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
(TL;DR) Your Sennheiser HD6XX headphones give you a smooth, laid-back presentation. Its neutral response provides a pleasant listening experience with any music genre. Though connecting to a laptop or average digital converter/headphone amplifier will always mean the last 20-30% of the full potential is not fully realised.
The 'endgame' solution is the iFi dedicated ZEN DAC Signature and ZEN CAN Signature 6XX. These premium versions of the ZEN series were uniquely developed for Drop customers.
This magical combination means Drop HD 6XX* enjoyment is ‘turbocharged’ to eleven:
Before, your HD6XX sounded a bit like using a Mini to pull an Airstream.
You are moving, but always wishing if you could ‘floor it?’
With the iFi combo, as the saying goes, ‘there is no replacement for displacement’ so the ZEN DAC Signature and the ZEN CAN Signature give you turbocharged sound quality AND oomph to properly drive your Sennheiser HD6XX.
When you ‘drive’ your Sennheiser HD6XX with the premium DAC & CAN Signatures, the full potential will be realised. We are talking 15v at 300 Ohms which gives the poise and power not found anywhere else. *Please see Compatibility chart to check other models.
Hope this helps, as always any questions please!
- Schiit Asgard II (I don't have the III yet) - The amp section performs comparably. Not as "quiet" a soundfloor, though still not bad. Slightly more balance with the iFi while the Asgard II beefs-up the bass response VERY slightly. Add in the iFi Enhancements and you get more subject separation, less "in your head" subject placement and the bass catches up to the Asgard II and then some. Difference is the bass sounds tighter on the iFi.
- S.M.S.L SP200 - While rated for more MAX power, there isn't much difference when it comes to the HD-6xx/650 performance. Certainly not the night and day variance that I was expecting. I personally hear less accurate instrument placement vs the iFi. (There is a right-bias that skews the soundstage in my S.M.S.L unit.) Add in the iFi enhancements and I clearly prefer the Zen Can Sig. for its placement accuracy and reduction of the "in your head" characteristic.
- Drop Cavalli LCX + SDAC - Not even close. Zen Can Sig. hands down. Cleaner noise floor, tighter instrument separation (Cavalli can get congested in comparison) and more power to clear what I assume is the oft-referenced "veil" people refer to when talking about Sennheisers. My assumption is that the "veil" is actually improperly matched impedance... Add in the iFi enhancements and I found the headphones both, 6xx & 650 are clearly more enjoyable.
To be clear; I'm not trying to say that the headphones are not enjoyable on the other amps. I have years of enjoyment with the Asgard II, and no serious complaints from the Drop Cavalli. I got the SP200 specifically to drive my Modhouse Argons, for which I still am satisfied with it. The thing is that for me the plain Zen Can Sig. combines what I like about my favorite comparable amps into one device: *Power, Clean noise floor, and instrument/subject agility of the S.M.S.L *Stage and placement accuracy of the Schiit Asgard II Add-in the "HD6xx" and "3D" enhancements and the HD6xx &HD650 sound better than I've ever heard them on ANY amp. This includes iFi's own iDSD Micro, Micro Black Label, & even slightly better in the 3D & bass precision than their much-higher tier iDSD Pro and iCAN Pro. (Literally 10 times the price.) So my conclusion: If you have Sennheiser HD-6xx or 650, this is worth it. Nothing else makes them as enjoyable. If you have other headphones, then the PLAIN Zen CAN Sig. amp's performance punches above its price bracket. It performs in the same realm as THX amps for clean backgrounds, and provides all the power at the specific ohms ratings for headphones I ACTUALLY have, (Not much that needs super-high wattage is rated at 16ohm.) and dynamics to provide full, rich sound experiences with the best iems I have.