I have had several amps in the Sparrows price range and all of them sounded the same to me. Additionally, they all sounded the same as my ipod and onboard sound on my intel motherboard. I used Sennheiser HD580 with it.
If you have a cheap laptop with terrible sound, this device is ok, though you might be better off with a smaller portable that sounds just as good. It is a good value in relation to the fun since they output the same sound quality.
If you have a somewhat new motherboard, save your money. The truth is, sound devices found on motherboards and ipods have gotten so good today. Many "audiophiles" will not agree with this, but I was objective in my judgment of this device - I conducted double blind tests between the Sparrow, ipod, and onboard sound, and I failed them all. I was never able to differentiate any of them. Don't believe all the hype around so many DAC/AMPs. Save your money and get some good headphones and maybe a decent PCI soundcard.
If you have a cheap laptop with terrible sound, this device is ok, though you might be better off with a smaller portable that sounds just as good. It is a good value in relation to the fun since they output the same sound quality.
If you have a somewhat new motherboard, save your money. The truth is, sound devices found on motherboards and ipods have gotten so good today. Many "audiophiles" will not agree with this, but I was objective in my judgment of this device - I conducted double blind tests between the Sparrow, ipod, and onboard sound, and I failed them all. I was never able to differentiate any of them. Don't believe all the hype around so many DAC/AMPs. Save your money and get some good headphones and maybe a decent PCI soundcard.
