Hi!
I was wondering anyone could give me some advice on a portable DAC/amp selection. There are plenty of good product reviews out there to help me, but in general there's many variables in the overall performance of a setup, and it's hard to find advice on my own particular equipment combination, personal use cases, and priorities. I was hoping I could get a little bit of input from others who have use cases similar to my own (which, in a nutshell, leans towards the consumer-side relative to some of the true audiophiles on this forum, but also coming from an engineering background with an appreciation and knowledge of embedded electronics engineering, and a picky yet untrained ear for sound quality).
My personal use case details are as follows:
1) Need something that pairs nicely with Shure 1540 closed over-ears (46 ohm). These phones should have fairly low power needs given the pretty low Z and closed design, but have been reviewed as having a signature on the warm side, which is something to keep in mind for amp selection I guess.
2) My primary audio sources are Spotify (320kbps), lossy mp3s, and potentially the new Tidal service (1411kbps), but NOT hi-def audio files at this time. It's a nice-to-have if the DAC supports the higher-end sample rates and formats, so that I can grow into a more hi-def library over time, but the highest-end of sample rates and formats are not a primary concern for me. Besides, even if I had the hi-def audio library, I don't think my amateur ear will benefit from much more than 24/96, which is covered by pretty much every DAC out there.
3) My usage is about 75% desktop, 25% mobile, as I work a desk job during the day, but I do plan on using this setup on the go, so the DAC/amp combo must be compact enough that I can stack it with my phone and carry it around with me. I use a Macbook Pro and the Spotify client as my desktop source.
4) iPhone 6 (iOS8) compatibility as the mobile source. The lightning-to-USB adapter is fine, but I'd prefer not having to add in a USB hub/splitter and battery just to meet the iOS < 100mA draw requirement. I would deal with the inconvenience/clunkiness, of the spitter/battery, though, if there was a product that is otherwise a clear winner over the rest. A self-powered DAC/amp is not a requirement, as long as the draw from the iPhone is low enough to be supported.
5) < $400
Current products I am considering:
a) JDS Labs C5D
b) Geek Out 450
c) HRT Microstreamer
d) open to other suggestions
Thanks in advance for any help/advice the community can provide!
I was wondering anyone could give me some advice on a portable DAC/amp selection. There are plenty of good product reviews out there to help me, but in general there's many variables in the overall performance of a setup, and it's hard to find advice on my own particular equipment combination, personal use cases, and priorities. I was hoping I could get a little bit of input from others who have use cases similar to my own (which, in a nutshell, leans towards the consumer-side relative to some of the true audiophiles on this forum, but also coming from an engineering background with an appreciation and knowledge of embedded electronics engineering, and a picky yet untrained ear for sound quality).
My personal use case details are as follows:
1) Need something that pairs nicely with Shure 1540 closed over-ears (46 ohm). These phones should have fairly low power needs given the pretty low Z and closed design, but have been reviewed as having a signature on the warm side, which is something to keep in mind for amp selection I guess.
2) My primary audio sources are Spotify (320kbps), lossy mp3s, and potentially the new Tidal service (1411kbps), but NOT hi-def audio files at this time. It's a nice-to-have if the DAC supports the higher-end sample rates and formats, so that I can grow into a more hi-def library over time, but the highest-end of sample rates and formats are not a primary concern for me. Besides, even if I had the hi-def audio library, I don't think my amateur ear will benefit from much more than 24/96, which is covered by pretty much every DAC out there.
3) My usage is about 75% desktop, 25% mobile, as I work a desk job during the day, but I do plan on using this setup on the go, so the DAC/amp combo must be compact enough that I can stack it with my phone and carry it around with me. I use a Macbook Pro and the Spotify client as my desktop source.
4) iPhone 6 (iOS8) compatibility as the mobile source. The lightning-to-USB adapter is fine, but I'd prefer not having to add in a USB hub/splitter and battery just to meet the iOS < 100mA draw requirement. I would deal with the inconvenience/clunkiness, of the spitter/battery, though, if there was a product that is otherwise a clear winner over the rest. A self-powered DAC/amp is not a requirement, as long as the draw from the iPhone is low enough to be supported.
5) < $400
Current products I am considering:
a) JDS Labs C5D
b) Geek Out 450
c) HRT Microstreamer
d) open to other suggestions
Thanks in advance for any help/advice the community can provide!
