[alexjholland]

Hey, I bought a Fiio A3 on a whim (gift vouchers) a while back.

I'm using it with my iPhone 6 and the bass boost seems to have a little effect, but otherwise the main benefit is volume beyond what I actually require.

(I'm using AiAiAI TMA-2 headphones)

Am I correct in thinking that without a DAC, it's literally a total waste?

Is there any benefit to using a Fiio A3 with an iPhone 6, whatsoever?

Or, can I get benefits by using a cable, like a Fiio i1?

Thanks!

 

[yong_shun]

Pairing up iPhone 6 with Fiio A3 will result in double amplification - The recording get decoded and amplified in your phone soundcard / DAC chip then transported to the amplifier (A3) to be amplified again. Some people claimed that this will not affect the quality as long as the recording is good (with low noise). I tried my best to avoid this kind of set up because IMO the noise will get amplified too whenever it passes through an amplifier. My advice to you is to get an AMP + DAC combo. It will bypass your phone soundcard and get decoded and amplified once only. A good choice would be Fiio Q1 Mk II. For your A3, if you want to use it, you can consider a DAC or a music player that have a line out option to bypass the build in amplifier.

 

[BulldogXTRM]

I use a similar setup with my Note 8 and the Fiio A3. I find that it works as more of an impedance matching/load on the Note 8 and because the A3 has a lower output impedance than my Note 8 I do get better sound from my IEM's resulting in better sound. I dont think its Ideal, but it definitely improves the overall sound for me.

The Note 8 to me is pretty good on it's own so for the A3 to improve on this I find it to be worth the added bulk/expense.