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 believe within "Fjrabon" posts in this thread there is an answer... Fostex chose "Creative" over Denon. Denon likely owns the design of the D2000 and the differences seem to be more design(materials , chamber dimensions,pads, coil tuning spec. etc) than the couple of 50mm drivers Fostex makes. It seems Denons new driver maker isn't of the same caliber as the Fostex 50mm driver based on reviews. Spec wise it has slightly different FR and most notably phasing is different. The inherent problem is ALL headphone Frequency Responses are NON linear due to the HRTF compesnation curves designed in. Then factor in Frequency Volume sensitivity and "personal preference" for EQing and actual HEAD/EAR variance then it leads to which Headphone is BEST? That is why there whole sites dedicated to tuning Headphones especially the Fostex 50mm types. That said, after looking at the old AH-D2000 pre 2012 test response it is notably different than the the other 50mm Fostex variants. I would personally try an pre 2012 AH-d2000 if new but I missed that boat. More on subject though, this EMU (creative) has me interested as I personally like the CAL2's(edited: oops meant CAL original) which are loosely based on Denons type. Personally I find the age old "rock" EQ setting(V-shaped) sounds more balanced over an enhanced HRTF (midrange boosted) curve.
Borrego seems inclined this way intuitively to compensate but there isn't an actual Linear "Flat" headphone unlike now with Loudspeakers. On the other hand Hyde makes great points too "In this case you have to take a sacrifice either way but for my taste I end up choosing mid-forward over v-shaped (since I really enjoy the vocals)." This setup allows for "quieter" listening and a focus on the most sensitive part of the hearing frequency spectrum.
Side note: I do have the Hp-9500's and I find them notchy and when you mess with EQ with them they remind me of the analogy of home sub-woofers as being 1 note wonders. Harder to extract what is missing. Philips has used research to "design" a FR that they think "humans" like best. X2's are very popular for this reason. I also have the AKG 7xx and the BD DT-880 600ohms. (smoother detailed above 10k but very bright in the 4k-10k and the very lil bass - mid-bass a No-go for mixing) So far I would only use the AKG 7xx phones for rough mixing and no others. I don't however like their bass 70hz and below(not well defined) and above 10k response, they are missing detail and delicacy there.
It seems Fjrabon has given the best insight (study his words carefully) as to the speculative and subjective sound of the EMU's being slight V over the TH-X00. Factoring my experience with the CAL2's I should have tried the EMU "walnuts" which are likely a tuned wood version but I was asleep at the wheel because I anticipated the AKG 7xx's being better.
Of all the Fostex 50mm variants, this seems possibly the closest to my preference for slight V for strictly listening versus linear. (Not sure if I will encounter a proper Linear headphone enjoyable for listening in my time)
Since nobody has these "Teaks" yet we have to Guinea Pig em. $465 shipped is a Leap of faith. With the success of Fostex 50mm variants and this being the latest new tune.
Tempting very tempting.
Thank you Fjrabon for your ultra insight, This clears all the fog in regards to the Denons, TH-X00 and Fostex variants. Your perspective to the Foster/Fostex lines is what makes this forum awesome. Much gratitude!
I admit I sometimes get a bit over speculative and did not do enough due diligence this time. The pricing structure makes more sense now. I did discover the difference between the Denons and others is the Denons had microfiber diaphragm vs bio-cellulose. I can not say I have personally heard microfiber before. I have a personal bias for kevlar for mid drivers because they have the light transient ability and rigidity yet have natural damping of cone resonance. So I wonder what the characteristic of microfiber is. Bio-cellulose seems like a hybrid paper and many successful designs have been done with hybrid papers.
I did also find the Fostex 50mm driver design isn't fully sealed but has a hybrid controlled damping design that effectively allows a high degree of tuning with the 50mm driver. This definitely explains why different chamber pieces have variance.
Chan_EMU: Thank you for such a quick response and for the frequency plot of all 3 woods. Is this the raw response or HRTF (head-related transfer function)compensated plot? Is the test plot on a static bench or a Test dummy head?
The offering of detachable cables and separate cups is turning the "Teak" into possibly the most flexible Fostex variant yet. Your openness for ideas so far is already is excellent. I apologize to you if I came off a lil harsh. I sometimes get a bit grumpy when I think I hear colorful sales pitches I have heard over the years. Using words to describe sound can sometimes be helpful but can also be persuading. Technical plots based on interpretation and experience help. One needs both sometimes to extrapolate the sum. A daunting task when not actually "heard".
Another question "Are these the standard Fostex pleather ear pads?" (I and others in the house find the CAL ones to be very comfortable and easy to clean)
Does anybody have any experience with "Angled ear pads" and the Fostex 50mm's? I know some headphone designs benefit from angling the driver. (intuitively seems correct)
More importantly, are the diaphragms exactly the same material/design (not coil spec) in the Denon older series pre 2012 as the latest Fostex X variants including the TH-X00 and "Teak" "bio cellulose?
1. The plot is a raw response. 2. On static bench with fixtures 3. The test is conducted without the ear pads. 4. The test equipment used is the ETANI S-265
Both the Teak and Walnut headphones use standard Foster ear pads. We find the quality satisfactory and up to our expectations.
Thanks for your input so far.