[MMeirolas]

Hello everyone

I am using a LG V40, USB APP, Tidal HiFi and AKG K702.

The sound is great but sadly i upgraded the V40 to android 10, so nativ MQA and DSD are gone. And the LG even tho recognizing a High Impedance Headphone attached (it says 50), has to be turned up to 60/75 to get satisfying volume.

My question is: would it be better to invest in a DAC/AMP from iFi for exemple... Or to buy a DAP (Fiio) ?

I don't want to spend more than 500€... More like 300/400... Is there something in this price range with native DSD and MQA playback?

Thx

 

[Deolum]

You need something because the K702 can never be driven by your V40.

I wouldn't worry about DSD or MQA because most likely you won't hear any difference with that setup.

DAP or Dac depends on your prefs if you like the mobility or not.

 

[MMeirolas]

You need something because the K702 can never be driven by your V40.

I wouldn't worry about DSD or MQA because most likely you won't hear any difference with that setup.

DAP or Dac depends on your prefs if you like the mobility or not.

Thx for your reply

When you say i won't hear any difference... What do u mean exactly?

Even if i get a DAP that supports native DSD and MQA i wont hear difference to lossy audio? :/

Because the K702 are "too bad"?

Mobility would be good but not essential i would say. Depends if the mobility outweighs the superior audio quality. I prefer always the 2nd

Thx

 

[bland125]

If what you want is MQA, DSD and a little more power but are satisfied with the usage of your phone, you should get a dongle DAC/amp or one of those phone size DAC/amp if you are up to the extra bulk. There are quite a few good ones well under your budget.

Earmen Sparrow has the favor of the public now like the Lotoo Paw S1 but that one doesn't do MQA.

For the larger ones, I know Xduoo and Fiio make some.

I went DAP myself but I because I didn't like my phone much and don't do much streaming. I have the Sony NW-ZX507.

 

[MMeirolas]

If what you want is MQA, DSD and a little more power but are satisfied with the usage of your phone, you should get a dongle DAC/amp or one of those phone size DAC/amp if you are up to the extra bulk. There are quite a few good ones well under your budget.

Earmen Sparrow has the favor of the public now like the Lotoo Paw S1 but that one doesn't do MQA.

For the larger ones, I know Xduoo and Fiio make some.

I went DAP myself but I because I didn't like my phone much and don't do much streaming. I have the Sony NW-ZX507.

Thx for the reply

So let's say i want to use my phone because of streaming convenience and cost-cutting... and i don't care about it being bulky...

What were your recommendations for a MQA/DSD capable DAC/AMP?

I've heard good things about Fiio and iFi Audio... Don't really know any others

Cheers

 

[bland125]

Thx for the reply

So let's say i want to use my phone because of streaming convenience and cost-cutting... and i don't care about it being bulky...

What were your recommendations for a MQA/DSD capable DAC/AMP?

I've heard good things about Fiio and iFi Audio... Don't really know any others

Cheers

You are welcome!

I have the iFi Hip DAC. It certainly fit the bill here and its quite nice, no complains really. Dont be fooled by the price, it's mighty powerful. It has the iFi sound which is quite warm and forward to me. So headphone matching is important. iFi has more expensive products like the micro iDSD black label and the signature versions that fits the bill too if you feel like going all in.

Other options would be Fiio but they don't seem to make portable DAC/Amp with MQA. Same goes with Xduoo. I can't seem to find MQA capable devices.

I went here https://www.mqa.co.uk/playback-devices to check what are the MQA capable portable devices and most are dongle DAC/Amps.

With the price of the Hip DAC, it would be my recommendation to you. If you like a warm sounding device to go with your AKG set.

 

[MMeirolas]

You are welcome!

I have the iFi Hip DAC. It certainly fit the bill here and its quite nice, no complains really. Dont be fooled by the price, it's mighty powerful. It has the iFi sound which is quite warm and forward to me. So headphone matching is important. iFi has more expensive products like the micro iDSD black label and the signature versions that fits the bill too if you feel like going all in.

Other options would be Fiio but they don't seem to make portable DAC/Amp with MQA. Same goes with Xduoo. I can't seem to find MQA capable devices.

I went here https://www.mqa.co.uk/playback-devices to check what are the MQA capable portable devices and most are dongle DAC/Amps.

With the price of the Hip DAC, it would be my recommendation to you. If you like a warm sounding device to go with your AKG set.

Thx again. Really appreciate it

I don't like to be constantly switching setups, so i probably would go to a definitive solution rather than a "well, let's see how it works out solution"

I would say i was already 80/85% satisfied with what i have but i definetly notice that the AKG needs a bit more power on the lower end, that's were the amp would come in right? Mids and highs were pleasant... Especially acoustic instruments and female voices

I will look into the devices you told me.

Thx again for the help. Take care

 

[Deolum]

Thx for your reply

When you say i won't hear any difference... What do u mean exactly?

Even if i get a DAP that supports native DSD and MQA i wont hear difference to lossy audio? :/

Because the K702 are "too bad"?

Mobility would be good but not essential i would say. Depends if the mobility outweighs the superior audio quality. I prefer always the 2nd

Thx

No the K702 is very good. But i'm sure even on a highend chain most people had problems to reliably tell spotify and hifi apart in a blind test. The difference between CD and MQA is even harder. And the concept of MQA isn't for good audio quality but for saving up space. So if you won't get MQA you can always get Qobuz and Amazon HD high-res quality (at least on a DAP) which is at least the same quality if not better.

