Thanks for the info
My budget is about $100~$120 Just in to Headphone so I do not know about amp
how is the JDSlabs O2 I see the Amplification For Sale thread about $90 do i need to add DAC ??
And what is DAC for ???
I like to know what is DAC??
Maybe go to SOCAL 2014 head-fi Meet
Thank you again
Yes, you could go to the head-fi meet, and I would recommend it. But honestly, you really just need to spend some time reading this website. You need to learn some of the lingo and some of the concepts. I'm not sure how many people will be willing to spend their day explaining the basics to you. They are going to be there to try out gear they want to buy, more than anything else.
Ok. Well, this is interesting. First off, you've got some great cans, but to really use them properly, they need to be amplified. You can search elsewhere on this website to really research why, I don't want to try to re-explain it here. That is not the case for all headphones. There are many excellent headphones that do not require an amplifier.
You are not going to purchase the right equipment for those headphones for another $120 bucks. Sorry, bro. You would be better off returning those cans for something cheaper, and spending the difference on a low end DAC and amp for them. Or saving it for something else.
I'm not sure how you ended up with Senn HD650s, but whomever sold them to you should have told you a bit more about them. They aren't the kind of cans you just plug into an ipod or laptop or sound card for that matter, and expect great things from. So if you have a choice, I would reconsider that purchase. If you can't return them, then I would consider selling them on the used equipment forum. You can probably get several hundred for a used set in good condition. And that will spare you the whole amplifier/dac thing, and let you buy some cans that are more appropriate for what you want.
Personally, one of my favorite cans that does not require an amp to sound good are my Sony MDR 7506's. They are only 63 ohm cans and I can drive them with an ipod just fine. So if you had something like that, you could skip the rest of this discussion. There are many other choices, that's just one example.
So, if I haven't scared you off yet: What is a DAC? It's a Digital to Analog Converter. Modern music is stored in binary format on your computer, compact disk, etc. Your ears cannot listen to music in binary format. It has to be in what we call Analog format. Back in the days of vinyl records and cassette tape players, music was recorded in analog format (which is to say, the sound amplitudes and frequencies were recorded onto magnetic tape or recordsm without being converted into another form). When it was played back, it was turned back into audible frequencies without all this fiddling around with 0's and 1's. Today, however, music is recorded in digital format, so it is necessary to convert those 0's and 1's on your computer into "analog format" before it can be played. A DAC does this.
The amplifier just turns low level analog format music into higher level music that you can listen to through headphones or speakers. In the case of low impedance headphones, an amplifier is more of an optional decision. In the case of high impedance headphones, it is not optional - it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, you're just wasting your money.
I'm really trying not to get into a huge technical discussion here lol. So let's just say that if you have a high quality set of headphones, and want to listen to high quality music, then you need a high quality DAC and an amplifier. By some stroke of luck or fortune, you own a set of some really high quality headphones, without really knowing why you want to own them. Most people who drop $500 clams on cans like that, know why they want them, and know that they also need some other gear to make them work properly.
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dac is kinda like an external sound card. it will improve on the sound card in your computer or audio player. no, a dac is not really necessary & from my personal experience, the sound quality improvements is quite subtle, so whether it's worth it for the price is up to you.
however, UMustBKidn is right. for high impedance 300ohm headphones, you require an amp to achieve appropriate volumes and for the headphones to have enough power to sound good. I do disagree with absolutely requiring higher-end more expensive equipment. You can achieve decent results with some budget amp. The hd650 does scale up nicely with more expensive equipment, so that is why a lot of people recommend getting pricier stuff, but if you are just starting out, you can definitely get by with something cheaper & if you don't notice anything wrong with the sound, you can be content with that.
just a note of budgeting for audio equipment. it is usually wiser (IMO), to spend the majority of your budget into your headphones as they have the biggest impact on your sound quality. maybe about <25% of your whole budget into external equipment like amps/dacs. also note there are quite a few free ways to improve your sound, like increasing the bit rate of your source files (higher bitrate mp3s sound much noticeably improved when using nicer headphones - you can definitely hear the difference between good vs bad sources). also, you can EQ the sound frequency to find a sound signature that suits your tastes.
good luck & i hope this info was helpful.
A DAC is not an external sound card. They are two entirely different devices.
Whether it is necessary to use a DAC or not depends on whether you need an amplifier. If you have headphones that don't need to be amplified, then you don't need a DAC either. But if you have headphones that need an amp, then you most surely do need a DAC. I really don't want to argue about it, I will just refer you to the plethora of information on this website that will prove that point to you.
It is possible to skip using a DAC on a temporary basis. But I would not recommend it. Plumbing a headphone out jack into another amplifier is double-amping the sound, and it will result in excess distortion.
I would not encourage someone who owns half of a good system to continue using it. Really. Whomever sold this person a set of HD650s without explaining to them that they are high impedance headphones that require amplification to sound good, did them a dis-service. I would not continue to do this person a dis-service by justifying their continued usage of such a setup. Yes, there would be an improvement by plugging it into a budget amp like a Bravo. But that's still far, far away from an ideal setup. You don't need to believe me. Run that by anyone else on this website that's been around for a while, and they will tell you the same thing.
Budget amps like Bravo's are great for budget setups. But please don't make me sound like an incompetent jerk for recommending the right equipment for those headphones. Please do this person a favor, and give them the right information, and let them decide for themselves what to do. Thanks.
