[Gmork]

I need the absolute cheapest dac+amp or dac/amp or sound card that will sufficiently drive FA-011 150 ohm cans with good sound quality.
 
It HAS to be cheap, I have no exact budget but the cheaper the better without sacrificing too much.  
 
I'm very new to amping and I'm really looking for someone to give me simple advice.
 
I also have no problems doing something DIY if someone has any information on that, I have professional soldering experience so if that's a good way to go, please lay it on me. 

 

[Head Injury]

So, how many threads have you made on this subject now?

 

[JGOelfke]

^ there probably wouldn't be as many if you'd give a suggestion rather than a bashing comment...
 
Gmork - 
 
One DAC/Amp combo I was looking at for a long time is the Firestone Fubar III MK II. It has a received a lot of good feedback, as well as Firestone Audio in general, and would definitely be able to power 150 ohm cans. It does cost $227, so it isn't exactly the best budget DAC/Amp...
 
Another good one to consider is the FiiO E7/E9 combo. This one runs about $220 as well, but for what you get, it's a great value for a beginner/budget DAC/Amp.
 
 

 

[Gmork]

Quote:

So, how many threads have you made on this subject now?

I'm learning things as I go; for instance I just learned in a previous thread that I probably need a DAC and an amp and that its probably better to get a standalone version rather than a PC soundcard which was my original intention.
 
They really aren't the same threads and I was told it would be a good idea to make new threads rather than modify existing ones that aren't really the same subject.
 
And yes, I haven't gotten any information about what I'm looking for so I'm pretty sure this thread is relevant and necessary to my needs.
 
 
 
Those two suggestions are out of my price range for sure.  Something I'm considering is the Musila 02/03 which is still pricey but much more reasonable.  I've been reading and it seems they have a good DAC and okay built in amp for up to 300 ohms, can you comment on whether or not this is a good choice for these cans?  It seems like a much cheaper solution.
 
 
 

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

And yes, I haven't gotten any information about what I'm looking for so I'm pretty sure this thread is relevant and necessary to my needs.

I've given you recommendations. Here.
 
You seem to have misread my post, though. I wasn't suggesting you get the E7+E9. I was suggesting you get the E7 or E10, without the E9. Either of those are powerful enough.
 
If you want information:
 
The Fischer FA-011 has an impedance of 160 ohms and a sensitivity of 98dB/mW. As a result, in order to reach peak volumes of 110dB (often considered "well driven", and much more than most people will ever need), you need 16mW of power into 160 ohms. This equates to 1.6Vrms. Into 150 ohms, which is close enough, the Fiio E7 remains under 0.01% THD+N at 1.6Vrms, and can output 1.87Vrms before clipping. 0.01% THD+N is about one fifth as much as what's usually considered audible (which is 0.05%). At more realistic voltage levels, it stays at about 0.006% THD+N, nearly an order of magnitude below 0.05%. It is a good option for you.
 
I'm assuming it's 98dB/mW and not 98dB/V. If it's 98dB/V it's one of the hardest headphones to drive in the world, and would need an amp five times more powerful. I highly doubt that's the case 

 

[Gmork]

Quote:

I've given you recommendations. Here.
 
You seem to have misread my post, though. I wasn't suggesting you get the E7+E9. I was suggesting you get the E7 or E10, without the E9. Either of those are powerful enough.
 
If you want information:
 
The Fischer FA-011 has an impedance of 160 ohms and a sensitivity of 98dB/mW. As a result, in order to reach peak volumes of 110dB (often considered "well driven", and much more than most people will ever need), you need 16mW of power into 160 ohms. This equates to 1.6Vrms. Into 150 ohms, which is close enough, the Fiio E7 remains under 0.01% THD+N at 1.6Vrms, and can output 1.87Vrms before clipping. 0.01% THD+N is about one fifth as much as what's usually considered audible (which is 0.05%). At more realistic voltage levels, it stays at about 0.006% THD+N, nearly an order of magnitude below 0.05%. It is a good option for you.
 
I'm assuming it's 98dB/mW and not 98dB/V. If it's 98dB/V it's one of the hardest headphones to drive in the world, and would need an amp five times more powerful. I highly doubt that's the case 

 
 

I appreciate what you posted in the other thread but I've decided not to go with a Xonar and you only posted one real combo suggestion.  Again, I appreciate that, but I would obviously like a much greater range of suggestions than just one line by one company, I don't think that's too extreme. 
  
