[Mike Burley]

You should go back and read the thread.

But no, you will got get a huge improvement. It'll be minor at best.

I did breeze through the 25 pages, and I saw a couple very brief comparisons, each contradicting each other, so I was hoping for something more specific. I'll give it another look tonight. Thanks for the info. Interesting that everyone goes on about how awesome these things are, but only provides a minor improvement. I'm prob going to pick up a DAC/Amp combo simply because the volume isn't loud enough when out and about.. 

 

[nk126]

Well,it's a $70 amp and $40 set of cans you're talking about. I'm not saying price should be used to judge quality, but I'd imagine a top notch dac would have a bigger impact on a top notch pair of headphones, you know? I have a q1 and it for sure makes a difference, but it's quite subtle.

 

[spunnik]

  Neither headphone is hard to drive.  If you intend using the device also as a DAC for your laptop from time to time, get the Q1.

 
what would you choose for the audio portability between:
 
Fiio M3 + Q1 or A3 (e11k)
Fiio X1 + Q1 or A3 (e11k)
Ipod/Phone + Q1
 
what is the best dynamic solution remaining in a budget of about € 200

 

[Supa Mint]

FWIW, I did a very rough comparison between the headphone jack of my Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver (CD player input) and the Q1 (FLAC input), with some relatively inexpensive Brainwavz Jive IEM's.  Obviously not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison.  Anyway, the Onkyo receiver could generate more volume than the Q1 - which probably isn't a surprise, considering that it is capable of putting out >100X more wattage.  I'm not a practicing audiophile, so I'm finding it difficult to describe the differences.  But when doing back-and-forth A/B comparisons between the two systems using the same music, it seemed that the Q1 was slightly warmer, and had a 'depth' and/or 'presence' that the Onkyo didn't have.  The Q1 sounded 'richer' to me.
 
Anyway, it was fun to focus on hearing miniscule difference.  I don't believe that I had any bias. In actuality, I was hoping that the Onkyo would be amazing, because I'd rather use it as my primary source for home use with some full-size headphones (the Q1 was intended for traveling).  But I think that I'll use the Q1 for home use also.  
 
Although, now I'm curious what a full-size headphone amp sounds like.

 

[yoyorast10]

Does it have a dac worth of note?

 

[spunnik]

The Q1 amp is comparable with X3 2nd gen Amp ?

 

[Mike Burley]

double post

 

[Mike Burley]

Well,it's a $70 amp and $40 set of cans you're talking about. I'm not saying price should be used to judge quality, but I'd imagine a top notch dac would have a bigger impact on a top notch pair of headphones, you know? I have a q1 and it for sure makes a difference, but it's quite subtle.

 
I hear your point, but its just interesting to hear people talk about how well these $40 cans stack up against $100-300 cans, and how incredible the Q1 is, and others say its just a subtle improvement... it really helps you put things in perspective. 

I'm not an audiophile. I've got Audioengine A5+ for home listening, and these Superlux are my first set of headphones, and I'm pretty impressed. If Q1 and E10k are pretty close in quality, I guess the portability of the Q1 would give them the easy win. 

 

[nk126]

   
I hear your point, but its just interesting to hear people talk about how well these $40 cans stack up against $100-300 cans, and how incredible the Q1 is, and others say its just a subtle improvement... it really helps you put things in perspective. 

I'm not an audiophile. I've got Audioengine A5+ for home listening, and these Superlux are my first set of headphones, and I'm pretty impressed. If Q1 and E10k are pretty close in quality, I guess the portability of the Q1 would give them the easy win. 

Totally agree. I mean, I'm skeptical AND a gearhead, so you know, expect nothing helpful from me
 
I tried a few cheap headphone amps with my old cans (PSB) and didn't think it was worth keeping any of them. Then I found some cans I like better and am finding that the Q1 makes a difference. But it's all so subjective that it's hard for me to give anything but very measured/YMMV opinions to other people. Coming from stock smartphone earbuds, $120 spent on superlux and a q1 will yield an exponential increase in listening joy. 
 
And yeah, for me, the portability and slightly cheaper price gave q1 the edge over e01k. 

 

[Mike Burley]

 
Totally agree. I mean, I'm skeptical AND a gearhead, so you know, expect nothing helpful from me
 
I tried a few cheap headphone amps with my old cans (PSB) and didn't think it was worth keeping any of them. Then I found some cans I like better and am finding that the Q1 makes a difference. But it's all so subjective that it's hard for me to give anything but very measured/YMMV opinions to other people. Coming from stock smartphone earbuds, $120 spent on superlux and a q1 will yield an exponential increase in listening joy. 
 
And yeah, for me, the portability and slightly cheaper price gave q1 the edge over e01k. 

I think I have a decent idea of what kind of improvements to expect after unplugging my Superlux EVOs from my iphone and into my garage Yamaha receiver. Line out+DAC+amp=joy. It was subtle, but if you pay attention the lows have much more punch and rumble, not that I'm a bass head. This was with FLAC jazz, lol. Any jazz fans check out www.europaradiojazz.org for 1MBs streaming of FLAC vinyl rips.  

 

[nk126]

   Any jazz fans check out www.europaradiojazz.org for 1MBs streaming of FLAC vinyl rips.  

 
Oh, nice! I'll check it out. I write for a living and so can't listen to much music with vocals during the work day. Been listening to a lot of McCoy Tyner lately. Will for sure check out the FLAC streams!

 

[cdahdude]

Hi everyone,
 
I currently drive my DUNU DN-1000's out of my Samsung Galaxy S4, and it's pretty clear my source needs some support, it just doesn't sound good. I've been thinking of buying the Q1 for a while, but am wondering if anybody else recommends this. I just want something inexpensive that can run my buds properly.

 

[BohanYe]

any reason to trade the e07k for the q1 as the portable dac/amp?

 

[cresny]

any reason to trade the e07k for the q1 as the portable dac/amp?

The Q1 has a very nice volume potentiometer instead of digital step controls. YMMV but it makes a big difference for me.

 

[Fazzer]

Guys should I buy this or the x1?
I am new to anps/dacs. Looking to pair with Sony xb30.


Thanks for your reply.