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Baby Steps

post #1 of 2
11/19/11 at 9:44pm
Thread Starter 

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to the headphone scene. A few months ago I got my first pair of "real" headphones, DT 770 Pro 80's. I compared them to ATH-M50's and much preferred the sound signature of the 770's. The only thing I liked more about the M50's was that they were plenty loud plugged straight into my laptop. My 770's are a bit quiet - with sound check on in iTunes I sometimes have to turn the volume up all the way!

 

So the big question is, which desktop amp should I start with? budget = $100+/-

 

Looking for USB powered with or without DAC, since I figure no DAC in that price range is gonna be any better than my MacBook...

 

From what I've read so far I'm about to order a FiiO E10, just wanted to get some last minute second opinions. 

 

 

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post #2 of 2
11/21/11 at 7:49pm
I was looking into dac/amp portable combos. The iBasso D-Zero is a great competitor to the Fiio E7 and wins out by a slim margin. I contacted iBasso and they informed me that it will be able to power headphones up to 300 ohms, though I wont get much loudness/battery life out of it. I specifically mentioned the 80 ohm 770's and they said that would be a very good match up. I'd go with the iBasso D-Zero.

I ended up buying Fiio E11 because I already have a desktop USB powered DAC and I dont need a portable one if I have my ipod and stuff with me. the E11 is also a very good choice, but it doesnt charge while in use, and that is a tad bit of a limiting factor. D-Zero is able to charge/use at the same time (obviously).

You'll get the added benefit from the DAC that way too, rather than just the amp. I'd say that its a much better purchase than the E10 given that it is upgrading 2 things at once and is completely within your budget.
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