[jferreir]

I'm looking to buy a pair of Ortofon e-Q5 earphones; I've owned these previously, and they're my favourite go-to IEMs for general use. Having never owned an amp or DAC before, I'm curious if either would improve the performance of these IEMs. Here are the specs for the Ortofon e-Q5:

1. Audio engine：Balanced armature driver stereo inner earphone​
2. Frequency response：10 - 20,000Hz -3dB
   ​
3. Impedance: 40 ohms +/- 25%
   ​
4. Max. input：20mW
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5. Sensitivity：117dB +/-3dB 1 K Hz/1m W
   ​
6. Operational temperature：15℃ ～ +40℃
   ​
7. Cable：1.2m (4 ft) cable strands are made of oxygen free copper wires with 3.5mm stereo plug
   ​
8. Total weight：16g​

 
For portable use, I plan on using the Ortofon's with my iPhone 6 and no amp/DAC (too cumbersome). So, I'm only interested in how an amp/DAC would improve the sound quality through my laptop computer (Macbook Pro). Given the high sensitivity rating of these IEMs, I'm guessing a headphone amp is unnecessary? How would a DAC improve the sound quality, if at all? How do you match a DAC with high sensitivity IEMs, and are there any models that are known to work well with the Ortofon e-Q5s? Truthfully, I don't know the difference between an amp and DAC, other than the amp increases the gain and the DAC completely reconstructs the signal path.
 
I'm really just trying to understand if either would be appropriate for my intended use. I also rescued a vintage Marantz 2265B receiver, so if I could somehow incorporate a headphone amp/DAC with that, let me know how! That's currently in the shop getting serviced.

 

[cel4145]

The headphone output on vintage receivers is typically not designed for use with low impedance headphones. You should try it and decide for yourself. You say you "rescued" the Marantz 2265B? Old receivers often need some refurbishing of electronics to sound their best.

Your MAC and iPhone should easily power the Ortofon e-Q5. A DAC/headphone amp might reduce noise (if there is any), and could improve the detail resolution. But you don't need the additional power of a headphone amp.

Some headphone amps don't handle low impedance, high sensitivity IEMs well because you get background hiss. The best way to find out which headphone amps work well with your IEMs is to google search for owners/impressions threads on Head-Fi for amps you are interested in and see what people say about their performance with low impedance, high sensitivity IEMs.

You don't need to "match a DAC" as the goal of a DAC is accurate sound reproduction. Just get the best quality DAC in that regard. You might or might not find the sound improvement from a better DAC over your MAC significant. Depends on the quality of the new DAC and then it's a personal subjective evaluation.

 

[jferreir]

The headphone output on vintage receivers is typically not designed for use with low impedance headphones. You should try it and decide for yourself. You say you "rescued" the Marantz 2265B? Old receivers often need some refurbishing of electronics to sound their best.

Your MAC and iPhone should easily power the Ortofon e-Q5. A DAC/headphone amp might reduce noise (if there is any), and could improve the detail resolution. But you don't need the additional power of a headphone amp.

Some headphone amps don't handle low impedance, high sensitivity IEMs well because you get background hiss. The best way to find out which headphone amps work well with your IEMs is to google search for owners/impressions threads on Head-Fi for amps you are interested in and see what people say about their performance with low impedance, high sensitivity IEMs.

You don't need to "match a DAC" as the goal of a DAC is accurate sound reproduction. Just get the best quality DAC in that regard. You might or might not find the sound improvement from a better DAC over your MAC significant. Depends on the quality of the new DAC and then it's a personal subjective evaluation.

 
Thanks for the helpful reply. After posting, I did a bit more research and figured much of this out.
 
Being high sensitivity, low impedance IEMs, the Ortofon e-Q5 likely won't benefit from amplification. If anything, amplification alone would likely increase the noise floor. Both the iPhone and Macbook Pro are sufficient to drive these very efficient IEMs, but there has always been some unwanted noise of hums, hisses and clicks (mainly on the Macbook Pro). Enter DAC. I actually found the perfect solution, which is a combined DAC/Amp that's designed specifically for plug n' play use with laptops. There's the well known 1.2 Dragonfly, or what I just ordered, the Schiit Fulla. For $80, I figured it was worth a try. It's apparently great for low-impedance IEMs, and they claim the noise floor is drastically reduced. We'll see...
 
Oh, and about that Marantz, I was thinking of a multi-input DAC that would allow me to connect both my Macbook Pro as well as portable devices, with RCA outputs. This way, when friends come over to visit, I can simply attach their phone/device to the DAC, which would then connect to the receiver and play through the speakers.
 
The Marantz was a curbside find, but it's in damn good shape. There's a few burnt out lamps and the pots need to be cleaned, but the caps are in excellent shape and the unit is perfect cosmetic condition otherwise. I really can't believe someone would just throw it away -- a know-nothing hipster would easily spend $100 just for the looks. Anyhow, the unit is currently in the shop getting a do-over ;o)

 

[cel4145]

Thanks for the helpful reply. After posting, I did a bit more research and figured much of this out.

Being high sensitivity, low impedance IEMs, the Ortofon e-Q5 likely won't benefit from amplification. If anything, amplification alone would likely increase the noise floor. Both the iPhone and Macbook Pro are sufficient to drive these very efficient IEMs, but there has always been some unwanted noise of hums, hisses and clicks (mainly on the Macbook Pro). Enter DAC. I actually found the perfect solution, which is a combined DAC/Amp that's designed specifically for plug n' play use with laptops. There's the well known 1.2 Dragonfly, or what I just ordered, the Schiit Fulla. For $80, I figured it was worth a try. It's apparently great for low-impedance IEMs, and they claim the noise floor is drastically reduced. We'll see...

Oh, and about that Marantz, I was thinking of a multi-input DAC that would allow me to connect both my Macbook Pro as well as portable devices, with RCA outputs. This way, when friends come over to visit, I can simply attach their phone/device to the DAC, which would then connect to the receiver and play through the speakers.

I've heard good things about the Fulla. You should try it with your Marantz and see how it does

The Marantz was a curbside find, but it's in damn good shape. There's a few burnt out lamps and the pots need to be cleaned, but the caps are in excellent shape and the unit is perfect cosmetic condition otherwise. I really can't believe someone would just throw it away -- a know-nothing hipster would easily spend $100 just for the looks. Anyhow, the unit is currently in the shop getting a do-over ;o)

Good. You already knew all about the refurbishing. That sounds like a great unit