[robar]

Most audio interface is poor source compared to dedicate headphone DAC/amp.

The Scarlett is a pretty decent budget dac but apparently the headphone out is quite weak. It drives my 32-80ohm stuff just fine. I also have SMSL X4 but it has similar driving power. I think the main problem is that both use solely usb without internal battery or external power source, so they are mostly limited by the usb 2.0 connection.

I have a love/hate relationship with this earbud. I can never relax and listen to this thing. If there is not enough power it sounds exactly like you described. Awful. Usually, I plug this into my Schiit Magni 3. It's overkill but there is nothing else that I feel can properly drive it. In fact, I just plugged it into my V30 and, even though it can get loud enough, the bass dominates the sound and it's flabby and unimpressive. From the Magni the bass gets actual punch, sounds a lot less congested and the treble starts to come through. I also find that turning it up higher than I'm normally comfortable listening is where it sounds best. I spend most of my listening time trying to dial it in to the best volume. It's frustrating...but it sounds really decent. Honestly, I feel like the Earbuds Anonymous bud gives me exactly what this can give me but without all the hassle. With that said, I've been listening to it since you asked the question.

Haha yes I would've totally sold the Rosemary long ago if I had any friends with good amps interested in earbuds. The EA bud looks quite nice, I might try one out in the future but it's a bit too much for me at the moment, I've had quite a bit of bad luck recently with bud purchases so I'd rather buy some sweet parts from that kind of money haha.

What do you guys use as portable amps for hard to drive, potentially high Z earbuds?
It's not that I really want to travel with an amp, more that the power is not clean at all in my house with a lot of noise, so I prefer to run DAPS/amps on battery.

I'm interested too. A simple, trusty solution for 100-200ohm stuff with regular 3.5mm connections. I don't want to buy something half done with dumbly high output impedance, then fiddle with opamps for weeks, or something that has only balanced output. Based on specs the Radstone ES100 looks like a very nice swiss army knife solution (dac+amp+BT receiver), but I havent tried it

 

[citral23]

For 32-200 ohms I use a topping NX1s, which I can vouch for (1.5 ohms output Z iirc, clean sound)

but it has very little power, looking for something to drive my 400-600 ohms properly. NX3 looks rather powerful, but audio science review is not impressed.

The E1DA dacs are powerful, but it's more something that I'll attach to my work laptop, than a bedroom device.

 

[ClieOS]

The Scarlett is a pretty decent budget dac but apparently the headphone out is quite weak. It drives my 32-80ohm stuff just fine. I also have SMSL X4 but it has similar driving power. I think the main problem is that both use solely usb without internal battery or external power source, so they are mostly limited by the usb 2.0 connection.

USB power alone is actually fine if a decent power step-up circuit is included. The problem with Scarlett 2i2's headphone-out goes a bit further than just lacking a good power supply. The opamp that is used for the headphone-out is not actually suitable for driving headphone. To make it work, Focusrite has to put in resistors and capacitors in the signal path to make it works, but those also serve to degrade SQ. To put it simple, the headphone-out is really more in line of 'making sound; rather than 'making good sound'.

 

[j4100]

I use the VE RA2.0bl with it's warp core battery pack, but this is more transportable than portable. Certainly powers the ZOE and other such power hungry buds.

In other news, apart from the EA bud I ordered from Penon the other day, I ordered the AK lucky bag and a couple of the NiceHCK B40s, since I missed out on them when they came out. Perfect sleeping buds, as my Pandas cable is now extremely annoying with it's memory effect.

First buds I have bought in well over a year!

 

[groucho69]

I use the VE RA2.0bl with it's warp core battery pack, but this is more transportable than portable. Certainly powers the ZOE and other such power hungry buds.

In other news, apart from the EA bud I ordered from Penon the other day, I ordered the AK lucky bag and a couple of the NiceHCK B40s, since I missed out on them when they came out. Perfect sleeping buds, as my Pandas cable is now extremely annoying with it's memory effect.

First buds I have bought in well over a year!

Over a year? That just makes you odd. So you fit right in here.

 

[j4100]

Over a year? That just makes you odd. So you fit right in here.

