Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › Recommended DAC/Amps for ~$50 Canadian?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Recommended DAC/Amps for ~$50 Canadian?

post #1 of 10
6/25/12 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 

Hey there! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and I currently have a pair of XB500s and M50's on hand. I was wondering what amps would benefit  these two headphones the most at this price range. I use a laptop as my main source, and it doesn't have the greatest sound card built into it. Would I benefit from using a USB DAC instead of the normal 3.5mm jack or can I just use a normal amp hooked up to the laptop via the cable? Thanks!


Edited by shumtastic - 6/25/12 at 5:51pm
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 10
6/25/12 at 6:06pm

A DAC+Amp combination can *potentially* be better.

Most popular option around here for your budget is the Fiio.

Reply
post #3 of 10
6/25/12 at 6:07pm
Thread Starter 

Which Fiio are you talking about? I see plenty of them on headphonebar's site atm.

Reply
post #4 of 10
6/25/12 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shumtastic View Post

Hey there! I'm new to the audiophile scene, and I currently have a pair of XB500s and M50's on hand. I was wondering what amps would benefit  these two headphones the most at this price range. I use a laptop as my main source, and it doesn't have the greatest sound card built into it. Would I benefit from using a USB DAC instead of the normal 3.5mm jack or can I just use a normal amp hooked up to the laptop via the cable? Thanks!

Asus Xonar U3 USB sound card ($40)

Fiio E10 USB DAC headphone amplifier ($75)

Reply
post #5 of 10
6/25/12 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleAngel View Post

Asus Xonar U3 USB sound card ($40)

Fiio E10 USB DAC headphone amplifier ($75)

 

Is the xonar worth it? It seems to be a normal everyday sound card.

Reply
post #6 of 10
6/25/12 at 6:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shumtastic View Post

Is the Xonar worth it? It seems to be a normal everyday sound card.

I'm sure your laptop uses a very low cost DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) and crude line-out that pretend to be a headphone jack.

You could try a cmoy headphone amplifier, sold on eBay (but does not come with a DAC), prices start at $30.

At $50, you do not have a lot of options.

Reply
post #7 of 10
6/25/12 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleAngel View Post

I'm sure your laptop uses a very low cost DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) and crude line-out that pretend to be a headphone jack.

You could try a cmoy headphone amplifier, sold on eBay (but does not come with a DAC), prices start at $30.

At $50, you do not have a lot of options.

Possibly, I'll go look at other DACs as well. Do you think the JDS CmoyBB is worth $60 though?


Edited by shumtastic - 6/25/12 at 6:59pm
Reply
post #8 of 10
6/26/12 at 12:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shumtastic View Post

Possibly, I'll go look at other DACs as well. Do you think the JDS CmoyBB is worth $60 though?

 

The CmoyBB is only an amp, right?

Another advice I can give is to wait and save some more. In 200-250 range you'll have plenty of options.

Reply
post #9 of 10
6/26/12 at 2:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by proton007 View Post

 

The CmoyBB is only an amp, right?

Another advice I can give is to wait and save some more. In 200-250 range you'll have plenty of options.

 

 

Yeah, it's amp only. I'd be willing to just get an amp as I'm sure neither my phone or laptop properly drive my headphones anyways. I'll buy a dedicated sound card down the road when I get a desktop.

Reply
post #10 of 10
6/26/12 at 8:12pm

Save $150 and get the Fiio E17. It is an AMP/DAC. Hook it up to your computers spdif and you can use the E17 DAC with 24/192 processing. Much better than my creative X-Fi music card.

You can't go wrong with the E17.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Portable Headphone Amps

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › Recommended DAC/Amps for ~$50 Canadian?