Please suggest a DAC + Amp for my brand new HE-400 - Page 2

Would an iPod Touch 3rd Gen paired with an LOD FiiO 11 sound good with these headphones?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHP53 

Would an iPod Touch 3rd Gen paired with an LOD FiiO 11 sound good with these headphones?

I would assume so, My Fiio E11 can drive my DT880 600-Ohm and the HE-400s are only 38-Ohms.

Ohm do not tell the whole story, buy it's usually in the ball park, somewhere.

I am in a very similar situation. I'm getting my HE-400 in the next 2 weeks.  right now i have a yulong u100 (nice $225 usb dac/amp combo, check out the review ), which honestly I really like and i will try them out with the yulong for a little while before I actually jump on anything.  however i have had that dac/amp for quite a while and i kind of just want to change it up.  I have always wanted some tubes, and im having trouble finding a nice hybrid amp around the $200-300 range to use with the dac in the yulong.

short version: anyone have any recommendations for a $200-300 hybrid tube amp?

edit: just a funny coincidence but i also have that same laptop for school lol, however all my stuff is plugged into my desktop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atriya 

Okay, so I've narrowed down to the following combinations, for use with my HE-400:

 

1. ODAC + O2
2. Dacport LX + (either the JDSLabs MCoy or Fiio E11)

 

Both options total to just under $300. Which would you recommend and why? Which would have best synergy with the HE-400? LX+MCoy is more portable of course, but that's not a big factor for me - sound quality and synergy is the priority.

Try asking here.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/604583/hifiman-he-400-review

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneman890 

I am in a very similar situation. I'm getting my HE-400 in the next 2 weeks.  right now i have a yulong u100 (nice $225 usb dac/amp combo, check out the review ), which honestly I really like and i will try them out with the yulong for a little while before I actually jump on anything.  however i have had that dac/amp for quite a while and i kind of just want to change it up.  I have always wanted some tubes, and im having trouble finding a nice hybrid amp around the $200-300 range to use with the dac in the yulong.

 

short version: anyone have any recommendations for a $200-300 hybrid tube amp?

 

edit: just a funny coincidence but i also have that same laptop for school lol, however all my stuff is plugged into my desktop

Try asking HE400 questions here, were your fellow HE-400 owners reside.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/604583/hifiman-he-400-review

I did a review of the O2 in the HE-400 thread.

I am not using the ODAC, but I can vouch for the amp. It should offer anyone plenty of power. It is probably a safe bet to stick with the 2.5X and 6.5X gain switch, even though I think 1X and 2.5X would cover most all music needs. The higher gain comes in handy under certain conditions (such as watching a movie, or perhaps using the line-out of a weaker source, like an Mp3 player or a laptop. Your phones measure @ 50 Ohms, not 32 Ohms, and I estimate a solid half-watt or more at that impedance, which can get very loud. The Schiit's 1 watt or so will be slightly louder, but I personally don't think its worth the added cost.

It has a very low output impedance, making it optimized for low impedance to very high impedance phones without a huge power penalty. If the amp impacted sound quality, my impression is that it did so in a positive way, despite some who feel it is an "analytical" and not "musical" sound.

There are many that prefer tube amps and a partial to a colored, warmer sound. I am not one of those people, I purchased mainly to meet power requirements and also to avoid replacing tubes every so often.

If the ODAC is as good as the amp, I think you will have a win-win. I personally will pick up the DAC later, though for now my higher-end laptop puts out a damn good sound into these phones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

 

There are many that prefer tube amps and a partial to a colored, warmer sound. I am not one of those people, I purchased mainly to meet power requirements and also to avoid replacing tubes every so often.

 

What tube amps have you heard with the HE-400 to formulate this opinion? The tubes do not burn out like light bulbs, you can get thousands of hours out of some tubes.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fearless1 

What tube amps have you heard with the HE-400 to formulate this opinion? The tubes do not burn out like light bulbs, you can get thousands of hours out of some tubes.....

All I said was that there are "many" who prefer tubes - and all over the forum it is partly about their ability to "color" the sound in a way which pleases them. Then there is the strange phenomenon of using different tubes to further play with the amps response. I do not own or want to own a tube amp, despite these claims which paint a positive picture.

To me, vacuum tubes are an extra-cost problem. You can get thousands of hours out of a DLP TV Bulb. Yet, you end up buying one every year @ $300 because you watch way more TV than you think!

After pricing out some tubes, and realizing that tube replacement could add hundreds over the life of the amp, I said, "no thanks".

But for those that thing tube amps are the bomb - all the power to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

All I said was that there are "many" who prefer tubes - and all over the forum it is partly about their ability to "color" the sound in a way which pleases them. Then there is the strange phenomenon of using different tubes to further play with the amps response. I do not own or want to own a tube amp, despite these claims which paint a positive picture.

 

To me, vacuum tubes are an extra-cost problem. You can get thousands of hours out of a DLP TV Bulb. Yet, you end up buying one every year @ $300 because you watch way more TV than you think!

 

After pricing out some tubes, and realizing that tube replacement could add hundreds over the life of the amp, I said, "no thanks".

 

But for those that thing tube amps are the bomb - all the power to you.

Exactly what I thought. All the power to you as well.....