I also didn't know before if I needed just a DAC, an amp with it, or if a combo would drive it enough.  The post you just made was helpful in explaining that, but let me ask you if you think i'll get better SQ going with an E10 over an E7?  Are the other good brand choices?
 
​

 

 

[Gmork]

Also, would a DIY do the job?
 
I'm looking into maybe constructing a Piment V2 or Mini3 if they're suitable.  Will either of these work by themselves or would I need an additional DAC to go with it.
 
I'd really like to find a plan for a non portable variant, or (I don't even know if this exists) a DIY DAC/Amp combo.

 

[John In Cali]

CMoy probably wouldn't drive 160 ohm.
You could build an O2 amp for less than 70 depending on what case you use. It is supposed to be the most accurate amp in existence, im going to listen to it tomorrow, ill tell you how it goes.
For DAC the Hifiman Express HM-101 for $40 should do you well.

 

[Hifianddrumming]

 I would probably get the E10. It's omly about 80 bucks, it has a 24/96 DAC, with an amp section. For 80, that's something I would recommend. I haven't personally heard it, but I've heard that for the price, it's unbelievable.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

I appreciate what you posted in the other thread but I've decided not to go with a Xonar and you only posted one real combo suggestion.  Again, I appreciate that, but I would obviously like a much greater range of suggestions than just one line by one company, I don't think that's too extreme. 
  
I also didn't know before if I needed just a DAC, an amp with it, or if a combo would drive it enough.  The post you just made was helpful in explaining that, but let me ask you if you think i'll get better SQ going with an E10 over an E7?  Are the other good brand choices?
​

I'm not recommending a sound card now. I recommended the Fiio gear in that post as well.
 
The E7 and E10 have basically the same amp, just the E7 has a battery for portable use and screen thing to display volume, and the E10's DAC supports 24/96. They'll probably sound the exact same.
 
There's really no other good brands at this price range that I know of. Hifiman has some equipment, but none of it has been tested like Fiio stuff. Nuforce stuff has been tested and should be avoided.
 
John In Cali, the Objective2 is not the most accurate amp in existence. That's a misnomer. It's a brilliant all-rounder that should be transparent and loud with every headphone (at least on AC) but there are amps that measure better than it in some aspects. The Benchmark DAC1's amp for example, but the DAC1 costs $995 so I suppose that's fair. The O2 is probably the most accurate amp under $200 or $300, at least. Gmork could pick up one with a Behringer UCA202 DAC, but O2 boards seem to be pretty hard to get a hold of right now. I think there's a second group buy starting.

 

[Gmork]

Quote:

I'm not recommending a sound card now. I recommended the Fiio gear in that post as well.
 
The E7 and E10 have basically the same amp, just the E7 has a battery for portable use and screen thing to display volume, and the E10's DAC supports 24/96. They'll probably sound the exact same.
 
There's really no other good brands at this price range that I know of. Hifiman has some equipment, but none of it has been tested like Fiio stuff. Nuforce stuff has been tested and should be avoided.
 
John In Cali, the Objective2 is not the most accurate amp in existence. That's a misnomer. It's a brilliant all-rounder that should be transparent and loud with every headphone (at least on AC) but there are amps that measure better than it in some aspects. The Benchmark DAC1's amp for example, but the DAC1 costs $995 so I suppose that's fair. The O2 is probably the most accurate amp under $200 or $300, at least. Gmork could pick up one with a Behringer UCA202 DAC, but O2 boards seem to be pretty hard to get a hold of right now. I think there's a second group buy starting.

Jdslabs seems to have the PCB for $10 in stock.  The more I'm reading about it, the more it seems like I should just attempt to build an O2 and save myself a ton of cash.
 
Then I would just need an inexpensive DAC right?  Here's something that I've been considering after doing some reading: do I really need a DAC if my onboard is pretty decent?  I have an MSI P45 Neo3-FR mobo that uses a realtek ALC888.  The specs for it are here:http://www.realtek.com/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=135
 
I may be way off, but the specs look better than those of the E7, and I also get zero noise even with my volume maxed.  As far as I know e7 can only do 16 bit/44 KHz, and I do have a large flac collection so that's a big concern.  It seems like my onboard audio is actually going to outperform the E7 from a DAC standpoint, and then I could just build an O2 for an amp and be ready to rock.  Thoughts?
 
*edit*  I also have an old Lexicon Alpha audio interface which says it can do up to 24 bit/48KHz...I was never super impressed by the sound quality but maybe that will work too.

 

[mindvenom12]

The smsl sd793-II has really great reviews and am going to be purchasing for my setup. Here is the link: Black | Silver they aren't very expensive.