[Koorosh]

Hi guys,
            after speaking to people about my options to either get new new IEMs or a cable to convert ER4Ps into S's and a portable amp, the latter seems the better option. I thought it might be worth asking you what I should really be looking at? 
 
I've heard DAC/ AMP coined as a phrase frequently, so I'm thinking that is something that would be good? I understand that it means digital to analogue, but I'm guessing some amps either have that inbuilt or they don't? 
 
I'm also one for being able to tweak the sound, so an equaliser that's better than my Sony NWZ mp3 inbuilt to the amp would be great, but not essential.
 
Thank you very much

 

[tomscy2000]

Let me get this started for you. I already mentioned on your other thread the FiiO E11, hopefully you've begun looking up the threads for information about it.
 
The best way for you to get the best sound out of your Walkman is to use a line-out dock (LOD); FiiO makes one, the L5, for Sony players. If your player has the dock input, linking it to an amplifier with an LOD will help deliver the best possible sound.
 
When you use the bass boost option on an amplifier like the E11, you are manipulating the low frequency amplitudes of your music from a pure analog standpoint. There is nothing done in the digital domain.
 
DACs are usually not compatible with MP3 players unless they have a digital output (optical, S/PDIF, etc.). I doubt your Walkman has one. These days, DACs have an USB input, which takes music digitally from your computer to convert to an analog signal. Your Walkman already does that for you, but the difference is that your Walkman's built-in DAC (as well as the built-in DACs of most portable DAPs) is almost invariably inferior to a specialty DAC.
 
However, unless your DAP can be configured as a pure digital transport, pairing a DAC with it is useless. There currently are also very few DACs that can accept a digital signal from a PMP as a digital transport, save for the iPod and the new Fostex HP-P1. Thus, any DAC, even one that is very portable like the FiiO E7 is used just about chiefly for connection with a computer; only its amplifier stage is used with a DAP for purely amplification purposes.
 
If you anticipate using a separate DAC off your computer (like it's an external soundcard), you can consider getting the FiiO E7. You can use it as an USB DAC off a laptop and disconnect to become an amplifier with your DAP. It also has a bass boost option like that of the E11.
 
You must be thinking why I'm only introducing FiiO products; there are many other products out there, including better ones, but FiiO has a reputation of selling quality, yet budget audio products and has developed a fairly large following here.

 

[Koorosh]

Ha ha, I'm very confused with all of the acronyms and terminologies! I can just about get my head around it I think. Let me see if this is right:
I would benefit from having the Fiio L5 and E11. So does the L5 fit into the headphone jack, then into the amplifier and the headphones into the amplifier?

 

[Koorosh]

My mistake, I see what you mean about the dock now. So that then plugs into the amp and the headphones into the amp too?

 

[ubercaffeinated]

i just went through the same "dilemma". you can read about it here.
 
if you don't need a dac, and plan to use the amp with just your mp3 player, the jds labs cmoybb is very affordable, and from what i gathered from a lot of posts here, the er-4s pairs very well with the jds labs cmoybb.

 

[tomscy2000]

Sorry about using too much terminology; you should probably look up one of the jargon primers littered around the forums.
 
Yes, your music player should have a dock interface that you normally use with a cord that connects via USB to your computer so that you can transfer music files and what not. When you use a LOD, that dock interface becomes the line-out instead of your music player's built-in headphone jack. The reasoning for using a LOD is so that you output the audio your player produces at a 'line level' output. This is a volume-independent output. Attenuating the volume straight off your music player will degrade the quality of sound, and thus an LOD bypasses the volume control of your music player and sends a full-strength, non-attenuated sound signal (-0.0 dB in technical speak) straight to your amplifier. You plug in your headphones into your amplifier, and then control the volume from your amplifier's volume knob.
 
EDIT
Oh gosh, I can't believe I've been making such a glaring error, and may be a source of confusion... I've been referring to an LOD as though it's the cable; no, it's actually the dock interface itself (LOD means that the dock is capable of outputting a line-out signal), and the cable is an LOD cable... LOL