[Diders]

Hi quick question to get some opinions on best way to go new with a new purchase. I'm more or less a newbie with headphones but have been dabbling in home theatre and half decent speakers like Krix for a while.

I've decided on the Beyerdynamic DT770 (250 Ohm I think, more on that later).

I would like to know out of the 3 DAC amp options below which would be best:

1. Fiio E10k
2. Audioengine D1
3. Schiit Modi 3 DAC into one of my old existing receivers that are sitting around doing nothing:
a) Yamaha rxv592
b) Harman Kardon avr
c) Yamaha (early 90s no LCD)

How much better is the DAC in say a schii Modi or another seperate DAC rather than an integrated one? If not could I just use the RCA outputs from audioengine D1 into said 3 amps above to just play around i.e headphone amp vs headphone output on HT amp.

Would I better off getting the 80 ohm dt770s instead of the 250ohm as they are more versatile(plug directly into low output device) but will still benefit from amp? Or will the 250 ohm destroy them with proper amplification?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

How much better is the DAC in say a schii Modi or another seperate DAC rather than an integrated one?

That's on a case to case basis. Some USB powered DACs have much lower than a 2V line output, while some wall-powered amps use a USB-powered DAC in the same enclosure but this usually still outputs 2V. Some have variable outputs like the E10K, and I'm not sure what the max voltage is, so you're going to have to feel for the ~2V level or the lowest noise level that won't force your amp to try to compensate too much.

f not could I just use the RCA outputs from audioengine D1 into said 3 amps above to just play around i.e headphone amp vs headphone output on HT amp.

I'd be more worried about the quality and output power level off the D1's headphone output or that it IIRC has a variable output than its DAC circuit quality.

Would I better off getting the 80 ohm dt770s instead of the 250ohm as they are more versatile(plug directly into low output device) but will still benefit from amp? Or will the 250 ohm destroy them with proper amplification?

250ohm is more versatile if you're going to use speaker amps with very high output impedance and potentially low power output (as higher impedance on otherwise similar driver design usually means "higher sensitivity" ie you actually need less power to get to the same level, it's just a matter of whether the gain is too low that it nullifies the offset).

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hi quick question to get some opinions on best way to go new with a new purchase. I'm more or less a newbie with headphones but have been dabbling in home theater and half decent speakers like Krix for a while.
I've decided on the Beyerdynamic DT770 (250 Ohm I think, more on that later).
I would like to know out of the 3 DAC amp options below which would be best:
1. FiiO E10k 2. Audioengine D1 3. Schiit Modi 3 DAC into one of my old existing receivers that are sitting around doing nothing: a) Yamaha rxv592 b) Harman Kardon avr c) Yamaha (early 90s no LCD)
How much better is the DAC in say a schiit Modi or another separate DAC rather than an integrated one? If not could I just use the RCA outputs from Audioengine D1 into said 3 amps above to just play around i.e headphone amp vs headphone output on HT amp.
Would I better off getting the 80 ohm dt770s instead of the 250ohm as they are more versatile(plug directly into low output device) but will still benefit from amp? Or will the 250 ohm destroy them with proper amplification?
Sorry for all the questions!

We can assume your audio source is a PC?
Or is something else feeding audio into your home theater?
For 250-Ohm headphones, I would try and talk you into getting the Beyerdynamic T70 (used off eBay),
250-Ohm to 300-Ohm (or 600-Ohm) headphones are better for plugging into the headphone jack a speaker amplifier or receiver or A/V receiver.
A Soundmagic (32-Ohm) HP151 headphone is like an improved DT770, but as the HP151 is only 32-Ohm, not great for plugging into receivers or anything else designed primarily for driving speakers.
The HP151 is something you could plug into the E10K or Audioengine D1 or directly into a computer's on-board audio.
A Schiit or JDS or Monoprice or other brand of headphone amplifier might be a worthwhile investment for driving the HP151.

 

[harry501501]

Look at the Topping NX4

 

[Diders]

Hi yes will most likely be my MacBook Pro at work. I read iTunes encodes all its audio as AAC which is quite good better than Spotify premium? Or should I be looking exclusively at FLAC sources for the best sound? I am now leaning towards the Oppo HA2SE as a DAC so I can use in car as well. Any thoughts on this unit? Thanks for you comments.