[mms6]

Hi
 
I am using my onboard laptop sound chipset with my AKG Q701s and K702s for some time now...
 
I recently found that my TASCAM US-144 mkII which I use for drum recording, have louder sound output than my laptop onboard Realtek.
 
 
My question is that is my TASCAM enough? Do I need to get a Fiio (such as the E10, E11, E5 etc...)?
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
I find the E10 is great with the Q701. Inexpensive and fantastic.
 
Very best,

 

[TooManyCrabs]

I pair my Q701 with the Audinst HUD-mx1 and I am very satisfied with the sound.
Cheers.

 

[wilky61]

I have been pairing my Q701 with the E17 (which is an upgraded version of the E10), but the most popular amp/dac combination that you will see mentioned around the forums in conjunction with the Q701 is the Matrix M-Stage Amp/USB DAC ($280-300 full retail). Allegedly, it has excellent synergy with the Q701. The E17 was $140... dunno how serious your budget is, but the difference between $140 and $280 isn't so bad at that point...
 
To get the most out of the Q701s, yeah I would recommend upgrading your components all the way down the line... again, depending on your budget. The Q701s will scale appreciably with upgrades, but here's the thing -- ignorance is bliss. A poster asked yesterday if he should buy a DAC to go with his new headphones purchase, and here was my response to him:
 
"I have to say that if I had never purchased the DAC, I expect I would've been perfectly happy with the sound I was experiencing. But if you decide to buy the DAC and do some A/B testing, then you'll likely expose yourself to the differences and then you probably won't be able to go back to the way you were listening before."

 

[Papander]

I guess I will be the word of caution and tell my own experiences with E10. I find the quality of sound with E10 being almost the same as my motherboards onboard chipset. It does amp quite well, but the quality of sound is about the same.
 
Because hearing is a tricky thing you might have different results, but these were mine. I suggest you read general stuff about hearing, like exception bias. etc

 

[mms6]

How about the TASCAM USB recording interfaces like the US144/122, or the US-600, US-600, US-2000 etc..
 
Because this is what I have now the TASCAM US-144 mkII and TASCAM US-600 audio interfaces which I used to record drums and vocals..
 
 
I was just wondering if a Fiio is even worth upgrading 
 
(TASCAM USB interface Amp/DAC/Phantom Power/SPDIF/MIDI/RCA/XLR      VS    Fiio E10 or E5 or E17

 

[phonyx]

Just picked up a pair of Q701's and a Burson HA-160DS. Sounds amazing. My advice would be to not sell these headphones short with a lower quality amp/dac. Get something as good as you can afford/justify and they will benefit.

 

[mms6]

my TASCAMs are not that cheapy...
 
When I bought both, it was around $450..

 

[Neosk]

I would say the TASCAMs are enough and you do not need buy a fiioE10.
 
From my experience, the Q701s are not that hard to drive, which is contradictory to the belief that the AKG K701s(similar to Q701s) are extremely hard to drive. 
 
I tested a variety of sources and the difference in sound was minimal at best.

 

[mms6]

I'm pretty sure my TASCAMs are dedicated sound cards (DAC/DSP) but not sure if they can amp the headphones.. (They do have preamps for the XLR phantom power jacks...)
 
I think the sound level gets loud enough for me.... But I'm just wondering if the Fiios have better DAC than my TASCAMs..... I want to increase the quality of my Q701 sound....