[TimmyHear]

Hi, I am new to this forum and I was wondering if I can get any opinions from the people from the Head-Fi community, I am planning on getting a DAC and i was wondering which one would sound better or which one is technically better, the FiiO E7 or the HotAudio DAC DESTROYER. Opinions and other recommendations are welcomed. But currently I am more focused on this two DACs because of specific reasons. Thanks in advance for your replies. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hi, I am new to this forum and I was wondering if I can get any opinions from the people from the Head-Fi community, I am planning on getting a DAC and i was wondering which one would sound better or which one is technically better, the FiiO E7 or the HotAudio DAC DESTROYER. Opinions and other recommendations are welcomed. But currently I am more focused on this two DACs because of specific reasons. Thanks in advance for your replies. 

The FiiO E7 (or E07K) is a DAC and headphone amplifier, the DD (Dac Destroyer) is just a DAC.

 

[TimmyHear]

The FiiO E7 (or E07K) is a DAC and headphone amplifier, the DD (Dac Destroyer) is just a DAC.

Yes. I understand. But does that mean the Fiio E7 would sound better than the DacDestroyer? From what I know I could use the DacDestroyer without an amp. Or am I wrong?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Yes. I understand. But does that mean the Fiio E7 would sound better than the DacDestroyer? From what I know I could use the DacDestroyer without an amp. Or am I wrong?

I own the Dac Destroyer and I like it for what it is, but the only headphones it would drive for me are 32-Ohm to 40-Ohm headphones.
Where as with the E7 (E07K), I would think you could use from 16-Ohm to 150-Ohm headphones (maybe 250-Ohm?)

 

[TimmyHear]

I own the Dac Destroyer and I like it for what it is, but the only headphones it would drive for me are 32-Ohm to 40-Ohm headphones.
Where as with the E7 (E07K), I would think you could use from 16-Ohm to 150-Ohm headphones (maybe 250-Ohm?)

Okay. Let's say that my earphones can be easily driven and they would cost roughly the same amount for me to buy. Would the amp make my music sound any better? And which would you recommend then?

 

[money4me247]

Okay. Let's say that my earphones can be easily driven and they would cost roughly the same amount for me to buy. Would the amp make my music sound any better? And which would you recommend then?

I'd say an alternative option is to get the Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface for $30 (PCM2902 dac only) from amazon & see if it makes a noticeable difference. you can always return if you don't like it.
 
but if you can get the FiiO E7 at the same price as the $45 Dac Destroyer, that sounds like a great deal to me.
 
hard to say how much of a difference a dac/amp will make for your earphones until you try it yourself! in-ear headphones generally are designed to be driven fine w/o an amp, tho there are ppl that say they notice an improvement w/ an amp.

 

[TimmyHear]

  I'd say an alternative option is to get the Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface for $30 (PCM2902 dac only) from amazon & see if it makes a noticeable difference. you can always return if you don't like it.
 
but if you can get the FiiO E7 at the same price as the $45 Dac Destroyer, that sounds like a great deal to me.
 
hard to say how much of a difference a dac/amp will make for your earphones until you try it yourself! in-ear headphones generally are designed to be driven fine w/o an amp, tho there are ppl that say they notice an improvement w/ an amp.

Oh I cant do the return thing. If i were to buy one, I would have to stick with it. So which one do you guys think i should  get. I can get the FiiO E7 for $49, the DacDestroyer for $39 or the Behringer UCA202 for $29. Or are there any other suggestions? My budget is $70. And thanks for the quick reply money4me.

 

[money4me247]

  Oh I cant do the return thing. If i were to buy one, I would have to stick with it. So which one do you guys think i should  get. I can get the FiiO E7 for $49, the DacDestroyer for $39 or the Behringer UCA202 for $29. Or are there any other suggestions? My budget is $70. And thanks for the quick reply money4me.

