[Enigma80]

Hey, I'm a greenhorn(An understatement) when it comes to the audiophile world and wanted some help with a purchase before spending money and later realizing that I've been a grade A doofus. I currently have a Denon AH-D340, a Samson SR950 and one or two more Headphones/IEM's for specific activities or other stuff and I run all of them from my inexpensive albeit trusty Motorola Moto E along with a Fiio E06. I recently considered buy a Sansa Clip+ or better, an XDuoo X2 but before buying anything(Most likely the latter), all I want to know is that

1. Will there be any difference at all in the SQ through a DAP or will it be pretty marginal and only audible upon careful listening?

2. Will there be a difference in volume levels as sometimes I find the Samson to be a little less loud than I want it to be even when both my phone and my amp are at full volume

3. Lastly, if I get an Xduoo X2, would I need to use my Fiio E06 along with it or should the DAP just be used as a standalone device?

Peace!

 

[Enigma80]

Bump!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enigma80 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

1. Will there be any difference at all in the SQ through a DAP or will it be pretty marginal and only audible upon careful listening?

 

That depends. If whatever amp or amp circuit you're using now with whatever headphones you have doesn't get up to audible distortion levels to get the headphones a bit beyond comfortable loudness, then it won't. If anything, you can assume that the signal is cleaner going through the DAPs DAC then amp sections than going through the DAC+HPamp audio chip in the Motorola and isn't at audible distortion levels yet in order to be at a high enough voltage level for the input on the E6. Past the DAP's amp section and the E6, it depends on what your headphones need.

 

You can look at it another way though: it will be a matter of convenience and preference. 

Pros:

1. You won't need to use up your phone's battery while listening 

2. When taking or making calls, you won't have to pull out something that looks like a person in ICU or a ship in drydock, with a cable going to the amp then the earphone cable (since amps don't use a headset passthrough for the mic)

3. You can put the DAP and phone in separate pockets, instead of one phone made thicker by the amp if strapped onto the back of the phone case (or have a snake of cables if the E6 is elsewhere)

Cons:

1. You can't set incoming calls to automatically disrupt playback, and depending on how loose your pants are, you might not feel the phone vibrating.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enigma80 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

3. Lastly, if I get an Xduoo X2, would I need to use my Fiio E06 along with it or should the DAP just be used as a standalone device?

 

At 32ohms the E6 has 100mW output, while the XDuoo X2 has 250mW. Unless the X2 has a -dB gain, there is no chance for the Fiio to overcome that. 

 

Also, strapping on the E6 to the X2 given those figures is like using a Lexus V8 engine to charge a battery which serves as a power supply for a Prius electric engine.

 

[vontokkerths]

First of all excuse if I make a mistake writing, my main language is spanish. I had a debate in my head for the longest time if I should just buy a DAP or keep using my phone (I change phones a lot so every time is a nightmare and fear to know how it sounds). I thought a dap wasn't going to make a big difference and boy was I wrong.. I recently bought the Fiio X1 and I'm in love with this little thing, sounds so much different than any smartphone i've tried! Now I'm going to upgrade my good old trusty m50 because i've grown tired of the way it sounds and to me its a little 'grainy' (i think thats the term). My suggestion is: Buy a DAP, you wont be dissapointed. If you have any questions about the x1 feel free to ask! 

 

 

[Tail]

My advice is the opposite of comment before mine but I agree with ProtegeManiac. I had Astell & Kern AK100, heard AK120 and AK120 II and own FiiO X3 at this moment (also heard X1 and X5 first gen). 
The only benefit I get with X3 over Nexus 5 is that I can use it as an external DAC on my PC that has very bad output and it produces a lot of noise so the multi purpose player there comes handy and I use it in gym where I don't want my phone distracting me, it is also smaller than my smartphone so that helps also in the gym. 
 
