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Headphone amp/dac recommendations

B

Bun-Bun

Gawd
Joined
Sep 11, 2003
Messages
555
I listen to music at work but can never add hardware to the computer I use at my workplaces. I am looking for an external headphone amp/dac that will take a digital signal from my computer and have a headphone output as well as a line output for speakers.

I found this http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/headroom-desktop-amp.php but that is way more money then I want to spend. Is there not anything cheaper that can do the same thing?
 
Maveric Audio TubeMagic D1, Audio GD series, Little Dot MK series

Take your pick. You might want to check out head-fi.org. There are cheaper alternatives like the NuForce uDac.
 
Thanks!

The Maveric Audio TubeMagic D1 seems to be exactly what I am looking for. $200 is a lot more reasonable I think.

But then so does the Audio-gd NFB-12...
 
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The line out does not need to be variable. It will be connected to a speaker setup with a volume control.

Currently I am using the Sony MDR-V700DJ or my ear buds. But upgradeing in the near future is a high possibility.
 
Well, I have a Aune Mini USB DAC / HP Amp that does what you want. I use it at work, plugged into my laptop, to listen to music.

I will add a disclaimer and mention that the amp has a lot of gain and depending on the impedance and sensitivity of the headphones you plug into it a background hiss may be noticeable. I replaced the series output resistors with a larger value in mine to eliminate the hiss.
 
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I'm not sure the E7 or E10 have a powerful enough headphone amp for what I am looking for.
 
Bun-Bun said:
I'm not sure the E7 or E10 have a powerful enough headphone amp for what I am looking for.
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What headphones do you want to drive? The Aune I'm using can drive the HiFiMan HE-500 past the point of being unbearably loud and they're 89dB 38 ohm planar magnetic headphones.
 
MDR-V700DJ Which are 24ohm with 50mm Neodymium magnet drivers. I do plan to upgrade eventually.

The E7-E9 combo seems pretty descent though. Hi powered headphone amp with a versatile dockable/portable DAC. Leave the E9 at work and use the E7 where ever I go with my Ipod.
 
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Bun-Bun said:
MDR-V700DJ Which are 24ohm with 50mm Neodymium magnet drivers. I do plan to upgrade eventually.

The E7-E9 combo seems pretty descent though. Hi powered headphone amp with a versatile dockable/portable DAC. Leave the E9 at work and use the E7 where ever I go with my Ipod.
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With the 24ohm the E10 would be more than enough amp with the goodness DAC.

I'm considering an E10 myself, I JUST bought an E9 before I saw that such a thing existed though so now I am considering waiting for an E17 DAC to dock with the E9 or selling my E9 and getting the E15 when it comes out (desktop amp/dac AIO).
 
Sorry for the thread kidnapping...

Anyone has tried the E10 and have some non audiophile comments ;)

I was looking for a "cheap" USB DAC with Headphone amp to solve my particular situation, so I order one in UK and I think will receive in a week.

I tough I was ready to upgrade to Windows 7 but my Game Theater XP is not supported by in 32 or 64bits and the A8NSLI integrated sound card analogue outputs stooped working sometime ago (The Digital Output still work but a SPDIF/Optical DAC with no USB would be a bad idea if the sound card end up dead any time soon)

Anyone think I would get a clear improvement with my "crappy" Sens HD270, the Game Theater cant drive these to the volume level I want (64 OHMs I think 106dB), I remember my old and lost SADX940 had a much Higher Output with those headphones...

At least the quality should not get worse than a 10 year old sound card right ?

Thanks
 
Fiio E9 and E7 combo IMHO. You can get both bundled for around 200.00, quality build, great sound, and portability. I have both and it's really convenient to be able to pull out the E7 and pair it with my iPod and Etymotics and just drop it into the E9 when I want to game, watch movies, whatever. The E7 and E9 can drive some pretty powerful headphones if you only have 24 ohm headphones E7/E9 will smoke em and give you good overage for any future upgrades. I use the combo with my Beyer DT990 250 ohm FWIW.
 
The E9-E7 combo is highly tempting just for the flexibility.

But I am seriously looking at the uDac-2 now as it is cheaper, and has a small foot print and does "just" what I need it to. Little concerned about the output of it but if I just use it with in ear buds it should be fine.
 
Spend some time on Head-Fi. I recommend anything made by Audio-gd. I have the Audio-gd Sparrow with a pair of Beyerdynamic headphones and love the setup.
 
I have a post up over there as well.

