[Dimension]

I wear these everywhere and am wanting a portable DAC/amp that I can

A. listen to on my iPhone

and

B. mix on my mid 2015 MBP.

I was recommended FiiO Q3 and I found it locally but after seeing it on rated on their website as 3/5, I was a little reluctant hence me coming here.

Because I have no education (haven't even finished my high school) I rely solely on what sounds good from a non-academic point of view. So I'm more dependant on my ears than understanding what I'm doing with my eyes. This is why having as neutral of a setup as possible is important (although I know I can only go so far).

The last time I had a headphone amp years ago, I thought headphone amps coloured the sound, but according to the guy at Headphone Bar, the "THX" logo on the Q3 means it will be most neutral. Looking at the specs on the Q3, they are 32-bit. And 768k sampling rate. So pardon my ignorance, but would this work in Ableton smoothly? And if so, are the Q3's more neutral than the built in headphone DAC in my mid 2015 MBP? Can I use the Q3 as an external soundcard?

I do like the pricepoint of the Q3 or $100-$200CAD+, but I am open to suggestions for what I am looking for. Key thing is portability so that's why the Q3 attracted me, but I'm not sure why on the Headphone Bar it is rated as 3/5.

Thank you so much for your time and help!

Blessings
D

 

[Dimension]

Anyone?

 

[TrumpOrMonkey]

In that price range I'd probably go for the iFi Hip DAC, I quite like mine

 

[Dimension]

In that price range I'd probably go for the iFi Hip DAC, I quite like mine

Have you compared it with a Q3?

 

[TrumpOrMonkey]

Have you compared it with a Q3?

I haven't really compared the iFi Hip DAC with any of its competitors, but I was impressed with it when I got it. But now that I actually read that you're looking for a sound that is not at all coloured, I wouldn't go for it since the iFi Hip DAC has the iFi Signature sound, which is slightly warm and dynamic. If I'm honest, what neutral is will be different to everyone depending on what they're used to, but if you're used to listening straight out of the PC, then I'd say like THX and Topping stuff will get you closer to directly better and keeping a similar sound signature. That's the same place I came from, and eventually realised I liked the warmer, more dynamic and full bodied sounding stuff better. From a purely frequency response perspective, they're all gonna be the same - flat, but each gear just has a slightly different presentation and I think whatever you get you'll be able to learn to mix on it. At the end of the day, a mixing engineer will create the best mixes on gear they know very well and know what to listen out for to make a mix that translates, which is why you still get loads of people using NS10M's, not because it's technically the best monitor they could have bought - but because they have so much experience using it to produce mixes that translate and sound great that it just gets the job done.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dimension]

I haven't really compared the iFi Hip DAC with any of its competitors, but I was impressed with it when I got it. But now that I actually read that you're looking for a sound that is not at all coloured, I wouldn't go for it since the iFi Hip DAC has the iFi Signature sound, which is slightly warm and dynamic. If I'm honest, what neutral is will be different to everyone depending on what they're used to, but if you're used to listening straight out of the PC, then I'd say like THX and Topping stuff will get you closer to directly better and keeping a similar sound signature. That's the same place I came from, and eventually realised I liked the warmer, more dynamic and full bodied sounding stuff better. From a purely frequency response perspective, they're all gonna be the same - flat, but each gear just has a slightly different presentation and I think whatever you get you'll be able to learn to mix on it. At the end of the day, a mixing engineer will create the best mixes on gear they know very well and know what to listen out for to make a mix that translates, which is why you still get loads of people using NS10M's, not because it's technically the best monitor they could have bought - but because they have so much experience using it to produce mixes that translate and sound great that it just gets the job done.

Hope this helps.

Much appreciate the help! Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[Ulthane]

Depends on what you want to spend and where you want to go?

TS is looking for a PORTABLE device for 100 - 200 CAD. Start post holds all relevant information.

So I'm more dependant on my ears

Wouldn't it be better then to compare a couple of devices meeting your requirements (mobility and price) to pick the one that sounds best to you?