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Need an amp for AKGK701 with Digital/fibre input + built in DAC?

post #1 of 18
11/10/11 at 5:36am
Thread Starter 

Hey...

 

I have an Asus Xonar Essence ST sound card on my computer, which is nice, but doesn't juice the 701's enough, thus I'm chasing an amp.

 

I asked this a while ago and had great advice, however a few things happened and long story short I never ended up getting an amp...

 

I do game professionally (its a hobby.. but I'm good at it ;) haha). 

 

I need an amp with a digital input for an optic cable.

 

That said since its direct from the PS3/Xbox it'll also need a DAC. 

 

So, which DAC? And which AMP?

 

The key for me is loud - a lot of sound gets lost from the open-ear phones so I really need to pump them!!!

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post #2 of 18
11/13/11 at 9:08pm
Thread Starter 

Don't mean to bump but is there no suggestions? =[

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post #3 of 18
11/13/11 at 9:54pm

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but how about the DACmini

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post #4 of 18
11/13/11 at 11:07pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you so much!!! I think that's perfect for what I'm after!!! =D

 

Out of curiosity, how do I calculate the power necessary for the K701s? Obviously my next dumb question would be if they'd be powered ok - but I think they should be fine since its on external power =D

 

The word 'mini' always scares me a bit, but I get that they were just meaning an all in one device..

 

If nobody has anything bad to say about it I'll buy it tomorrow =D

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post #5 of 18
11/13/11 at 11:17pm

the DACMini CX is anything but mini - power and capability wise (drives a total output over a Watt - way more than enough). If it's in your budget - go for it. The 701's need power, but not an absurd amount. 

 

The "mini" name - comes because the form factor will stack with the MacMini computers. 

 

You do have many other very good options at that price point. But the DACMini comes with great specs, and credentials - should be a fine solution. 


Edited by liamstrain - 11/13/11 at 11:22pm
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post #6 of 18
11/14/11 at 12:39am
Thread Starter 


Thats great to hear!! Should be very happy with it =)

Quote:
Originally Posted by liamstrain View Post

the DACMini CX is anything but mini - power and capability wise (drives a total output over a Watt - way more than enough). If it's in your budget - go for it. The 701's need power, but not an absurd amount. 

 

The "mini" name - comes because the form factor will stack with the MacMini computers. 

 

You do have many other very good options at that price point. But the DACMini comes with great specs, and credentials - should be a fine solution. 



 

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post #7 of 18
11/14/11 at 1:20am

.... also check the Mini PCM1793.

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post #8 of 18
11/14/11 at 7:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3nity View Post

.... also check the Mini PCM1793.



That looks good for the price, though I would be curious to actually listen to a unit...

 

However, he would need to get a separate amp... his original request was an amp with a built in dac. 

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post #9 of 18
11/14/11 at 1:01pm

I'd like to ask an additional question as I'm after something similar in terms of a dac/amp combo for my xbox and laptop. Are there any other comparable options < $450 price mark? How does the DacMagic compare?

 

In the short term I'm just running these to Audioengine A5's so theoretically only need the dac but am going to get a set of headphones to keep my girlfriend from going crazy.

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post #10 of 18
11/14/11 at 1:08pm

DacMagic does not have an amp... but it is a very good DAC. Lots of features for its price.

 

Yulong D100, Matrix Quattro or Mini-i, Audio-GD (has several in this price range - the NFB-5 for instance) - are all places to look for solid state combo units. 


Edited by liamstrain - 11/14/11 at 1:11pm
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post #11 of 18
11/14/11 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by liamstrain View Post

DacMagic does not have an amp... but it is a very good DAC. Lots of features for its price.

 

I'm going to be a naysayer and say I wasn't a fan of the DacMagic.  I owned it for a month or so until I compared to cheaper Dacs and felt the sound wasn't the "jump" I was looking for.

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post #12 of 18
11/15/11 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 

One other question..

 

What is 'Fatigue'? 

 

I keep getting told that I should look into WA because they don't fatigue like most other amplifiers - which is good since I'll be doing very heavy listening periods...

 

Not really 100% on what this means or the effect? Is it human ear fatigue or is it an actual hardware fatigue?

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post #13 of 18
11/15/11 at 8:21pm

human ear - A combination of listener fatigue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listener_fatigue) and actual physical discomfort (not pain, though - more, you feel relieved when you remove the headphones).

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post #14 of 18
11/16/11 at 8:13pm
Thread Starter 

Ahhh ok. I get fatigue with a lot of songs I like, just, listen to them then the next week I keep tuning out, can leave a song playing and not even notice I heard it =[ 

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post #15 of 18
11/19/11 at 3:03am
Thread Starter 

Well, I went to buy the DACMini today and got attacked by the sales rep... with a bunch of alternates.

 

I said I'll weigh up my options and get back to them next week - so, I thought I'd ask your thoughts on the following =)

 

DACmini from Centrance Audio $889AUD

http://centrance.com/products/dacmini/cx/

 

Schiit Lyr + Bifrost @ $900AUD Retail - Not sure on a bundle price...

http://schiit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=3

http://schiit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=7

 

They also offered me a bundled deal on the Burson:

HA-160 Headphone Amp + DA160 DAC @ $1,300AUD

 

They also had the NuForce HDP on backorder which was $500 and has toslink input too.

 

Thoughts?? Never heard of Schiit before but they look pretty cool!! =P

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