Using the J3 with an amp

Even though mp3 players do not have line-out, you can use headphone amplifiers for better sound. But, I think, it depends on what headphones you are using. If they are low impedance, high sensitivity ones, I guess you do not need amps.

I use mine with a cheap but decent amp in the T3 and I like it better. I use it mostly for the added power and the better volume control. I may be in the minority that feels you can amp when it's not a line out but I like it and nothing else matters.

My IEM is SE530, and it does not necessarily need amps. Most of IEMs will be the same.

I just put a Cowon J3 (32gb) into my AmazonTote account along with a pair of BeyerDynamic DT770/600 ohm cans, and I ordered a Practical Devices XM5 portable DAC/amp.

I'll see how it goes, amp-wise. Not that I've had any experience with amps, portable or otherwise, though. >_>

-- Griffinhart

Ancient bump, but it's relative, so I hope no one hates me for this?

Anyhow, I finally got the things I mentioned above (there were shipping issues with the XM5, but it was not Practical Devices' fault - the US Postal Service was forwarding my mail to an address I no longer lived at).

All I can say is: yes. J3 + XM5 + DT770 = wonderful. When I lacked an amp, the bass was weak and lacked any sort of dynamism - I mean, I recognize passages that were supposed to have bass as having bass, but I couldn't actually feel it. Not so with the XM5 as part of the set up. I can't really describe the sound, seeing as my audio vocabulary is lacking in definition, but when I listen to a bass-dynamic track (such as "Aura" from the .hack//SIGN OST, or "From the Roof Top ~ Somewhere in the Silence" from the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society OST), I can actually feel a sound-pressure difference between different levels (is that the right term?) of bass (and the difference between bass and treble is worlds apart, like it should be).

-- Griffinhart

Just unpacked my Fiio E11 and its charging now, haven't tried it yet.

Considering my Cowon J3 doesn't have a proper line out, what would you recommend to set the volume at on the J3 when using with an external amp?

Personally, I have my J3's headout set to maximum and do all the volume control with my amp (Practical Devices XM6 now). If you've got a particularly sensitive pair of phones, maybe lowering the headout volume would be better.

(I typically listen to my J3 with my DT770s, which, at 600 ohms of impedance, aren't particularly sensitive - at least, not compared to, say, my KSC75s.)

-- Griffinhart

Using the search function it would appear that the majority recommend using about 60-70% of max volume of a DAP into a portable amp.

I'm listening via my Cowon J3 and Fiio E11 with the J3 set at 26/40. Really pleased with the results - the E11 brings more solidity and control.