[TehGoat]

I'm trying to decide which one of these amps to get. I love the fact that I can strap the E17k to the back of my phone and that it is a amp/dac combo but I'm worried if it has enough power for the 990's.
I'v heard nothing but good thinks about the O2 amps but it would cost me another $100-$150 for a dac and its a little big to strap to the back of my phone lol.
 
I should mention that although I have mentioned strapping an amp to the back of my phone it will probably be like 90% movies/games and 10% traveling so not a huge deal.
 
Only other info I can think of is that I will be using this on my computer which has the Z170 Delux mobo so I'll be using that on board sound card which maybe means I don't need a dac when on my pc. I will also be using this on the ps4.
 
Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[PurpleAngel]

FiiO A3 (E11K) headphone amplifier, $60.

 

[TehGoat]

Hi thanks for the response.
 
I was looking on audiobot and I noticed the damping factor on the A3 is 1250 and the E17k is only 227 does this make a difference?
 
Also if I were to get the O2 should I get the Standard gain of 2.5x, 6.5x or the medium gain of 1.0x, 3.3x? I was watching a review on youtube and the guy said that 6.5x is to much for the 300ohms and that the 2.5x might even be a little too much. The DT990's are only 250ohms.

 

[Me x3]

  Hi thanks for the response.
 
I was looking on audiobot and I noticed the damping factor on the A3 is 1250 and the E17k is only 227 does this make a difference?
 
Also if I were to get the O2 should I get the Standard gain of 2.5x, 6.5x or the medium gain of 1.0x, 3.3x? I was watching a review on youtube and the guy said that 6.5x is to much for the 300ohms and that the 2.5x might even be a little too much. The DT990's are only 250ohms.

 
Damping Factor won't make an audible difference here.
 
Fiio E17K is a battery powered USB DAC/Amp, while A3 is a similarly powerful battery powered Amp.
E17K won't work as a DAC with most phones as far as I know, so it's just an Amp on the go (just as A3).
When plugged via USB to your computer E17K works as a DAC/Amp and would provide subtle improvement over your current onboard audio chip.
 
E10K/Q1/E17K/A3 they all have similar power, they all drive the DT990 250 Ohm just fine.
Not tons of extra room, not the ultimate performance on Earth, but enough clean power and very affordable.
 
If you just want a battery powered amplifier with plenty of power for DT990 then check the Fiio E12
 
If you are willing to spend more to get that extra 10% performance then you should consider:
 
Schiit Modi 2/Magni 2
Schiit Modi 2/Vali 2
ODAC + O2
Matrix HPA-2
 
(no portability in these case)

 

[TehGoat]

I think I'm actually leaning towards the O2 and then picking up the ODAC in the next couple of months but I noticed that it doesn't have bass boost on it, does this make a noticeable difference? 

 

[Me x3]

  I think I'm actually leaning towards the O2 and then picking up the ODAC in the next couple of months but I noticed that it doesn't have bass boost on it, does this make a noticeable difference? 

 
You can always EQ using a parametric equalizer like EqualizerAPO (if you feel the need)

 

[TehGoat]

Is the Bass boost switch on say the A3 the same as adjusting the bass with a good equalizer? 

 

[Me x3]

  Is the Bass boost switch on say the A3 the same as adjusting the bass with a good equalizer? 

Yes.
A quality parametric equalizer can be much more versatile.

 

[TehGoat]

Sweet I think that's all I need to know then.
 
Thanks for all the help guys!
 
Crap, one more thing regarding the Standard gain of 2.5x, 6.5x vs the medium gain of 1.0x, 3.3x as mentioned in one of my previous post. Any suggestions?