[christianabiera]

Curious question. I recently got myself a q1 around last week and have been using it non stop. But I suddenly had a sudden realization that I am using a custom LOD cable that uses the Line-in feature of the amp and am using an analog input so I can't help but shake the feeling that I'm not getting the most from my little drinking buddy. My question is this. Am I still utilizing the DAC portion of my Q1 when using the line-in feature? I'm currently using an iPod Classic 6G. I've read somewhere that I need an apple CCK to properly use a DAC but it was from a really old post. What do you guys say?

 

[pauliunas]

Curious question. I recently got myself a q1 around last week and have been using it non stop. But I suddenly had a sudden realization that I am using a custom LOD cable that uses the Line-in feature of the amp and am using an analog input so I can't help but shake the feeling that I'm not getting the most from my little drinking buddy. My question is this. Am I still utilizing the DAC portion of my Q1 when using the line-in feature? I'm currently using an iPod Classic 6G. I've read somewhere that I need an apply CCK to properly use a DAC but it was from a really old post. What do you guys say?

 

usb is digital, 3.5mm is analog. DAC stands for Digital to Analog Converter. So obviously you need a digital input

 

[Supa Mint]

I really like my Nad hp50. Check out the reviews and thread for that guy. It's on innerfidelity wall of fame too so he has a review for it if you want to read it.

 
Ok, I've read the reviews (and much more) about the HP50.  Sounds intriguing, and hopefully a good match for the Q1.  It's now on my short list - thank you for the recommendation!
 

  With most planars, they are easy enough to drive. But they always sound better when properly powered. Thats what I feel and what I gather most people agree with when it comes to planar magnetics. HE 400 is definitely not a private headphone, but they are a lot of fun to own and I love the sound signature. the headband on my original he-400 wasn't real good, but I opened up the band and overstuffed it. Don't recommend this unless you know how to work with leather, but it helped a ton!

 
Thanks - I'll start my trials with the assumption that I have enough power with the Q1 to get an accurate read on each of the headphones.  I just didn't want to find myself in a situation where underpowering these headphones during my demos gave me a distorted view of which headphone to choose.
 

Well, the grados are actually open back... And when I tried SR125e, it had an ugly resonance dip in mid-high frequencies. After investigating the graphs, I discovered that the higher tier models have it too, although not so apparent. So choose carefully.
And by the way, I don't need bass. I need a clean, analytic sound where the bass doesn't hide any details or draw attention from them

So saying that everyone wants a punchy bass is incorrect...

 
Thanks - I completely missed that the Grados were open back.  I hate ruling out headphones because they aren't closed.  I'll take another look when it comes time for my second pair of headphones.  And you bring up an interesting point about bass.  I incorrectly assumed that the reference music would be recorded with punchy bass; and that representing that bass as such would not compromise the rest of the music.  I often listen to rock music (Rush, Metallica, Queensryche, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tool, etc), and just assumed that the bass needed to have some 'impact'.  But what am I missing by over-focusing on the bass?  I would like to find out!!  Any recommendations for a closed back headphone under $400 that would represent this music cleanly and analytically, paired with the Q1?  I'd love to add it to my demo list, which currently includes:
 
NAD HP50
V-moda m100
PSB M4U 1
Oppo PM-3

 

[pauliunas]

 
Ok, I've read the reviews (and much more) about the HP50.  Sounds intriguing, and hopefully a good match for the Q1.  It's now on my short list - thank you for the recommendation!
 
 
Thanks - I'll start my trials with the assumption that I have enough power with the Q1 to get an accurate read on each of the headphones.  I just didn't want to find myself in a situation where underpowering these headphones during my demos gave me a distorted view of which headphone to choose.
 
 
Thanks - I completely missed that the Grados were open back.  I hate ruling out headphones because they aren't closed.  I'll take another look when it comes time for my second pair of headphones.  And you bring up an interesting point about bass.  I incorrectly assumed that the reference music would be recorded with punchy bass; and that representing that bass as such would not compromise the rest of the music.  I often listen to rock music (Rush, Metallica, Queensryche, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tool, etc), and just assumed that the bass needed to have some 'impact'.  But what am I missing by over-focusing on the bass?  I would like to find out!!  Any recommendations for a closed back headphone under $400 that would represent this music cleanly and analytically, paired with the Q1?  I'd love to add it to my demo list, which currently includes:
 
NAD HP50
V-moda m100
PSB M4U 1
Oppo PM-3

 

Well, it's not bad to have punchy bass, not in all genres. Since I listen to classical music, there is no frequency that is more important than others, so having overexpressed bass would hurt. However, from my understanding, bass is very important in rock. I don't listen to it so I can't comment personally, but a lot of people like having a wide soundstage for it, that is, being able to hear different instruments as if they were each playing from a separate speaker. This results in a more realistic sound representation. And for a wide soundstage, open back headphones are the best. Since Grado has one of the best bass from all open headphones, this brand is beloved by rock lovers. Of course, this is still very subjective, but from what I've heard it's a really great choice. Although some people like being "inside the band", which is more likely to be accomplished with closed headphones and narrow soundstage. I guess you'll have to try it to find out, but definitely don't eliminate Grado from your options list.

