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 tried driving the HE4XX directly from a Sony D-J75TR Discman (without its tuner/amp/remote), and it could play at a "reasonable" (but not ear-splitting) level. The Creative Labs E5 (another Massdrop purchase), through an optical connection, permitted higher volumes. Interestingly, the Sony didn't "lose" in this comparison. Because you have to jack up its volume all te way, crossover distortion (if any) in the output stage isn't obvious.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about the HE4XX is that there's nothing "musical" about its sound. It seems to be basically neutral, rather than euphonic, which is exactly what I want in any audio component. More thoughts, in greater depth, later.
PS: Are spare earpads available?