Soundwise if you have easy to drive sensitive enough headphones (let's say 32 Ohm or less impedance, 100 dB or more SPL, tho I might be wrong on SPL) you probably won't benefit at all using a DAP over your smartphone. So only if you see that you have distortions and some overwhelming noise out of you smartphone, only then you should consider external player.
 
People around here will speak all kinds of fairy tales how it will open you new horizons, but this is quite a lot placebo effect driven hobby where people buy stuff just for the sake of the hobby and to look more audiophile. So only if you actually need dedicated player (hard to drive headphones that need more power to be loud, USB DAC, lot of airplane travel etc.) get one, no need to waste money for nothing otherwise.
 
This is just my opinion of course, others obviously may have different experiences.

 

[vontokkerths]

My experience with smartphones sq are not great at all so that's why I recommend a DAP, I agree that theres a lot of placebo effect on this hobby and I'm not an expert by any means but comparing the Galaxy S6 to my Fiio X1 I can hear a very noticeable difference. The S6 is way too bright, harsh, lacks of bass and just a mess while the Fiio (in my humble experience, and not trying to prove wrong the post before me, just opinion/experience.) sounds really detailed (using the same files FLAC 44/16 or MP3). 

 

[mikes511]

Does this matter if you have a player like iBassoDX90 already?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Does this matter if you have a player like iBassoDX90 already?

 
If you have it and don't mind lugging it around then use it. When you get home then use it with something that can utilize its amp circuit, which is comparable to decent portable amps.

 

[Raketen]

1- idk about SQ, but character can be noticably different between devices (especially when switching after exclusively using something for a while). Personally I prefer my Clip+ and Zip to my old geezer Samsung phone, I think mainly because it has a little more power, is tiny, and I like buttons. If measurements are your thing very cool Headphoniaks blog did a review of the xduoo recently.
 
2- did a quick search for your Samsons and saw that the sensitivity (basically loudness @ a given power level) is a little on the low side - the number I saw was 96 dB / 1 mW, a good number for a portable device would be more like your denon's 108dB. Given that information and what Protege wrote about the x2 output vs e6 output, that could do the trick. My old Beyerdynamic DT770/32 had the same sensitivity rating, and my Clips could drive them better than my laptop and phone. My vague understanding is that if you are maxing out a source to drive a pair of headphones, quite possibly missing out on their full capability (especially in terms of their dynamic range and such? don't quote me on that )
 
Like others have said, DAPs can have different advantages, but at the level of the Clip or the x2, the main benefit is probably the form factor, possibly the battery life, maybe better output power- hard to say without knowing your phone- less likely a huge SQ upgrade if you already like your phone (plenty of audiophile types here seem perfectly content with their iPhone 6 or whatever).
 
If it's not a huge expenditure for you, and you think you'll get some use out of it, might be worth getting a Clip or x2 or something similar anyway, just for the utility/heck of it. If you're otherwise happy with your phone and don't mind carrying a brick in your pocket, getting a more powerful amp than the e6 is another option, or if you like the phone interface but not the SQ and it supports digital out via usb, you could even get a DAC/AMP combo, Fiio and a couple other brands make some cheap-ish models that are well rated, though probably 2x the price of the DAPs you're looking at.

 

[earspasam]

 If you have any questions about the x1 feel free to ask! 

 

How does the sound in an iphone compare to the sound in a fiio x1?

 

[vontokkerths]

  How does the sound in an iphone compare to the sound in a fiio x1?

Sadly I got a lemon x1.. The sound (to me was fantastic) comparing the S6 to the X1 the fiio wins every time but iPhones are known to have good sound quality but they tend to be a little warm sounding (which I like and I've read here similar things) just a little, tho. I liked a lot how my iPhone 6+ sounded

 

[Badfish5446]

My HTC One has a quality HO in the realm of phones and the Iphone 5 isn't a slouch, but the FiiO X3 G2 puts them both to shame.  The "5" is more handily beaten than the One (M9).  In the end I greatly prefer the E12A in the mix over any of the single devices.  The X3 G2 LO>E12A is ear nirvana if you ask me... YMMV