[Atx360]

I am a newbie here so please overlook an of the mistakes I commit writing this very first thread.
Actually I was looking for a good DAP which would fit my budget when I stumbled across the fiio x3 mkiii. It seemed like a good option. But just as was I about to call it a day, I came across the fiio m3k (the successor to m3). The latter had a much lower output power than what I needed but I thought that if I pair it with a fiio e11 Kilimanjaro then I should have more power to drive anything than even the x3 mk3 without overdrawing my budget.
Anyway the m3k has better snr ratio but I wanted to know if amping it externally would damage the snr reputation of m3k over x3 or in other words degrade the sound quality compared to the x3

 

[kukkurovaca]

I am a newbie here so please overlook an of the mistakes I commit writing this very first thread.
Actually I was looking for a good DAP which would fit my budget when I stumbled across the fiio x3 mkiii. It seemed like a good option. But just as was I about to call it a day, I came across the fiio m3k (the successor to m3). The latter had a much lower output power than what I needed but I thought that if I pair it with a fiio e11 Kilimanjaro then I should have more power to drive anything than even the x3 mk3 without overdrawing my budget.
Anyway the m3k has better snr ratio but I wanted to know if amping it externally would damage the snr reputation of m3k over x3 or in other words degrade the sound quality compared to the x3

I would suggest checking for your specific earphones/headphones, whether the player and/or the amp you want to use has sufficient power. Most folks are using DAPs with IEMs or sensitive headphones that don't require a lot of power to begin with.

But, if you are trying to drive something that really takes a lot of power, it's worth checking the numbers (or looking for reviews that reference your specific headphones) to make sure.

As to the question of double amping, I wouldn't personally worry about it for portable devices, but if you are concerned, you would want to choose a DAP that has a dedicated line out port, and run that into your portable amp.

I really wouldn't sweat the specific SNR numbers. Instead, I would check reviews and see how people find the DAPs in actual use. Odds are, a DAP with a bad UI or poor battery life is going to be a much worse experience than a DAP with slightly worse SNR but which is more pleasant to use.

 

[Atx360]

I was basically thinking of running a sennheiser hd598 sr.

 

[Atx360]

By the way how should I pair required output power and a headphone, according to some calculators online does the amp be powered enough to push the headphones up to 120db. When should I assume that the headphones are underpowered.

 

[kukkurovaca]

By the way how should I pair required output power and a headphone, according to some calculators online does the amp be powered enough to push the headphones up to 120db. When should I assume that the headphones are underpowered.

This question is a bit subjective, but you definitely should not be listening to things at a sustained 120db. But you may want a DAP or amp with "headroom" meaning that when there is a particularly loud part of a track, you won't be in any danger of clipping.

Those headphones are pretty easy to drive, but it is possible you might find the M3K a little bit underpowered, especially if you listen to quieter recordings (like classical and jazz).

 

[PurpleAngel]

I am a newbie here so please overlook an of the mistakes I commit writing this very first thread.
Actually I was looking for a good DAP which would fit my budget when I stumbled across the FiiO X3 mkiii. It seemed like a good option. But just as was I about to call it a day, I came across the fiio m3k (the successor to m3). The latter had a much lower output power than what I needed but I thought that if I pair it with a FiiO E11 Kilimanjaro then I should have more power to drive anything than even the x3 mk3 without overdrawing my budget.
Anyway the m3k has better snr ratio but I wanted to know if amping it externally would damage the snr reputation of m3k over x3 or in other words degrade the sound quality compared to the x3

I would say to buy whatever DAP you like and invest in lower impedance (Ohm) headphones/IEMs.
Also with the FiiO X3 MK III you can always connect (in the future) a headphone amplifier to it's line-out jack.

 

[yong_shun]

I am not a number person - normally I do not really go into all the number in the specs sheet.

Based on my experience, get a DAP with dedicated line out port to prevent potential double amplification because the result are potentially undesired. Fiio X3III is a good choice. The balanced jack can give you more alternative to play around.

 

[Atx360]

I am not a number person - normally I do not really go into all the number in the specs sheet.

Based on my experience, get a DAP with dedicated line out port to prevent potential double amplification because the result are potentially undesired. Fiio X3III is a good choice. The balanced jack can give you more alternative to play around.

So basically I wanted to know that 'if' I use an external amplifier will the hissing noise be amplified as well.
Does this not happen on dedicated line out.

 

[PurpleAngel]

So basically I wanted to know that 'if' I use an external amplifier will the hissing noise be amplified as well.
Does this not happen on dedicated line out.

Never though about a line-output line-input connection as adding hissing noise to the signal.

 

[kukkurovaca]

So basically I wanted to know that 'if' I use an external amplifier will the hissing noise be amplified as well.
Does this not happen on dedicated line out.

It may depend on the particular combination of source and amp. Also, if you had this problem, you might be able to alleviate it by adding an inexpensive attenuator between the source and the amp's input.

Although, really, most DAPs shouldn't hiss via headphone out or line-out, since DAPs are intended to be used with sensitive IEMs. Or am I wrong about that? I've only used a couple of DAPs myself, but neither one hissed at all.

 

[castleofargh]

it might be worth mentioning that given the specs of the gears you're talking about and the sensitivity of the headphone, the noise floor should be a total non issue whatever the choice. so maybe focus on other factors that might be more relevant to you?

 

[Atx360]

I was thinking if the x3 iii would be powerful enough to drive the hd598 to its full potential given the impedance spike of almost 300ohms. The e11k combo with m3k seems to be far more powerful

 

[buke9]

You might be overthinking this a bit. 112 dB sensitivity at 50 ohms should be pretty good out of most phones so a dap should also be fine .

 

[PurpleAngel]

I was thinking if the x3 iii would be powerful enough to drive the hd598 to its full potential given the impedance spike of almost 300ohms. The e11k combo with m3k seems to be far more powerful

The 50-Ohm Sennheiser HD598 is fairly easy to drive, I would say the FiiO X3 MK II head amp should be fine.

 

[Atx360]

So one another question, so if I go with a fiio x3iii or with a desktop DAC like schiit fulla 2, then given this will I get almost the same quality leaving aside the tonality of the sound on hd598.
Assume that I am not going to nitpick things.