I personally think the Fiio E7 at $49 is a great deal as I said earlier. While it's an older model, you'll be hard pressed to find a solid portable dac/amp for that kind of price. If you needed something right now, that's what I would get if I was in your shoes.

 

[TimmyHear]

  I personally think the Fiio E7 at $49 is a great deal as I said earlier. While it's an older model, you'll be hard pressed to find a solid portable dac/amp for that kind of price. If you needed something right now, that's what I would get if I was in your shoes.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I would get the FiiO E7 then, thought i asked because many people in other forumms recommended me the DacDestroyer.

 

[TimmyHear]

Another question for you guys. Does the amp affect the sound quality that I hear? Or does it only color the sound, or does it only allow for louder volumes on higher impedance headphones?

 

[money4me247]

Another question for you guys. Does the amp affect the sound quality that I hear? Or does it only color the sound, or does it only allow for louder volumes on higher impedance headphones?

generally, the impact of an amp on sound signature should be very small. the primary purpose of an amp is to amplify the signal (louder volumes). however, the increase in power to the headphones may be able to improve the sound quality, but i have found that to be very dependent on the headphones & generally the effect is a lot less than people here make it seem (from my persona experience lol). personally, i think it doesn't really make that big of a difference until you get to very highly detailed & transparent headphones $400+ to $1000+.

 

[TimmyHear]

  generally, the impact of an amp on sound signature should be very small. the primary purpose of an amp is to amplify the signal (louder volumes). however, the increase in power to the headphones may be able to improve the sound quality, but i have found that to be very dependent on the headphones & generally the effect is a lot less than people here make it seem (from my persona experience lol). personally, i think it doesn't really make that big of a difference until you get to very highly detailed & transparent headphones $400+ to $1000+.

Hmmm... Okay thanks for the info. So I have been looking around on ebay, would any of you recommend this three DACs?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-color-MUSE-PCM-2704-HIFI-USB-to-S-PDIF-Converter-USB-DAC-/350933922236?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item51b54ab1bc
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EL-D06-USB-DAC-sound-card-USB-InputOptical-fiber-coaxial-output-/231039221045?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35cb02bd35
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Digital-Optical-Coax-to-Analog-Audio-Converter-DAC-/221156873855?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item337dfa167f

 

[money4me247]

  Hmmm... Okay thanks for the info. So I have been looking around on ebay, would any of you recommend this three DACs?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-color-MUSE-PCM-2704-HIFI-USB-to-S-PDIF-Converter-USB-DAC-/350933922236?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item51b54ab1bc
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EL-D06-USB-DAC-sound-card-USB-InputOptical-fiber-coaxial-output-/231039221045?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35cb02bd35
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Digital-Optical-Coax-to-Analog-Audio-Converter-DAC-/221156873855?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item337dfa167f

hmmm... i am personally uncomfortable getting things from e-bay. the only one i've heard of before is the muse dac. personally, I wouldn't get the other ones because you don't know what kind of dac chip is in there. =S Besides the Behringer UCA202 (pretty well reviewed), another options I know about from really positive reviews for $30ish are the Hifimediy usb tiny dac ($30: very solid ES9023 sabre), DAC Destroyer of course ($45.99: AD1955 chip), Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Go! Pro ($24: some Creative-branded dac), and the Stoner Acoustic UD 110v2 ($49: PCM5102). I personally would pick one from that list because people here have tried em & said that they perform well.
 
I actually made a list of sub-$200 dacs if you are interested: http://www.head-fi.org/t/696401/giant-list-of-sub-200-portable-dacs-w-their-chips-price. sometimes it is hard to find reviews for these really inexpensive dacs, so it's hard to say how they perform.

 

[TimmyHear]

Hi. Thanks for the reply everyone. I've ended up picking the Stoner Acoustics UD 110v2. Special Thanks to PurpleAngel and money4me247 especially for all thos recommendations. Really appreciate it.

 

[rbease]

 TimmyHear and  money4me247