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ATH-M50x - which poratable DAC/AMP

Oct 4, 2014 at 5:31 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
AjireBardyn

AjireBardyn

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Hi audiophiles!
 
About 7 months ago i bought my first semi-professional headphones. It was ATH- M50x, and I'm quite satisfied of them. Previously I had koss ur -40, so the diffrences between these two are huge. Recently i pluged it into friend's ipod and i was shocked...The sound was amazing better. My m50 works on Amplifier of Pionner ( vsx-521) or with my phone ( galaxy ace 2). My question is, what should i buy to feel masterpiecie of these headphones? I assume that there is something better than the ipod sound, for example i found wierd device - fiio e18 kunlun. It can be pluged into latopo as well as into smartphone and it has energy-bank. What do u think about it? And in the end what do u recommend me? My budget isn't high :( but maybe u will find something good for 200-300$. 
 
Ps. I have read, that fiio e18 kunlun is great for 'bass light' headphones. Could u explain what it mean? And whether my m50 are 'bass light' headphones? Thank you in advice :)
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 5:37 AM Post #2 of 17
the m50x doesnt really benefit much from an amp as long as you have a decent source

if you're willing to spend a ton there's also the option of upgrading your headphones. the m50x isn't as amazing as everyone says IMO. kind of really over hyped and most people getting them have never heard headphones in the same price range so obviously it will sound good to them. I'm not trying to say that it's bad, but you might like something else if you find the m50 lacking right now

FiiO amps are warm so they probably mean it will add some bass to your headphones or maybe they meant you can EQ it for more bass
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 9:54 AM Post #3 of 17
I can't agree with u. Before I bought m50x, i have tasted some nice headphones in similar prize. For example: k550, dt 770 pr, sennheiser 380pro and finally m50. M50x delight my ears the most. But that's not the topic of my thread. I just want to know which from the portable DAC/AMP will be the best for m50x :)
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 1:54 PM Post #4 of 17
well, like I said, it's a waste to spend a lot of money on one. that's why no one is helping you

vsx-521 is a receiver and therefore it wont work well with low impedance headphones
galaxy ace 2 is an outdated android phone. maybe a phone upgrade would work better for you lol

ipod isn't know for good sound quality, so if you think it's good, a cheap fiiO dac/amp would sound better.
some headphones actually need an amp like the dt770 you listed
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 2:58 PM Post #5 of 17
So, ur advice is to upgrade headphones... I'm a little bit disappointed, because i counted that maybe relativity cheap Fiio e18 will bring me some extra sound experience;/. Could u tell me, what should i buy to feel eargasm ;p? I know that my m50 can do better, but my ace 2 and vsx-521 holding down them...
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 3:03 PM Post #6 of 17
ajirebardyn said:
So, ur advice is to upgrade headphones... I'm a little bit disappointed, because i counted that maybe relativity cheap Fiio e18 will bring me some extra sound experience;/. Could u tell me, what should i buy to feel eargasm ;p? I know that my m50 can do better, but my ace 2 and vsx-521 holding down them...
Click to expand...


It really depends on your preferences. If you like the m50x then stick with it and get a fiio amp/dac and you might be more happy especially if you can EQ it.

I'm not trying to say that you choice is wrong, I was just trying to say you might like something else better. I personally don't like the m50x and would rather go for something like the Q701, which you probably would hate since it doesn't have much bass.

It seems like you've already tried some decent closed headphones. If noise leakage isn't an issue then you could try open back which most people prefer when isolation isn't needed.
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 3:14 PM Post #7 of 17
Well Q701 in my country are two times more expensive than ath m50x... Probably i would rather bought q701 too, just like u, if it was in similar prize;/ . What do u recommend for stationary source? Of course remeber about my low budget ;p
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 3:22 PM Post #8 of 17
ajirebardyn said:
Well Q701 in my country are two times more expensive than ath m50x... Probably i would rather bought q701 too, just like u, if it was in similar prize;/ . What do u recommend for stationary source? Of course remeber about my low budget ;p
Click to expand...


They're about the same price where I live. Forgot that other countries sometimes overprice certain brands. Got my Q701 for $150 new

I know I'm repeating myself, but if you like the M50X then there's nothing wrong with keeping it.
If you actually want to upgrade then I suggest telling us what's lacking about the M50X.
Common examples: more bass, less sibilant/piercing, better mid range, better sound stage, more detail

You're probably better off making a different thread to ask for headphone recommendations since we got a little off topic
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 3:48 PM Post #9 of 17
For sure, m50 pluged into ace 2/vsx-521 are out of detail, yes i can sometimes recognize different types of instrument etc, but it's not clearly showed. It's hard to talk about what is a problem..., bass is for me optimal but sound could be more piercing. I dont know, I thnik, my only hope is to find nice store with DAC etc and test everything on my ears. Btw Thanks for interest this thread. Appriciate that ;)
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 3:52 PM Post #10 of 17
ajirebardyn said:
  For sure, m50 pluged into ace 2/vsx-521 are out of detail, yes i can sometimes recognize different types of instrument etc, but it's not clearly showed. It's hard to talk about what is a problem..., bass is for me optimal but sound could be more piercing. I dont know, I thnik, my only hope is to find nice store with DAC etc and test everything on my ears. Btw Thanks for interest this thread. Appriciate that ;)
Click to expand...

 
For good portable audio, just get a FiiO X3, or even a FiiO X1.
Plug your headphones (ATH-M50X) directly into the FiiO.
 
Oct 4, 2014 at 4:25 PM Post #13 of 17
purpleangel said:
For good portable audio, just get a FiiO X3, or even a FiiO X1.
Plug your headphones (ATH-M50X) directly into the FiiO.
Click to expand...


+1

Get the DAP. I'd to go for the X3 to get the DAC functionality and because it is a more powerful headphone (should you ever upgrade to headphones that are less sensitive).
 
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