 

[bavinck]

   
Ok, I've read the reviews (and much more) about the HP50.  Sounds intriguing, and hopefully a good match for the Q1.  It's now on my short list - thank you for the recommendation!
 
 
Thanks - I'll start my trials with the assumption that I have enough power with the Q1 to get an accurate read on each of the headphones.  I just didn't want to find myself in a situation where underpowering these headphones during my demos gave me a distorted view of which headphone to choose.
 
 
Thanks - I completely missed that the Grados were open back.  I hate ruling out headphones because they aren't closed.  I'll take another look when it comes time for my second pair of headphones.  And you bring up an interesting point about bass.  I incorrectly assumed that the reference music would be recorded with punchy bass; and that representing that bass as such would not compromise the rest of the music.  I often listen to rock music (Rush, Metallica, Queensryche, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tool, etc), and just assumed that the bass needed to have some 'impact'.  But what am I missing by over-focusing on the bass?  I would like to find out!!  Any recommendations for a closed back headphone under $400 that would represent this music cleanly and analytically, paired with the Q1?  I'd love to add it to my demo list, which currently includes:
 
NAD HP50
V-moda m100
PSB M4U 1
Oppo PM-3

 
I listen to much of the kind of music you have listed. For EDM, the m100 fairs very well as it has strong (I think bloated) bass presence, good highs but somewhat recessed mids to my ears. They do not do well with rock imo, especially classic rock. Never heard the pm3, but people like it. The hp50s do well on basically all genres as they are pretty balanced, but on the warm side of neutral. 
 
For rock, I would suggest to you that bass is probably the least important aspect of the music - especially classic rock. Mids are where the action is for rock, with good extension in the treble. Grados are amazing at this, and for your second pair of headphones you can't go wrong with Grado SR80E to dip your toe in the grado water.
 
If you want to break the bank my personal fav for rock is HiFiman He400i. Just stunning!
 
You may also want to consider Mr. SPeakers Mad Dogs - I have read they are pretty good for rock too.

 

[Vividcard]

   
I listen to much of the kind of music you have listed. For EDM, the m100 fairs very well as it has strong (I think bloated) bass presence, good highs but somewhat recessed mids to my ears. They do not do well with rock imo, especially classic rock. Never heard the pm3, but people like it. The hp50s do well on basically all genres as they are pretty balanced, but on the warm side of neutral. 
 
For rock, I would suggest to you that bass is probably the least important aspect of the music - especially classic rock. Mids are where the action is for rock, with good extension in the treble. Grados are amazing at this, and for your second pair of headphones you can't go wrong with Grado SR80E to dip your toe in the grado water.
 
If you want to break the bank my personal fav for rock is HiFiman He400i. Just stunning!
 
You may also want to consider Mr. SPeakers Mad Dogs - I have read they are pretty good for rock too.

 +1 to the Mad Dogs, although these will require some power for proper sound, they are pretty boring without proper driven sound. I'll try to have my friend bring in his Mad Dog Alphas and see if my Q1's can give a good drive for em. Would probably be something that would be a more cost effective option vs the PM-3s.

 

[Supa Mint]

Well, it's not bad to have punchy bass, not in all genres. Since I listen to classical music, there is no frequency that is more important than others, so having overexpressed bass would hurt. However, from my understanding, bass is very important in rock. I don't listen to it so I can't comment personally, but a lot of people like having a wide soundstage for it, that is, being able to hear different instruments as if they were each playing from a separate speaker. This results in a more realistic sound representation. And for a wide soundstage, open back headphones are the best. Since Grado has one of the best bass from all open headphones, this brand is beloved by rock lovers. Of course, this is still very subjective, but from what I've heard it's a really great choice. Although some people like being "inside the band", which is more likely to be accomplished with closed headphones and narrow soundstage. I guess you'll have to try it to find out, but definitely don't eliminate Grado from your options list.

Thanks, this gives me some good ideas; and some great things to listen for.  Good to hear about the Grados.  I may have to listen to some open-back headphones, such as the Grado's or HE400i, to better understand what I might be missing by going with a closed-back option.  
 

   
I listen to much of the kind of music you have listed. For EDM, the m100 fairs very well as it has strong (I think bloated) bass presence, good highs but somewhat recessed mids to my ears. They do not do well with rock imo, especially classic rock. Never heard the pm3, but people like it. The hp50s do well on basically all genres as they are pretty balanced, but on the warm side of neutral. 
 
