[InvisiblePotato]

          Hello audiophile community! My name is Carl, and I am a high schooler who is very interested in the music industry. I play the trumpet, and love listening to music as well. I have recently purchased a pair of Philips Fidelio x2 headphones due to raving reviews on here as well as other audiophile websites, which I love, and am looking into two other purchases with money I have made from my summer job.
 
          The first purchase that I am contemplating is a desktop amp to couple with my x2s and my hifime sabre DAC (http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMeDIY-Digital-Analog-Converter-Optical/dp/B00AOH5JTQ). I know that it is usually recommended to get an amp, but with the low (35 ohm) impedance of the x2s I was wondering which, if any, amp to purchase. This is my main query, as being a relative newbie it is confusing to pick out the perfect amp for the rest of my setup. I would not wish to spend over 100$ on said amp, but if you recommend that I do that number isn't solid.
 
          The second purchase that I am considering is a good pair of earbuds, not over 150$. I would be using these mainly in the gym and car, so they need to be relatively rugged, noise isolating + sweat resistant. I am heavily considering the Bluetooth Jaybird Bluebud x earbuds, as the practicality of bluetooth in the gym is nice, and one of my friends has them and has let my try them out, and I like them very much.
 
Any suggestions are heavily appreciated, as I am just entering this great community.
 
Thanks and good listening to you all!

 

[KG Jag]

Hi Carl--in addition to you planned purchases, what equipment will be powering and feeding these cans--both at home and on the go.

 

[InvisiblePotato]

Hi Carl--in addition to you planned purchases, what equipment will be powering and feeding these cans--both at home and on the go.

I will be using the x2s at home from my desktop and sabre Dac linked in original post (and possibly amp) , and the ear buds will be powered through Bluetooth from my Samsung Galaxy s4 phone (they are known to be the best Bluetooth buds on the market) and I wouldn't want /need an amp/dac for those. The music I listen to will all be at the extreme mode on Spotify (pretty sure it's 320kbps) Thanks!

 

[cel4145]

The Schiit Magni 2 is a very good amp for $99 + shipping.

If you must have bluetooth, I would say go with the Jaybird Bluebud since you have already heard them and know you like them. However, wired IEMs will typically give you the best sound for the money because with bluetooth, the built in bluetooth receiver, DAC and headphone amp are all part of the cost. If you would consider wired, look at this ranked list: http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/. Each make/model name links to a review.

 

[InvisiblePotato]

Thanks. Would you recommend that I get an amp even though the impedance is only 35 ohms?

 

[cel4145]

Thanks. Would you recommend that I get an amp even though the impedance is only 35 ohms?

I do not know enough about the HifiMeDiy Sabre USB DAC to answer that. But the Magni 2 is one of your best options for the money at ~$100 for a headphone amp.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thanks. Would you recommend that I get an amp even though the impedance is only 35 ohms?

 
You could just try plugging the headphones directly into the Hifimediy USB DAC and see if you like the sound.
Other wise the FiiO E11K headphone amplifier ($60) could be used with the Hifimediy USB DAC.
The E11K could be used with more then just the USB DAC, as it can be powered by a USB port or run off it's own internal battery.

 

[InvisiblePotato]

You could just try plugging the headphones directly into the Hifimediy USB DAC and see if you like the sound.
Other wise the FiiO E11K headphone amplifier ($60) could be used with the Hifimediy USB DAC.
The E11K could be used with more then just the USB DAC, as it can be powered by a USB port or run off it's own internal battery.

it sounds good and isn't too quite, so would it not be necessary?

 

[Sam21]

I liked my HifimeDIY E9023 DAC/AMP more than my FIIO E17, but the amp section on the HifimeDIY is weaker than E17's. switching from motherboard to HifimeDIY made a huge difference, the soundstage became better defined and accurate.
 
Some Options you have :
 
Modi 2 Uber + Magni 2 Uber
 
Modi 2 Uber + O2
 
AudioEngine D1
 
there are better options out there but you have to spend more. if you are going to have only one headphone then buy a budget DAC and a proper amp that can drive your phones, refer to the headphone's impression threads to see which amp matches your headphone's needs.

 

[InvisiblePotato]

I liked my HifimeDIY E9023 DAC/AMP more than my FIIO E17, but the amp section on the HifimeDIY is weaker than E17's. switching from motherboard to HifimeDIY made a huge difference, the soundstage became better defined and accurate.

Some Options you have :

Modi 2 Uber + Magni 2 Uber

Modi 2 Uber + O2

AudioEngine D1

there are better options out there but you have to spend more. if you are going to have only one headphone then buy a budget DAC and a proper amp that can drive your phones, refer to the headphone's impression threads to see which amp matches your headphone's needs.

thanks for the advice I'll check that out and will most likely look into a good quality amp that could be adapted for other oems and keep my dac for now.

 

[BobMonkhouse]

I use my X2 with the older version ES9018 of HifiMeDiy Sabre USB DAC. Yours should be even better. I'm perfectly happy with mine without adding an amp. I've compared it to the few amps which I have and like a lot. Also, the DAC has enough power for X2,so it doesn't affect the dynamic range and doesn't cause clipping at the low to moderate volumes I listen to my music. Adding an amp won't provide better clarity or details. It can just colour the sound which you may or may not like.

 

[InvisiblePotato]

Thanks for your first hand experience. I probably won't invest in an amp then any time soon, at least until I get new cans (which I eventually will do) that need them more. I'll probably pick up the bluebuds soon tho.