[blueyan]

my Srh840 is coming on next Tuesday .. I know they works without amp but I want to unleash their full performance ,, any Dac/Amp (desktop) recommendation in 150~200$ ? I'd be happy spending less .. is Audinst Mx1 a good choice to go ? any other suggestion ? I prefer to get desktop version than portable , because not planning to use it for traveling.
Thanks

 

[joelpearce]

They are relatively easy to drive.  My recommendation would be to get a solid state amp for them, since they already tend to be a bit warm.  Definitely don't go portable, though.  You get a lot more quality for the money with desktop amps.

 

[blueyan]

Quote:

They are relatively easy to drive.  My recommendation would be to get a solid state amp for them, since they already tend to be a bit warm.  Definitely don't go portable, though.  You get a lot more quality for the money with desktop amps.

thanks for reply ..hmm , any good solid state amp in 150~200USD ?

 

[rusitnpiece]

I find these so easy to drive i wouldn't worry to much about overly spending out on an amp. Just make sure your source is up to scratch.
 

 

[TheWuss]

i've read goog stuff about the audinst.
the audio-gd sparrow looks like a good fit as well...
 
enjoy the shures!

 

[blueyan]

currently I'm using a laptop with a Asus Xonar U1 external sound card, music files are either 320kbps mp3 , 192 wma/wav or flac ...Asus Xonar U1 has built in amp , but I doubt whether it is good enough to drive Srh 840 to their full performance ....

 

[rusitnpiece]

I would try them before you go down the DAC route. Even my Compaq Mini powers the Shures very well without my DAC. I personally dont see the need to use my DAC and amp for the shures.

 

[TheWuss]

well... source upgrades are always welcome.
but, you are right, they are very easily driven, amp-wise...

 

[moodyrn]

x2. A source upgrade will yeild some benefits, but you don't need to invest a lot into an amp(since they are so easy to drive) eventhough they do respond to good amping.

 

[David.M]

gratz on the 1000 post moodyrn !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Drinks at your place?

 

 

[mythless]

DAC is one thing but an Amp is not needed for the 840s.  When I paired the 840s with my Pico, there wasn't a significant difference.  The 840 are so easy to drive.  But, an amp can give the 840 a different sound character, warmer or colder depending on the amp.  I find the 840s could use are warmer amp, neutral amp like the pico slim is fine, but I am sure with a warming amp the 840s would sound nice!
 

 

[blueyan]

so , I shouldn't invest a lot of money into an amp ? how about getting a cheap one ? something like nuforce uDAC , it is a DAC/Amp combo , from what I've heard , or Nuforce Icon Mobile... is there any significant improvement of using uDAC over  Xonar U1 ? I know DAC converts a digital signal to analogue , not so sure whether Xonar U1 does the same thing too ...

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

so , I shouldn't invest a lot of money into an amp ? how about getting a cheap one ? something like nuforce uDAC , it is a DAC/Amp combo , from what I've heard , or Nuforce Icon Mobile... is there any significant improvement of using uDAC over  Xonar U1 ? I know DAC converts a digital signal to analogue , not so sure whether Xonar U1 does the same thing too ...

I disagree with everyone above.
Firstly, they are reported to improve with an amp (I've never head them, but I've read so)
Secondly, you should get an amp that will work with Cans that you may want to buy in the future.
 
However, you should wait and see how you like them first. As far as I can tell, these are your first real headphones.
It's hard to judge just what everyone means by all these terms without hearing real headphones first.
Once you get them, you should be able to tell what your next headphone might be.
At that time, you could get an amp that would suit both your current and your next headphones.
 
Least those are my 2 cents.

 

[blueyan]

Quote:

I disagree with everyone above.
Firstly, they are reported to improve with an amp (I've never head them, but I've read so)
Secondly, you should get an amp that will work with Cans that you may want to buy in the future.
 
However, you should wait and see how you like them first. As far as I can tell, these are your first real headphones.
It's hard to judge just what everyone means by all these terms without hearing real headphones first.
Once you get them, you should be able to tell what your next headphone might be.
At that time, you could get an amp that would suit both your current and your next headphones.
 
Least those are my 2 cents.

yeah , you're right . These are my first REAL can ... Previously , I was using some cheap pair of Philips clip on , bought them around $20 in 2 years ago . I have some money right now , so I'm looking for an upgrade . Finally I made up my mind to get the Srh840 , which seem to work with most of the genres , and warm signature that perfect for listening all day. I might getting a bassy headphone for electronica , house , pop in the future ..see how it goes after I burn in the Srh 840 =) 
 

 

[complex]

I use them with an M^3 at work and find it makes a pretty big difference. It uses AD 843 opamps which have a pretty laid back and smooth sound, and the bass impact is much improved overall. Unamped, and even with a couple smaller amps, I always found myself wishing for stronger bass.