For rock, I would suggest to you that bass is probably the least important aspect of the music - especially classic rock. Mids are where the action is for rock, with good extension in the treble. Grados are amazing at this, and for your second pair of headphones you can't go wrong with Grado SR80E to dip your toe in the grado water.
 
If you want to break the bank my personal fav for rock is HiFiman He400i. Just stunning!
 
You may also want to consider Mr. SPeakers Mad Dogs - I have read they are pretty good for rock too.

Interesting feedback!  I may have to redefine what I referred to as "bass", since that bass/kick drum, floor tom, and bass guitar are what I would like to keep accurately represented with the music I listen to.  I assumed that guitar would be described as "mids", and I can understand why this would be so important for rock music.  I'm looking forward to reading more about the SR80E, HE400i, and Mad Dogs (and the Mad Dog Pro??) - I feel that I MUST hear them now, so that I know what you are referring to.
 

   +1 to the Mad Dogs, although these will require some power for proper sound, they are pretty boring without proper driven sound. I'll try to have my friend bring in his Mad Dog Alphas and see if my Q1's can give a good drive for em. Would probably be something that would be a more cost effective option vs the PM-3s.

Another Mad Dog recommendation - interesting!  That would be fantastic if you could test drive the Mag Dog Alphas with the Q1.  I don't find their specifications on the Mr Speakers website, so I wonder what impedance the Mad Dogs are.  Anyway, I appreciate your willingness to try them out for me.
 
 
Thanks everyone for the help, the education, and the recommendations.  Is this a great community, or what!

 

[christianabiera]

 

  Curious question. I recently got myself a q1 around last week and have been using it non stop. But I suddenly had a sudden realization that I am using a custom LOD cable that uses the Line-in feature of the amp and am using an analog input so I can't help but shake the feeling that I'm not getting the most from my little drinking buddy. My question is this. Am I still utilizing the DAC portion of my Q1 when using the line-in feature? I'm currently using an iPod Classic 6G. I've read somewhere that I need an apply CCK to properly use a DAC but it was from a really old post. What do you guys say?

 

usb is digital, 3.5mm is analog. DAC stands for Digital to Analog Converter. So obviously you need a digital input

Dang, so I really do need that CCK?

 

[holden4th]

Apparently Fiio are working on a connector to solve this issue and remove the need for the cck. Let's hope it comes out soon.

 

[pauliunas]

Dang, so I really do need that CCK?

 

You cal still try a chinese adapter from ebay...

 

[christianabiera]

 

  Dang, so I really do need that CCK?

 

You cal still try a chinese adapter from ebay...

Can you point me to one? Not really sure what to search.

 

[christianabiera]

Apparently Fiio are working on a connector to solve this issue and remove the need for the cck. Let's hope it comes out soon.

Oh god please let this be true. When was this news out?

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Curious question. I recently got myself a q1 around last week and have been using it non stop. But I suddenly had a sudden realization that I am using a custom LOD cable that uses the Line-in feature of the amp and am using an analog input so I can't help but shake the feeling that I'm not getting the most from my little drinking buddy. My question is this. Am I still utilizing the DAC portion of my Q1 when using the line-in feature? I'm currently using an iPod Classic 6G. I've read somewhere that I need an apple CCK to properly use a DAC but it was from a really old post. What do you guys say?

It depends. Going by my search the iPod 6g had a 30pin connector and a real line out that's not shabby at all. The Q1 has its own DAC but you don't "have" to use it if you've got a good source to feed its analog line in with.

Best regards,
Joe for FiiO

 

[pauliunas]

Can you point me to one? Not really sure what to search.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pc-Micro-USB-to-Lightning-8-Pin-Charger-Converter-Adapter-For-iPhone-6-5-5S-/251996676272?hash=item3aac2c20b0:g:hP8AAOSwpDdVfq2~
Something like this, maybe? I can't guarantee it will work, but I think you can risk that $1 for a chance to save the price of a CCK. Well, if you have the time

 

[christianabiera]

It depends. Going by my search the iPod 6g had a 30pin connector and a real line out that's not shabby at all. The Q1 has its own DAC but you don't "have" to use it if you've got a good source to feed its analog line in with.

Best regards,
Joe for FiiO

 
Eep! From the man himself! Thanks for the response! While the DAC on my iPod Classic 6G is all and good, I really only want to know what I should do to be able to utilize my Q1's DAC using my iPod as a source. So, that being said, I have a couple questions, if you don't mind me asking.
 
1.) Am I able to use my Q1's DAC using my current set up? (iPod connected to the Q1's line-in port via a line out dock cable)
2.) If not, how will I be able to do this? Use the Q1's DAC, I mean.
3.) And lastly, will using an apple CCK for my iPod to connect it to my Q1 via USB port work?