A Good Desktop Amp for $100 and Under
Oct 22, 2011 at 3:08 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13
comicguy5

comicguy5

New Head-Fier
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
Posts
15
Likes
10
Let me start by saying that I own a pair of ATH-M50s, Fischer Audio FA-011s (160 ohms) and I plan on getting a pair of  Grado sr80i.
The only amp I have right now is a Fiio E5, and I think I could use something better, especially for the FA-011s, and because I am planning on expanding my collection.
So far I have considered buying the Fiio E9 amp and, looking at the reviews, it seems like a good buy for me. I've come to you guys to see if this is a worthwhile purchase or if there are any other amps I should consider. (please nothing too hard to find)
 
Oct 22, 2011 at 11:55 PM Post #2 of 13
The E9 is great. Use some decent interconnects and a good dac and you are set. I am actually using FiiO's own D3 and they are a great match with each other. I didn't like the E7/E9 combo pairing as well. I found it harsh and thin vs the D3.
 
Oct 23, 2011 at 1:28 PM Post #3 of 13
Sorry, the D3? Do you mean the E3? BTW, I'm planning on getting the E9i, which has a dock for the iPod instead of the E7. BTW, could you give me an example of some good "interconnects and a good dac?"
 
Oct 23, 2011 at 1:34 PM Post #4 of 13
A good interconnect: Anything that works.
 
A good DAC: Anything better than a motherboard, and with flat frequency response.
 
I can't think of any DACs that are bad off the top of my head.
 
The E9 won't work great with your M50. Its output impedance is high. The Fiio E10 (or E7) has enough power to handle both of your headphones, and includes a DAC.
 
Oct 23, 2011 at 2:19 PM Post #6 of 13


Quote:
comicguy5 said:
Sorry, the D3? Do you mean the E3? BTW, I'm planning on getting the E9i, which has a dock for the iPod instead of the E7. BTW, could you give me an example of some good "interconnects and a good dac?"
Click to expand...



D3. Its a $30 DAC by FiiO that kicks major booty LOL. 
 
Oct 23, 2011 at 3:25 PM Post #7 of 13
Single tube headphone amplifier, starts at $50, sold on eBay, ships from China.
Will need to get a Digital mulimeter like the DT830 ($6), helps to do fine adjustment on the voltage and balance.
 
Oct 23, 2011 at 7:20 PM Post #8 of 13
A DAC takes digital output and translates it to analog - a Digital/Analog Converter.

You need one to take the 0s and 1s off a CD or from a computer and make them into an analog signal (like a sine wave) so an amplifier can make it louder and turn that into physical energy with headphones.

Don't spend a lot of money on a DAC. Good ones are inexpensive today, just like how you can buy an extremely powerful CPU for $100 or 1 TB of storage for $50. Technology has been good to audio. Though you wouldn't think so listening to some people. They equate quality with dollars. To them, a $50 DAC is bad because it costs $50. Put the same thing in a fancy box and charge $1,000 and they'll gush over it because it is a $1,000 DAC.

The inexpensive amp I'd go for would be the new O2. PCBs are selling for $10 and you can finish it for about $50 more. DIY isn't too hard and you'll get a lot of value in exchange for your money. You can also build an inexpensive DAC (AMB has one) and possibly put it in the same case for $100 total, DAC and amp.
 
Nov 7, 2011 at 1:34 PM Post #10 of 13
There are other websites out there like Diy audio and others that have directions and details on building headphone amplifiers.
 
May 3, 2012 at 10:03 AM Post #13 of 13
Quote:
joasten said:
How do you connect the D3 to a computer? It only has optical and coaxial in, so how can it bee connected to a pc?
Click to expand...

 
Your motherboard probably has an S/PDIF output, the D3 can be connected to that. It can also be used from the digital output of a sound card (if you have one), although the DAC on the sound card could well be better than the D3.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top