I am leaning towards the uDAC-2 just for the size and availibility (fit really nice on my desk at work). Look more towards the Audio-gd for my setup at home.
 
i'll second [fourth?] the fiio e7/e9 combo - for the price the quality and flexibility is going to be hard to beat

i've heard that setup next to a $1000 [schiit bifrost and lyr] set and while the sound signature was different, it wasn't necessarily better

after a certain quality point you aren't converting digital to analog better, you're just coloring it or veiling it or whatever...

don't spend oodles on different, spend just enough to get quality and enjoy...

you can get the e7/e9 together for about $180 - that's a steal

as far as headphones, dude, that is pandoras box and you really don't want to open it :)
 
I completely agree. That is why I dont want to spend $400+ for a device that is just going to sit on my desk at work for listening to music.

lol pandora's box. I already know all about that with my tone hunting with my guitar amps/effects.
 
Going by your current (24 ohm) cans, I probably wouldn't get an E9. The output impedance is rather high, the noise floor is also high-ish (you'll probably hear a hiss), and there's some low frequency distortion with low impedance loads. Most of this is at least somewhat tamed by using using higher impedance cans.

The E7, however, is rather excellent with low impedance loads. It just runs out of gas with higher impedance cans. Which _does_ make them a decent combo. :eek:

The uDAC-2 is kind of... a hot mess. I'll point you toward he-who-shall-not-be-named-at-head-fi: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/nuforce-udac-2-drama.html Some people still really like the actual sound, but at least know what you're getting into. ;)
 
How about the Audio-dg NFB-12? How would it fair with lower impendance loads? EDIT: Looked it up it's a 2ohm output impedance

Bringing the output impedance into question I am now considering just the E7. Have a slightly used NFB-12 I am inquiring about and will possibly get that.
 
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Bun-Bun said:
How about the Audio-dg NFB-12? How would it fair with lower impendance loads? EDIT: Looked it up it's a 2ohm output impedance

Bringing the output impedance into question I am now considering just the E7. Have a slightly used NFB-12 I am inquiring about and will possibly get that.
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Stay away from the uDac-2 for HP. It's okay as a DAC but the HP out is pretty much like onboard sound minus the hiss. I got the uDac-2 mostly because I needed something small and tough for putting in my backpack when traveling. I wouldn't waste my money on FiiO products as a desktop solution. They're kind of like PC speakers. You only think they're good because you haven't tried real speakers yet. The Audio-gd NFB-12 is a bargain as a DAC and HP amp. I wouldn't worry too much about a 2ohm output impedance.
 
superballz00 said:
Stay away from the uDac-2 for HP. It's okay as a DAC but the HP out is pretty much like onboard sound minus the hiss. I got the uDac-2 mostly because I needed something small and tough for putting in my backpack when traveling. I wouldn't waste my money on FiiO products as a desktop solution. They're kind of like PC speakers. You only think they're good because you haven't tried real speakers yet. The Audio-gd NFB-12 is a bargain as a DAC and HP amp. I wouldn't worry too much about a 2ohm output impedance.
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I disagree with this setiment regarding FiiO products as I consider PC speakers to be a complete waste of money/poor quality/cheaply built and designed product where the majority of FiiO products IMHO are none of the ladder. I will concede that the Audio-gd NFB-12 is also a good choice but will refer back to an earlier post regarding how much sound color you are looking for.

In addition you have to consider the flexibility of the unit, do you want to go portable?

Also if you get the E9 there is a new FiiO DAC (huge upgrade) in the works that will work with the E9 as well as other DACs you can use from other companies, so that's something to consider.
 
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Now are we talking PC speakers as in Logitech or PC speakers as in Klipsch or those new corsair ones? lol

Generalization's are bad lol
 
havermeyer said:
The uDAC-2 is kind of... a hot mess. I'll point you toward he-who-shall-not-be-named-at-head-fi: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/nuforce-udac-2-drama.html Some people still really like the actual sound, but at least know what you're getting into. ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, he's got a bunch of interesting articles/reviews, spent an hour there this afternoon. The guy definitely cares about what he's writing about, he responds to almost every single darn comment on the blog...
 
Impulse said:
Thanks for that link, he's got a bunch of interesting articles/reviews, spent an hour there this afternoon. The guy definitely cares about what he's writing about, he responds to almost every single darn comment on the blog...
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Not a problem. I've gotten back into headphone computer audio after a several year hiatus and have been trying to find an amp (preferably DIY; I want some soldering fun) well suited for my old (and well loved) Grado SR225 (visions of an upgrade to the HF-2 also dance in my head) and my new HD598.

The Millett Hybrid MiniMAX was leading (I've never played with tubes, so there was some novelty there) until I found nwavguy's Objective2 (O2) amp. The highly technical, measurement-driven nature appeals to my engineering background, while the 'one size fits (nearly) all' goal fills a big void in low-ish priced (~$30 amp section, ~$100 DIY with power supply and case, ~$150 built for you) headphone amps. Talks of 'extra-magical cryogenically-treated uber super speed silver-plated with an ultra mega extremely low oxygen copper core' speaker wire stands is my biggest pet peeves in audio.

