[Glidlegolas]

I recently discovered how much more pleasure good quality audio can give, but I'm still figuring things out.
 
After some research, I landed on Sennheiser HD 598 as the best headphones for me.  I intend to:
-Listen only in my own home
-Use it primarily for classical music, musicals, nature songs, etc...
-Use a Retina macbook pro or an iPad to play the music
 
I've read that this needs a good amp to function well, and I've also read that a DAC might be nice.  On a whim I went for the FiiO 17.  It's a pilot run and easily returnable.  How do you expect this to function with the Sennheiser HD 598?
 
Can you recommend a better Amp and / or DAC (and the reason it's better for what I want).  I just don't want to spend more on this piece of equipment than I spent on the headphones (right around $200).
 
Thank you all!

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

 
I've read that this needs a good amp to function well, and I've also read that a DAC might be nice.  On a whim I went for the FiiO 17.  It's a pilot run and easily returnable.  How do you expect this to function with the Sennheiser HD 598?
 
Can you recommend a better Amp and / or DAC (and the reason it's better for what I want).  I just don't want to spend more on this piece of equipment than I spent on the headphones (right around $200).
 

 
Heya,
 
To the contrary, the HD598 doesn't really even need an amp. It's quite efficient. It slightly benefits from an amp, but it's not a big difference. The E17 is more than enough, with overhead. Good choice. Also a good clean DAC is a good thing to have, so you have that as well in the E17.
 
You don't need to buy anything else. Simply enjoy your audio, tweak it to your liking, equalize a little to see what you like, etc.
 
Very best,

 

[MorbidToaster]

I really enjoyed the Cavalli CTH with the 598 when I had them. It ramped up the bass considerably with the right tube and was a nice change of pace. 
 
I would pretty much agree that the 598 don't need an amp to sound their best.