[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, people need to understand, that volume doesnt 'stack'. The attached amp HAS to be basically around multiple times the power just to gain a noticeable amount of volume boosting.

Basically, if you want 3 extra decibels, the amp has to be 3x as powerful as the Mixamp. Desktop amps like the E9 or Magni would be around 4x-5x as powerful, which is why you would gain some noticeable volume over the Mixamp.

Also, the gain on the amp is also important. My old SA-31 was stupid powerful, but the gain setting was too low for double-amping duty.

 

[UnreelWorld]

OK, cool, thx for the info... mixamp @ 32ohms is 70mwatts. I'll do some searching for high power portable amps and see what I come up with

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, people need to understand, that volume doesnt 'stack'. The attached amp HAS to be basically around multiple times the power just to gain a noticeable amount of volume boosting.

Basically, if you want 3 extra decibels, the amp has to be 3x as powerful as the Mixamp. Desktop amps like the E9 or Magni would be around 4x-5x as powerful, which is why you would gain some noticeable volume over the Mixamp.

Also, the gain on the amp is also important. My old SA-31 was stupid powerful, but the gain setting was too low for double-amping duty.

I honestly don't know what determines final volume output, but all you need to know is that a porgable amp is not gonna boost volume enough. Perhaps the E12 might.

70mw at 32ohm is quite low. To compare, the E9k has over 12x the power at that impedance.

 

[UnreelWorld]

Looks like the Fiio E12 should have enough juice:
 
Mixamp 5.8 70mW@32Ω 
-----------------------
Fiio E09 900mW@32Ω 
Fiio E12 880mW@32Ω
Fiio E11 180 mW@32Ω 
 
Does the integrate DAC screw things up for my Mixamp Dolby signal vs straight up amp?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The E12 doesn't have a dac. It's an amp only. And dacs wouldnt interfere with analog inputs. o_o

If you're referring to the Mixamp's DAC, uhh, it's necessary as without it, you can't get Dolby Digital to then convert to DH.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Double post

 

[UnreelWorld]

my bad on the dac on E12.. So specs wise you liked the mixamp combo with E09 desktop, the E12 seems very similar spec wise. i will go ahead and give it a go and report back the results! Thanks for help!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Like I said, it's not just about power. Gain is also a factor. I believe the high gain on the E9K was I THINK 12db. That really gave enough headroom for volume. Dunno what the gain on the E12 is, but it might not be as high, though I'm sure it's not low, knowing Fiio.

 

[UnreelWorld]

MadLust, here's what I found out regarding gain, your opinion please...
 
E09K Gain on=2.15V / Gain off=840mV
E12 <710 mV(Gain:high)
both state: gain 16db
 
That means less than zero to me so did that help? No reason for me to plunk down $130 for a stinker mixamp combo
 
thx!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Just get the E9k or Magni. The E9K on low gain would run into problems adding extra volume to harder to drive cans, but not on high gain. The E12 has less than the E9K on low gain, so I'd skip that. The Magni has a pretty high gain at default, so thats your cheapest solution that works fine for 32ohm cans. The E9k may alter sound quality negatively as its best for 80ohm or higher.

 

[NamelessPFG]

The thing about feeding a signal into an amp is that the amp has to, more or less, filter and balance that signal to line level, and THEN amplify it, undoing anything the amp before it did, unless that amp brickwalled and clipped the signal, killing dynamic range in the process.
 
It's not like a water-cooling loop, where you put two pumps in series and double the flow and/or pressure. Analog audio signals do not work that way.

 

[Hente]

If I have the right, the DT 880s would be the best bang for the buck bet for the best balance between immersion and competitive viability, yes?
I must ready myself for the incoming of the Oculus Rift while still being able to play competitive games on a normal monitor.

 

[conceptionist]

Hey, new on the forum. 
I'm a gamer / hi-fi enthusiast / DJ / music producer and I'm looking good step up from my ****ty TB X31's. I'm looking for a great all around set up with a focus on gaming, but it should also work for movies, heavy music and some music production. So a good mix of analytical and fun sound with decent immersion and big soundstage. Would be super grateful for any input on this:
 
After doing a lot of research of reading this thread and other forums and reviews, I've come to the conclusion that I want to go down the route of Astro Mixamp Pro 2013 (or maybe earlier versions are better if EQ is not needed?) + a great third party headphone + Dx mini clip-on mic.
 
I've already got a NAD C320BEE amp (which I guess will be able to drive the headphones?) and a TC Electronic Twin Impact soundcard for music production, which I'm not sure if it's for any use in this case. It has microphone preamps and sounds great overall. Also, the NAD has EQ for low's and hi's which could render the latest 2013 mixamp EQ feature useless, if I've understood this correctly.
 
So far, I've narrowed down the headphone choice to:
- Beyerdynamic DT990 250 ohms - 125 USD 
- Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohms - 120 USD (Can my NAD really drive this beast? Would it work at all plugged into my Ipod?)
- Sennheiser HD598 - 170 USD
- Sennheiser HD555 modded to 595 - 90 USD
- AKG K702 Annies - 350 USD (really sure not sure if I want to spend that much, though)
 
I play fps, racing and role playing/adventure games (cod, bf3, forza, skyrim, mass effect). I don't professionally compete, but I'd like to be very competitive in the shooters, if that makes sense. Still, I don't want to sacrifice too much bass or immersion for soundwhoring. I'm also gonna use the headphones for movies and some bass heavy music listening / production (hiphop, techno, house, dubstep). 
 
I'm leaning at either the DT990 or the HD598 atm. The 598's would be 50 bucks more though, but I've read Sennheisers in general pair well with the NAD C320BEE. 
 
Thoughts?
 
Thanks

 

[chicolom]

The sennheisers will probably underwhelm with bass heavy music.

 

[conceptionist]

I actually already got a pair of Sennheiser HD-25 II, and they're very aggressive with super heavy bass and sharp treble. Since they're closed they're excellent for DJing and listening to that kind of music. Also got a pair of Grado SR 80 for easy home listening.
 
The one's I'm looking for now has to be more high end, refined, open and have a big soundstage with lots of detail, but without being too boring. Predominant use would be gaming, movies and some music listening, although I think that won't be very much.
 
Maybe the sennheisers are better for that after all as they seem more natural and have bigger soundstage with more accurate positioning and detail? 
 
Also, I have no idea how the Beyers would pair with my NAD. 
 
Thanks
 
Edit:
I just read that my NAD has an headphone jack output of 220 ohm, and that this number should be as low as possible and generally lower than the ohm on the headphones. Would that make the Beyer dt990 / dt880 32 ohm version out of the question? Do you guys think the 250 ohm version could pair well? I don't want to get the 600 ohm's.
 
The actual sound from the BAD C 320BEE headphone amp isn't fantastic by any means from what I've read, but it do pair well with Sennheisers. Sterile, a bit boring, but precise and accurate seems to be common description. I really don't want to fork out more cash for a desktop headphone amp.
 
Threads about the NAD headphone amp:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/97118/nad-c320bee-headphone-output-question
http://www.head-fi.org/t/54591/how-good-is-the-headphone-jack-in-nad-c320bee-stereo-integrated-amplifier