[peepskp]

Hi everyone,
 
I am moving into portable audio and was looking for some help. I recently purchased the philips fidelio X2 headphones and really like them. I am just not sure if they will sound better with a dedicated amp or amp/dac when compared to coming right from my iphone 5s. I usually use spotify for streaming.
 
I am mostly interested in something portable that can be used with my iphone and macbook pro for indoor/ outdoor use while just listening or when I'm outside smoking a stogie. I have been looking really close at the andes e07k amp/dac and looking at how it can be used to bypass the iphone dac and amp. I have also been looking at the fiio e12a that has some very good reviews especially for low impedance headphones like mine.
 
Do you think it is worth it? I am able to play the headphones at full volume with the iphone. At this level they are pretty loud and are close to as loud as I would prefer to have them for some listening. I am not sure if the extra power might help the sound quality.
 
I want to stay under $200
 
Please let me know if you need more info from my end.
 
The X2 specs are below. Thanks for your time.

Philips Fidelio X2​
Impedance	30 Ω
Efficiency	100.0 dB SPL/mW
Frequency Response	5 - 40,000 Hz
Transducer Type	Dynamic
Operating Principle	Open
Ear Coupling	Over-ear
Weight	380 g

 

[wnmnkh]

No, extra power does not improve the SQ at this point. Quality of the sound itself does.
 
Look for USB-based DAC/amps such as Fiio E17K, Schiit Fulla or Cambridge audio Dacmagic XS or Soundblaster E3 or E5. There are a lot of options other than ones I mentioned.

 

[Sam21]

I second creative E5, Nice DAC AMP ADC with a lot of other features...

 

[peepskp]

Thanks for the recommendations. It looks like the E5 is iPhone certified, something that fiio products seem to have problems with.

I have looked into the schiit fulla and I read that it cannot be run off of the iPhone, it needs to be connected to an iPhone hub. Is this true?

Is the E5 the best for a portable dac/amp in this price range that works well with iPhone, MacBook Pro?

 

[PurpleAngel]

What about just getting the FiiO X3 Gen II (X3K), it can be used as a USB-DAC-amp with your Macbook or as a stand alone DAP.
Just leave your iPhone in your pocket until you need to make a phone call and it would extend the battery life on your iPhone.

 

[cel4145]

What about just getting the FiiO X3 Gen II (X3K), it can be used as a USB-DAC-amp with your Macbook or as a stand alone DAP.
Just leave your iPhone in your pocket until you need to make a phone call and it would extend the battery life on your iPhone.

+1

I love using my iBasso DX50 DAP instead of having to hook up dac/amp to my phone.

 

[peepskp]

Doesn't look like I can stream spotify with the x3ii. That's a problem for me.

 

[peepskp]

Would the e5 be the best Dac/amp for my situation? Portable, iPhone driven, streaming spotify. I would like to keep it as portable as possible, i.e. no usb hubs etc

 

[Sam21]

E5 is the only DAC/AMP I know that has bluetooth capability.

 

[peepskp]

What do you guys think about the beyer a200p. Compared to Sb e5?