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SomeTechNoob
466
Jan 1, 2017
To be honest, the few people who report that this device isn't powerful enough kind of baffles me.
Got a pair of Fostex T50RP MK3 and the Slim on high gain can blow out anyone's ears. Same with my HD 6XX. I can't even max out the Slim on low gain - it's quite a bit above my listening level.
asymcon
30
Jan 7, 2017
I was a subjectivist once, but CEntrance helped me open my ears, even though I was a bit unappreciative of their response at that time. 2.9Vrms which slim outputs makes even my K240DF more than reasonably loud, and those are some inefficient 600Ohm cans we're talking about.
U-3C
68
Jan 8, 2017
asymconAs long as you like the sound, all is good. ^_^
Heefty
1387
Jan 13, 2017
SomeTechNoobWhile I can't speak to the combo of the MK3 and the DACPort Slim, I will point out that you cannot conflate the ability of an amp to drive a headphone to a high volume with the ability of an amp to properly drive the headphone to get the most fidelity out of it. You could probably drive the MK3 to a fairly high volume with a smartphone's patheticly weak output amp but it will definitely not sound good. Again, I don't have MK3's so I can't claim to speak from experience on this. This is just general information that most "audiophiles" in the world don't seem to grasp these days. They've read a few to many "scientific" studies (blind tests) that "prove" that hifi gear is pointless or just look at the term "amplifier" and incorrectly assume that the reason is to make the speaker louder.
An amp needs more power to reproduce the high end adequately. The amp on the DACPort slim may well not be powerful enough to properly drive the MK3 well enough for discerning ears and honestly I wouldn't be surprised by this. I'm finding it far too weak to properly drive my HD6XXs and am going back to a better but much less convenient amp I built to drive them and they're reported to be far easier to drive than the MK3. For my 32Ω AKGs, though, it's fabulous.
SomeTechNoob
466
Jan 14, 2017
HeeftyI understand this concept. A headphone has a varying impedance curve depending on the frequency played. A higher end amplifier will not have as much of a power output dropoff when powering higher impedances and will usually have less distortion as well. But when I literally only have to turn the Slim's knob 1/10 of it's possible max volume(high gain), I feel that there should be enough power.
My fullsize headphones currently consists of the HD 6XX, T50RP MK3, AKG K553, and SHP9500s. K553 and SHP9500s are efficient and they sound great on pretty much anything. I've listened to HD600s and HD650s at a local meet and did some quick a/b comparisons with other much fancier equipment. Aside from tube sound, I couldn't discern enough of a difference to easily determine what was powering what. So maybe it's just my ears. But I'm in my early 20s and I listen to music at volumes quieter than a lot of my friends to avoid hearing issues or tinnitus down the road.
Heefty
1387
Jan 16, 2017
SomeTechNoobIf it's sufficient to you, who am I to tell you you're wrong. I was just pointing out that your statement doesn't match everyone's expectations, mine inclusive. Whether it baffles you or not, I don't like the pairing between this and my HD6XX headphones because I can hear that it is underpowered for them. It makes my high definition tracks sound compressed. Not a good thing.
Zhiwen
16
Jan 16, 2017
From my experience of reading people's post, i think 90% of people don't understand this concept. How often you see people saying that an amp is driving a particular headphone well because there is good dynamics in the system? 9/10 times, people comment that a particular amp is driving a headphone well because the system plays louder than they can tolerate. To be fair, it's a skill that takes quite a long time to develop.
This is how i test whether there the amp is driving a headphone well: 1) Is is loud enough? (often amps that can't play loud don't have much current) 2) Does the bass slam hard and tight? 3) Is there good dynamics? (difference between the softest and loudest sounds)
One important factor to note is that if the amp is not transparent enough, even if it might be driving a headphone well, it can be hard to tell because lack of detail and slowness in pace. For example, i once had Fiio E9+HE400i. While E9 has enough power but there is small improvement in the bass slam and dynamics because it's simply not transparent.
Also, remember that even if the amp is driving a headphone well, if the headphone SQ can scale up much higher when pair with better source, then the amp is not transparent enough for the headphone. For example, HD800 with Schitt Asgard2 is not a good idea because while the Asgard have more than sufficient power, the detail level that is portrayed is probably 50% of what HD800 can provide. So i completely understand when people recommend an uber expensive amp. There is really a difference.
When Heefty mention that Dacport Slim is too weak for HD6XX, i think what he is saying that dacport can power it loud and probably good dynamics, but he feel(and most likely heard) HD6XX could do much better. This brings the question of whether a newcomer in Headfi should save up and buy something high end straight or buy low end and upgrade later. As you can see, the cheaper way for discerning ears is to actually buy something expensive first if not they'll spend more buying cheap and upgrade later. But i think the long painful way is a frustrating but rewarding learning experience.
Fortunately, Dacport Slim is a good dac/amp regardless of price. I have listened to some of its competitors and it is literally few classes above it. I see it's main competitor in SQ would be Dragonfly Red. Can't think of anything below $200 that is better than this. Maybe the Fulla2 could be but i have my doubts since i have not been impressed with any of Schiit lower price offerings under $500.
Heefty
1387
Jan 16, 2017
ZhiwenAgreed. I can make them uncomfortably loud with the DACPort slim, but they don't get the clarity/dynamics/detail that I want.
For a different set of cans that is easier to drive though it is a fantastic unit for the price and I highly recommend it. Just not for every set of headphones.
Zhiwen
16
Jan 17, 2017
Right now i have a Beyer DT1770 and Focal Elear. Using just my ipad headphone output, they sound very similar in technicalities. If someone does not have a good source to feed a high end headphone, then not only they are not getting the upgrade in sound that they hope, it will be a downgrade in some ways. For example, bass punch will suffer if there's insufficient power.
That being said, this is extreme cases where people think a Fiio E10 or a O2 will power everything. If you have a mid tier amp and you want to pair it with a high end headphone, i would say go for it. Just don't expect a low end amp to make a high end headphone sound decent.
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