Massdrop Objective 2 Headphone Amp: Desktop Edition Discussions | Drop

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Massdrop Objective 2 Headphone Amp: Desktop Edition

Audiophile

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nonxense

Feb 5, 2019

I have the Fiio E10k running my HD 650s. This is not a very portable set up, and I am also looking to upgrade the sound of only the E10k. Would the combo of both produce a better sound? And would I be able to use the O2 from my phone?

Feb 5, 2019

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Fox-O-Spades

Feb 6, 2019

nonxenseThe E10K is dramatically more portable than the O2. This is over twice the size of the E10K and is not at all recommended for mobile use. Beyond that, I wouldn't combine this amp with the E10K because this amp is substantially better and really deserves a higher quality DAC than the E10K. Nothing wrong with the E10K, I had one for a bit... but I would run a stand alone DAC with this amp.

Feb 6, 2019

nonxense

Feb 6, 2019

Fox-O-SpadesYeah the 310K is definitely a temporary setup for now. What stand alone DAC would you recommend with this amp?

Feb 6, 2019

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Fox-O-Spades

Feb 7, 2019

nonxenseThe DAC comes down to preference... I've tried a few out, Objective has one that you could pair with this. I'm currently running the Audioengine D1 and it does the job pretty well. There are some internal sound cards for desktops that do a solid job too. Honestly it's about what you want and what you're trying to play off of. Back in the day on-board audio from your motherboard was trash, but in recent years it's become pretty decent especially on higher end boards. For me personally the on-board audio from my motherboard wasn't quite clear enough, but for most it is more than adequate. Especially if you're listening to MP3 files and not lossless audio files. I have quite a bit of my library in FLAC format so I can notice a bit more clarity with my D1... But if you're just listening to MP3s and have a modern mid-high end desktop then you'll probably not notice a difference so just a headphone amp will do it for you if you're running higher end headphones that require a bit more juice. Most people running your typical consumer grade headphones don't really need anything as they don't have a high impedance. At the end of the day no one can tell you what is best because its your ears and the experience you want that matters. I recommend most people to start out with just a solid headphone amp and some good cans. From there they can decide if that is good enough for their purposes, or if they want to dive down the rabbit hole of audiophile accessories. I would try out just this amp by itself and decide if you need more clarity, also if you have a friend who is really into audio then ask them if you can try their setup with your headphones. Your HD 650s are right on the border of needing an amp. I would personally want one for them, it isn't really 100% necessary, but it definitely helps with sound clarity. Not everyone is as sensitive to sound quality, but most people will be able to tell that the sound quality has improved over a standard audio jack from your phone or computer with an amp like this one. The E10K does the trick, but I think you would probably notice a better sound quality by going to this amp or a comparable one from another manufacturer. I don't really have a recommendation for a portable amp/DAC combo as I'm a pleb when it comes to portable audio... mostly because when I'm on the go I am in loud settings and it's hard to tell the improved quality over your standard consumer grade stuff... at home though it's a different story haha. I hope you find some of my ramblings here useful, sorry if I went off on tangents... I just really enjoy this stuff!

Feb 7, 2019

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