My experience with DSD is very limited though so i can't talk about that.

I don't think a DAP would be necessary worse here than a Dac/Amp as long as it has enough power. If you want to connect the DAC/Amp with your phone i think the DAP would even sound better because you don't have the USB transport and the phone's android resampling.

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Consider Hiby R5 on sale now for $270 or less, very good deal.

 

[MMeirolas]

Thx again for the replies...

I read a bit more about MQA and found out that it's a proprietary "thing" and not necessarily something good for the industry... The hell with it then...

I can see why a DAP might sound better without that extra USB connection...

Well, let's look for a DAP that has native DSD playback in my price range...

Does somebody have a recomendation up to 400/500€?

I will look into that Hiby, never heard about that brand

Cheers guys

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Hiby R5 has native DSD256. If you want to spend more on their lineup the next is the R6 Pro.

 

[MMeirolas]

Hey guys, sorry to come back to this subject

I have been reading on this subject for the last couple of days, while continuing to test the k702.

Fact is people say that this headphone is difficult to tweak the sound to get a bit more bass (which it is lacking)and make it sound even better.

I was about to order the ibasso dx160 or maybe the fiio q5s to see if that makes a difference, but spending 400€ to be disappointed would be madness at this point, since my smartphone has already a decent DAC... A bit more volume wouldn't make a difference i suppose.

So i have a ATH msr7b at home which has more bass and despite not having the same soundstage and voices sounding a bit furter away, has i would say 90% of the sound quality of the k702. And it doesn't need an amp because it's fairly loud at 50% max Volume.

My question is:

Is is possible to improve the sound quality of the msr7b even further (that sound quality that gives you goosebumps ) or should i just sell both and get better headphones and player?

Thx

 

[bland125]

A DX160 would be a good way to get the best out of your headphones. No guarantee it is going to be that much of an improvement if any at all. I did own a DX160 for some time to great device for the price.

It's a hobby of trial, errors and discovery. There are no recipe. You need to try if you really want to know.

All and all, the headphones is what matters most. Moving off phone audio to audio dedicated devices is one of the steps you need to take to up your game but you gotta find what you like the most and then search for the best version of it. I found it, took me 10 years and quite a few thousands of $.

 

[MMeirolas]

A DX160 would be a good way to get the best out of your headphones. No guarantee it is going to be that much of an improvement if any at all. I did own a DX160 for some time to great device for the price.

It's a hobby of trial, errors and discovery. There are no recipe. You need to try if you really want to know.

All and all, the headphones is what matters most. Moving off phone audio to audio dedicated devices is one of the steps you need to take to up your game but you gotta find what you like the most and then search for the best version of it. I found it, took me 10 years and quite a few thousands of $.

Thx a lot for your reply

So the Headphones are the most important thing, that's where i'll start. 65% HP, 25% de Amp and the rest DAC and Source files. Would this be accurate?

What is mostly recommended as the "end game" for beginner HiFi. I have read a lot about the Sennheiser HD600, but some people say it's not much of an improvement over the K702... It's a contradiction of sorts.

Of course if you have a 50000€ AMP/DAC at Home even a 25€ HP will sound good

Do u think the ibasso will be a good improvement over the LG V40 or should i invest directly in home equipment?

Cheers

 

[bland125]

So the Headphones are the most important thing, that's where i'll start. 65% HP, 25% de Amp and the rest DAC and Source files. Would this be accurate?

The order is correct (HP, AMP, DAC, SOURCE, cables and stuff) but the percentages are very arbitrary and will vary from a person to another. Don't focus on numbers, just the order!

What is mostly recommended as the "end game" for beginner HiFi. I have read a lot about the Sennheiser HD600, but some people say it's not much of an improvement over the K702... It's a contradiction of sorts.

There is no end game beginner hi-fi, just an overwhelming amount of choices. There are some crowd favorites from Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Hifiman, AKG, Audio-technica and so on. It's a good idea to start there, you own 2 of em already. Then, when you find a favorite, you can start moving up the ladder. The idea is to taste the different food then to decide what you like best. Once you figure out you like sushi so much, you can move from a $20 meal to a $50 one all the way up. Remember the opinions of others are just that, opinions (my own included). You NEED to make your own opinions so take reviews as enjoyment and information but leave the deciding to yourself. Also, don't join the hype trains, always wait untill their love story ends to make a decision.

Of course if you have a 50000€ AMP/DAC at Home even a 25€ HP will sound good

Ehh not so much. Your system is as good as its weakest link. 25€ HP playing the best recording on the best DAC with the best AMP will just sound like a 25€ HP at its best. Because the HP is the most important component, you can make a very decent system with nice HP and cheap everything else. The other way around is MUCH arder/impossible.

Do u think the ibasso will be a good improvement over the LG V40 or should i invest directly in home equipment?

I have not heard the LG phones but phones are phones. The LG ones are supposedly the best phones at audio. At this point, you need to make the decision. Do you want to try or not. I can be expensive but you can search the second hand market or resell anything you can't return to recoup some cost. You can try something as cheap as a iFi Hip DAC to begin with and the rest of the %% toward some HD6XX or maybe something from Hifiman (planars) to start figuring out what you like the most.

Also know that this is my opinion and the path I took to get where I am. The journey is as cool as the destination I think.