Now I just need to decide whether I grab a board for the O2 now or wait a little while longer for his promised (in December) desktop version of the O2 with (hopefully) companion 24/96 over USB DAC (the ODA). The Galaxy Nexus wait has seriously compromised my patience.:eek:

Back to the OP, I would probably grab a Fiio E7 if you aren't planning on buying any high impedance cans in the near future and like portability. Or a Fiio E10 mentioned by several people here. "The Dark Lord" seems to think it has good potential (compared to the E7 he also liked other than some firmware annoyances), but I haven't found any objective tests of it yet.

He also is big on hating Audio-gd. The op amp test he is fond of linking to by another audio engineer (http://www.sg-acoustics.ch/analogue_audio/ic_opamps/index.html) that shows dismal performance out of a couple of Audio-gd's discrete op amps makes me cringe.

I'm perhaps a little less objective in my audio views; I want good measurements and sound designs, but ultimately the sound (I like) is what matters to me. I love the Grado "house sound" despite being less technically precise/neutral than other headphones around. That being said, perception bias/cognitive dissonance with your Chinese eBay bargain-of-the-century DAC+amp filled with 'audiophile parts' and described in 'audiophile terms' while lacking any objective measurements is a concern.
 
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Well I ordered the E7 even though I feel like maybe I should have waited for the E17.

Still have my eye on a NFB-12 though. I really would like a desktop device. Having the E7 here at work just seems it would be too cumbersome and look awful on the desk with cables hanging out. And of everything around the $200 mark it seems to come down to the Maverick or the Audio-gd both of which get great reviews.

Other then this recently posted link. That's the first negative I have seen about Audio-gd.
 
dcfn0006.jpg


If you can afford it, don't think twice about making building both an O2 and ODA(whenever info is released). It's super transportable (wouldn't call it portable) if you want to take your amp on a trip or back and forth to work.

edit: I left the 9V battery terminals off the board for now since I really only needed an AC powered unit for the near future.
 
He also praises other products that have gotten a lot of flak.

I think it may be personal bias in that situation.

Audinst HUD-MX1 is another to consider.

I am kinda leaning away from using USB though. Would prefer coax input I think.

Maybe a DIY project is more what I am looking for here now since I have the E7 coming.
 
Got my E7 today.

Impressed with the build quality and overall function of the unit. Definitely fills the niche it was designed for.

However functionally it just doesn't do what I want. It came with the dock connector so it has a line out for use with computer speakers but what they dont tell you is with that dock connector plugged in the headphone jacks no longer output anything. So to switch from computer speakers to headphones you have to disconnect the cables and recconect what you want. A hassle.

But I love it on my ipod.

So still on the hunt for a desktop unit.

The Maverick Tubemagic
Audio-gd NFB-12
Audinst HUD-MX1
E-MU 0202 USB
 
I got my Fiio E10 today and am quite impressed with it. I'm using my Corsair HS1A headset (32 ohm) until Christmas, and with the E10's bass boost on these anemic headphones are now bearable. Crank the volume to max and there's zero hiss, and no strange noises when working on the desktop using the hard drive.

The only issue I've had was with Skyrim, I had to drop down the Win7 audio output from 24bit@96KHz to 24bit@48KHz for some reason as I was getting random clicking noises. The music in the game sounds amazing now, and the sounds have a way clearer direction.

Using my Crystal Method - Vegas CD as a reference, I had an issue with not being able to turn it off, as it has never sounded this good before.

With no other real audio equipment experience (couple sets of $100 Sennheisers in the past, still use one), but having an appreciation of good sound, I am 100% satisfied with this tiny unit. I really can't wait to plug in some Beyer 990's in a month!
 
Yes as a standalone unit the FiiO is great. What I am most impressed by it is the channel seperation and imaging. I was not expecting this by itself to improve the ipod's SQ by so much but it truly is amazing.
 
Well I pulled the trigger on the Audinst. Good reviews, simple unit. Free shipping. Fast service (the thing has already shipped!).



We'll see when it gets here!
 
Got the Audinst on friday.

Wow. Fast shipping, got to me in Canada in 4 days from shipping. No customs or duty or taxes. Free shipping from them.

Packaging is great. Comes with USB, RCA, and power brick. Very impressed with everything so far.

Unit works great. Heaphone amp was nicer on the E7 though. Less noise (although the Audinst is still very low noise) and it seemed to drive my headphones a bit better. EDIT: Im running through USB power right now though. Maybe it will be better with the power brick?

That said the soundstage, imaging, and channel seperation are all distincly better on the Audinst. As soon as I started listening through it I noticed things I never heard before in some of my tracks. Very happy with the purchase. Only thing I would like is a jumper to change the line out to non variable.
 
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