[Gatecrasher]

Would the DC06 Pro or 04 Pro have enough power for my Hifiman Sandaras?

 

[Polky74]

Would the DC06 Pro or 04 Pro have enough power for my Hifiman Sandaras?

If your question is... do they make the Sundara sound the answer is yes, but if your question is do they make the Sundara sound to its maximum potential the answer is no. Also because (in my experience) no dongle makes even an IEM play at its maximum potential... let alone headphones.

 

[jamato8]

If your question is... do they make the Sundara sound the answer is yes, but if your question is do they make the Sundara sound to its maximum potential the answer is no. Also because (in my experience) no dongle makes even an IEM play at its maximum potential... let alone headphones.

I think it depends upon the IEM and then there is the DC Elite and that, IMO, does bring an IEM to top game.

 

[RIGATIO]

Yeah the Elite drives all my iems to their full potential. Of course, there always can be a better source but thinking this way, the scaling is almost unlimited because you can buy some Accuphase dac and amp for 50k dollars and this will push them even higher.
So thinking realistically, some dongles are more than enough for most iems.
Do I like the sound of the sp1000 more? Yes but only when I'm comparing. I could actually live with the Elite as the only source for driving my iems.

 

[Polky74]

Also in my opinion the Elite can bring certain iems to their maximum, but not all. However, the question concerned the DC04PRO and the Sundara and honestly I don't think that without adequate amplification either the iBasso or the Hifiman will be put in the best conditions to express themselves. In my opinion, the many tests that many reviewers make of dongles and daps connected directly to headphones of a certain thickness are also misleading and I read "the XYZ dongle/dap can easily drive the XYZ headphones" being able to drive is one thing, making it express how should is another. In my experience, among the headphones I own, the only one that manages to play satisfactorily with a dongle (and I'm not saying perfectly) is the HER10D (103db) for the rest they are certainly driven but they certainly cannot express what they they could if placed in optimal conditions. (personal opinion)

 

[sofastreamer]

Also in my opinion the Elite can bring certain iems to their maximum, but not all. However, the question concerned the DC04PRO and the Sundara and honestly I don't think that without adequate amplification either the iBasso or the Hifiman will be put in the best conditions to express themselves. In my opinion, the many tests that many reviewers make of dongles and daps connected directly to headphones of a certain thickness are also misleading and I read "the XYZ dongle/dap can easily drive the XYZ headphones" being able to drive is one thing, making it express how should is another. In my experience, among the headphones I own, the only one that manages to play satisfactorily with a dongle (and I'm not saying perfectly) is the HER10D (103db) for the rest they are certainly driven but they certainly cannot express what they they could if placed in optimal conditions. (personal opinion)

i think it also comes up to your prefered listening volume. i listen at very low volume levels compared to what i read from others and i have very very very hard times to tell any differences when listening to for example my Avatone Planar or AKG K872 connected to a dongle compared to my desktop setup. Honestly when i am not in a concentrated A/B comparison, i dont know if i would be able to hear it. maybe its my gear or my 51yrs old hearing but technology has come very far and even if there are differences it is hard to tell if one is better than the other or just different. In my experience at least 80% of the "tests" we read in forums basically are based on psychoacoustics. Also human memory regarding sound is the worst we have from a biological perspective.

 

[Gatecrasher]

Thanks everyone, it seems like the only dongle that has the power requirements for the Sundaras is the ifi go bar, but that is about 2x my budget. I'll keep looking for some alternative.

 

[sofastreamer]

Thanks everyone, it seems like the only dongle that has the power requirements for the Sundaras is the ifi go bar, but that is about 2x my budget. I'll keep looking for some alternative.

andyaudiovault tests with sundara in his last few tests and didnt have any problems to drive these. maybe you want to watch some of his reviews on yt.

 

[RIGATIO]

andyaudiovault tests with sundara in his last few tests and didnt have any problems to drive these. maybe you want to watch some of his reviews on yt.

Not sure about this guy, he seems to hear some different things. I dont know any dongle and even a dap that can properly drive Sundaras. They can go quite loud but they sound soft.
When i use the AK pa10, the difference is quite striking. Especially the authority, dynamics and controll.

 

[jamato8]

Not sure about this guy, he seems to hear some different things. I dont know any dongle and even a dap that can properly drive Sundaras. They can go quite loud but they sound soft.
When i use the AK pa10, the difference is quite striking. Especially the authority, dynamics and controll.

He also gets information wrong. I went over some of his reviews and then stopped.

 

[RIGATIO]

Elite + AK pa10 sound like a vinyl, no joke. Soo smooth and natural.

 

[rocketron]

Elite + Schiit Vali 3 with RCA 5star valve is excellent

 

[Joe-Siow]

Introducing new playmates for the DC Elite

 

[Firedancer0341]

What power banks are everyone using? I have a CB19 and a DC04 Pro and I'm trying to decide what to go with. I read in here that the DC04 Pro is sort of hit or miss when using this setup. I wonder if too much or too little volts and/or amps could be a factor. I'm not sure if I need one with higher levels or lower levels. I'm also considering eventually getting the DC Elite.

 

[Igor1321]

I use this one, I am satisfied with it. https://www.tpd.sk/trust-primo-ultr...=247274&utm_medium=product&utm_source=heureka