Very true

I bought way too many in a short period and managed to stop myself buying any more. Looks like I fell off the wagon

 

[groucho69]

Very true

I bought way too many in a short period and managed to stop myself buying any more. Looks like I fell off the wagon

A short drop

 

[Chris674]

Very true

I bought way too many in a short period and managed to stop myself buying any more. Looks like I fell off the wagon

I just told my wife that I had hit my own personal endgame...and bought the lucky bag the next day.

 

[chinmie]

I just told my wife that I had hit my own personal endgame...and bought the lucky bag the next day.

the nice thing about game is that it's replayable

 

[mbwilson111]

Very true

I bought way too many in a short period and managed to stop myself buying any more. Looks like I fell off the wagon

Before you get back on that wagon, stop at your nearest ASDA and. pick up a MIXX Tribute earbud for £4. Add some spare foams and prepare to be surprised. If you don't get a fit, give them to someone else.

 

[jant71]

Only spent $25 so not so bad but not really getting along with the **** KP120 I got two days ago. Maybe they will grow on me but they need some serious tweaking. Fit seems good as far as staying in but they don't really sit in my ears well enough and lose too much bass. Disappointed as I checked and the black filters they came installed with are the bassy filter option. Tried over ears and no real difference. What I would like from them would be the buds having a less even centered "shoulder". If you consider the driver the "body", the "arm" the stem down to the MMCX socket, the "shoulder" would be the back of the housing to the end where the filter screws in. Wish is was off center and more towards a two o'clock position which would allow the buds to sink down and more forward in my ears more than they do. More like a speaker that you are too far away from. Enough power can fix but I don't have anything, atm, as I am waiting for the Qudelix 5K type thing or one of the small players with some power to not have the issues/ finish installing all the features they promised

Filters seem cool but on the right bud the filter can unscrew pretty damn quick on it's own. They really need little o-rings to make sure they don't unscrew on there own. Make sure you tighten them good Would be nice if the black filter was in between a bassier one and a cooler one instead of the flat and two bass rolling filters...

Not sure why they only come with donut foams and no solid foams. Obviously I need solid foams to gain some warmth. Good sounding driver that has good bass reach and good balance. Treble does drop off and not gonna extend like an expensive bud obviously. Good bass extension and enough on the treble for it's price.

Like the cable. Actually using it on my Shuoer tape. Last **** cable I had on the PT25 was too long, unruly, and rolled off bass. this one is holding a few of it's bends/kinks form out of the box but is light, looks good, and sounds pretty nice.

Wish these had a bit better shape to a allow deeper fit and came with some solid foams and maybe a zip case. Could have be a real hit but not so much. I feel them will be more of a YMMV kinda bud with up and down impressions. I'm sure a few will get along with them better than me and some as well as me. Missing it by a little bit certainly seems to be the norm for **** in the below $30 range. Better than the PT25 in some ways but the still missed the mark in a few areas.

 

[j4100]

Before you get back on that wagon, stop at your nearest ASDA and. pick up a MIXX Tribute earbud for £4. Add some spare foams and prepare to be surprised. If you don't get a fit, give them to someone else.

Oh no! I'm going there tomorrow. Don't do this to me

 

[Alex.Grimm]

Only spent $25 so not so bad but not really getting along with the **** KP120 I got two days ago.

You bought at a high price, on sales, there were many opportunities to buy for $ 18-19

Spoiler

 

[Alex.Grimm]

Has anyone listened to these BLUE EVER BLUE 328R or 328RM earbuds?

Spoiler

http://blueeverblue.com/product_model_328.html

 

[mbwilson111]

Oh no! I'm going there tomorrow. Don't do this to me

Good thing I let you know just in time! We were at Asda a couple of days ago and they only had two left in rose gold...so of course I grabbed a spare. All the black and grey were gone and our Asda never did have purple, white or blue. My husband happened to be in Maidstone one day though (actually a bunch of days but that's another story) and was able to get those colors.

Don't let their build quality fool you. Those MIXX Tributes sound bigger than they look. @Willber was going to give some impressions... where are you Willber?