Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › Do I Need a Portable Amp?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Do I Need a Portable Amp?

post #1 of 11
11/2/11 at 6:27pm
Thread Starter 

I am new to the forums but I have been a lurker for a while. That being said, I just ordered my first real headphone the Shure SRH440's and I am not sure if I need to get a amp to go with them. They have not been delivered yet but I was looking at the Fiio E6 portable amp and I am not sure if I need it. I know the impedance of the Headphones is 44, I will be using them with a MacBook Pro and iPhone for the most part. I listen to everything from death metal, rap, and jazz if this makes any difference. 

Reply
post #2 of 11
11/2/11 at 6:40pm
I'd say that you dont really NEED it, but its not like you wont benefit. Its not a necessary thing to have in order to get sound out of the headphones, so really it boils down to this: Do you want to slightly inconvenience your wallet and pocket for a slight increase in sound quality?

Heres a proposition for you: Get the Fiio E7 DAC/Amp combo unit. That way you will have absolutely superior quality when it comes to your macbook audio, and you'll still have a no-hassle volume control for your ipod touch. The ipod touch with an LOD cable going to the E7 will sound REALLY nice because the E7's amp is better than the one in the ipod touch.
Reply
post #3 of 11
11/2/11 at 6:54pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks I will look into that. I would like the best performance out of the MacBook but on the go as long as it sounds good I am ok with that. I had looked at the E7 previously but put it aside because of the price difference. 

Reply
post #4 of 11
11/2/11 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbGilley89 View Post

Thanks I will look into that. I would like the best performance out of the MacBook but on the go as long as it sounds good I am ok with that. I had looked at the E7 previously but put it aside because of the price difference. 



It boils down to what you are looking for. And of course what your budget is. the E7 is a good choice for the budget conscious. I started off with this little amp and have parted ways with her. I use a UHA4 amp now for my portable Amp/Dac needs. I don't use the DAC though honestly as the DACport LX has taken that place.

Reply
post #5 of 11
11/2/11 at 7:26pm
Thread Starter 

I was wanting something fairly inexpensive. The E7 would be about the most I would want to spend, I spent less on the headphones than what it costs. That is why I was originally looking at the E6 because I can get it on sale for $25 off of amazon. But I DAC capability with the MacBook could pay off. 

Reply
post #6 of 11
11/2/11 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbGilley89 View Post

I was wanting something fairly inexpensive. The E7 would be about the most I would want to spend, I spent less on the headphones than what it costs. That is why I was originally looking at the E6 because I can get it on sale for $25 off of amazon. But I DAC capability with the MacBook could pay off. 



Then E7 would be a decent value. Then later down the road you can always upgrade your headphones and see where you stand then. good luck.

Reply
post #7 of 11
11/3/11 at 4:38pm
Yeah even though you have cheap headphones you'll notice a difference out of the macbook pro and still have decent audio quality on the go. Later on you can upgrade your headphones to some other pair and notice the extreme difference.

I am assuming, of course, that you have proper source files. like 320kbps mp3 or lossless or something.
Reply
post #8 of 11
11/3/11 at 5:16pm

Couldn't hurt.  My advice would be to test it back to back against the built-in amp and if it's not worth it, return/sell it.  smily_headphones1.gif

Reply
post #9 of 11
11/3/11 at 6:55pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the replies I will pick up the E7. I just got the headphones in today and I am amazed. Never had cans this nice they sound amazing and they are not even broke in yet. Big upgrade from some cheap Skullcandy headphones. 

Reply
post #10 of 11
11/3/11 at 7:03pm
Just reiterating: get your files into a nice high quality format if they arent already. I dunno what format/bitrate itunes downloads in but im pretty sure it compared to 192kbps mp3. If thats the case, get on to the pirate bay and redownload everything in 320kbps mp3 or flac.

I have all my stuff in flac because I figured its better for me to start early if one day i'm gonna have an end-game rig.
Reply
post #11 of 11
11/3/11 at 7:05pm
Thread Starter 

Yeah I would say 2/3 of my files are 320kbps and I am slowly replacing the lower files a few at a time. 

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Portable Headphone Amps
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › Do I Need a Portable Amp?