Best entry level audiophile DAC/AMP to pair with entry level closed back headphones (ATH-m50x)
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ElectronicVices
2319
Apr 24, 2018
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Here's are options in that price range, I would mix/match some of the following components:
DAC's: Audioquest Dragonfly Black, Schiit Modi, Topping D30
Amps: Massdrop O2, Schiit Magni 3
Any combo of the above would get you in the $200ish range. You could also snag a dragonfly red but that would eat up your entire budget. If you will be moving the amp/dac around it is certainly the most compact option. I use an Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2 and an O2 at the office. Will run everything but my most hard to drive cans. No hiss or noise with sensitive IEM's.
DAC's: Audioquest Dragonfly Black, Schiit Modi, Topping D30
Amps: Massdrop O2, Schiit Magni 3
Any combo of the above would get you in the $200ish range. You could also snag a dragonfly red but that would eat up your entire budget. If you will be moving the amp/dac around it is certainly the most compact option. I use an Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2 and an O2 at the office. Will run everything but my most hard to drive cans. No hiss or noise with sensitive IEM's.
phoenixsong
967
Apr 21, 2018
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Source>Ifi iusb3.0 nano>SDAC/OL DAC/ODAC revB>Magni 3/O2>M50x
OCBob
518
Apr 20, 2018
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I'm with Jesse04030. The Modi 2U/Magni 3 stack would be a great place to start.
leagueoflezhe
1
Apr 20, 2018
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I've got mine thru a Fiio E17K (Alpen 2). Sound great to me, even use them with FL Studio as a pretty solid reference during mixing.
Thing is these headphones sound great even without an amp/dac. Running them straight off any phone I've tried, they sound better than anything I've personally heard in the same price range.
Thing is these headphones sound great even without an amp/dac. Running them straight off any phone I've tried, they sound better than anything I've personally heard in the same price range.
w00m
179
Apr 24, 2018
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Does the E17K have base to the E9k Dock? My favorite park of my (old) E17 was the portability and easy hookup of my home speakers.
jesse04030
156
Apr 20, 2018
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With the M50x you should stay away from cheap DAC/amps like the Schiit Fulla 2 or Fiio E10k. Those are mainly meant to power higher impedance headphones (like HD6XX etc.). They wont improve the sound of your device in any significant way, they mostly make it louder.
A good starting point would be the Schiit Modi 2 (Uber) + Schiit Magni 3, but again not sure if it will make a great difference with the M50x.
If you would get something like the DT990/880/770, HD6XX or HE4XX than this would be a great choice.
Johnny.Eli.P
3
Apr 20, 2018
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Well, right now I am just running off motherboard audio on the PC and it's underwhelming. Even my LG-V30 with quad DAC runs them far better then my motherboard audio can. Thanks so much for your suggestions on the Schiit stuff. Seems like great stuff. I'll do more research and if I like what I see I'll probably buy them. Again, THANK YOU! :D
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High Gain: 150 - 600 ohm (2.3V RMS @ 150 ohm, 2.9V RMS @ 600 ohm
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mudkipex
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hey, I just got my sennheiser pc37x headset and I wanted to know if I should get an amp/dac and if yes do you have any good suggestions for starting?
i thought about maybe the soundblaster x3
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bookmark_border
mahon232
Hi, I am looking for headphones costing up to 1000$ cad(750us dollars).
I listen to rock,hard rock and metal. I really want the cymbal crashes and the drums to stand out. I really enjoy high energy songs like "time bomb" by hollywood undead or "bang bang" and "pray" by the same band. I also enjoy power metal by bands like rhapsody,stratovarius, dream theater.
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Do I need a SCHIIT stack if only for PC gaming and movie watching?
Headphones
Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohms
Sennheiser HD 6XX 300 ohms
HiFiman HE4XX Planar Magnetic 35 ohms
PC gaming
Soundblaster AE-7 DAC/AMP
Headphone Amp (600Ω): Custom-designed discrete headphone bi-amp (Xamp)
Output Impedance: 1 Ω
Headphone Impedance Range: 16 – 600Ω
Output Impedance: 1Ω
Supported Headphone Impedance: 16 - 600Ω
IEM: 16 -31Ω (1.9Vrms, -5.5dB)
Normal: 32 - 149Ω (3Vrms, -1.6dB)
High Gain: 150 - 600Ω (5.3Vrms, +3.3dB)
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Soundblaster X3 DAC/AMP
Output Impedance: 10 ohms
Supported Headphone Impedance: 32 ohm - 600 ohm
Low Gain: 32 - 149 ohm (1.2V RMS @ 32 ohm, 1.5V RMS @ 150 ohm
High Gain: 150 - 600 ohm (2.3V RMS @ 150 ohm, 2.9V RMS @ 600 ohm
SCHIIT HERESY
Maximum Power 16 ohms 2.8W RMS per channel
Maximum Power 32 ohms 2.4W RMS per channel
Maximum Power 50 ohms 1.6W RMS per channel
Maximum Power 300 ohms 410mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power 600 ohms 215mW RMS per channel
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I just bought some audio technica ATH-m50x's. What would be the best entry level DAC and AMP to pair with these headphones? I have never had an external DAC or AMP just to drive headphones and have no idea what to look for. I do know a little something about the ones that include "tubes" because I played guitar for years and had tube amps. I know they need to be changed and messed with sometimes and I don't want that. I'm NOT looking for the cheapest thing I can get. I'm just looking for a "bang for your buck" entry level sweet spot. I don't mind spending around $200 give or take. Any suggestions or information from the audiophile community here would be greatly appreciated
P.S. I would also like to add a decent pair of open backed headphones in the feature and I would like the DAC/AMP to run those as well.
THANKS! :)