubber-banded external component, and I definitely like my notifications separate from my music.