It will arrive in a couple weeks, I have a pc with a sound blaster fatality x-fi champion http://fatal1ty.com/sound-blaster-x-fi-titanium-fatal1ty-champion-series/ is it enough to drive them up?, I'm thinking of getting the dragonfly or schiit magni 3, with schiit I still use the preamp of the sound blaster, isnt? I also may use it on an old iphone or a samsung phone s5. I'm confused if I really need a DAC or an amp in my case and how to connected them to my sound card.
Its my first upgrade since my ad700 so any other tip is welcome
I would wait and see if your card will run them first but nothing wrong with getting a amp either. As for using them with a phone probably not going to do real well yes they will play music but they wont be the best . If you want a Dragonfly I would definitely say you want a Red and not Black as the Black outputs 1.2 volts and the Red 2.1 and normal listening level for me which is usually not real high the Red is 2 to 3 ticks from max on my iPhone 7. Sorry this is using my HD-6xx’s which are only 2 dB less sensitive so it might be a half a tick less for the 600’s.
I would personally get the Audioquest dragonfly red in this situation since you mentioned using them with smartphones. I use my hd58x with my iPad and it works but I'm happy I didn't get the harder to drive hd6xx as I question it would have been harder to drive and I question whether if it could competently drive them or the hd600.
It will arrive in a couple weeks, I have a pc with a sound blaster fatality x-fi champion http://fatal1ty.com/sound-blaster-x-fi-titanium-fatal1ty-champion-series/ is it enough to drive them up?, I'm thinking of getting the dragonfly or schiit magni 3, with schiit I still use the preamp of the sound blaster, isnt? I also may use it on an old iphone or a samsung phone s5. I'm confused if I really need a DAC or an amp in my case and how to connected them to my sound card.
Its my first upgrade since my ad700 so any other tip is welcome
That's a fairly old sound card, I would say to at least replace it with a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card.
The SB-Z should drive the 300-Ohm HD600 decently.
How much would you budget to get a newer sound card or external DAC/amp?
That's a fairly old sound card, I would say to at least replace it with a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card.
The SB-Z should drive the 300-Ohm HD600 decently.
How much would you budget to get a newer sound card or external DAC/amp?
The most versatile pick would be the Dragonfly Red. Not as powerful as the Schiit Stack but easy to take on the go and it does sound quite good. I use it as a dac most of the time for meets as I have several amps and also as I sit out on the back patio to just listen and enjoy the outdoors.
The only thing about the dragonfly is that in Android (maybe iOS?) You may need to download software to adjust the volume more as the dragonfly may set itself to 50% volume and stay there and your only controlling the phone if I remember correctly. Something to look into but it will be a few minute fix and it will work fine.
I'll put in a vote for a schiit stack! If you want to save money, you could find them on ebay or craigslist for used at pretty good prices! Check those hubs out, they may surprise you.
I am currently running an Xduoo XD-05 to run everything. They currently power/source my STAX, HD600's, Aryas, DT770's, and Monolith M565's. I run it on high gain for a little more detail and my volume knob is only halfway! Has a surprisingly great bass boost on it and its portable. Good battery life as well! My apologies for sounding like a salesman, but the XD-05 have treated me very well and they are sub $200.
I would take the Creative SXFI amp over the Dragonfly Red even if you do not care about 3D audio. I would actually take it over anything under $200. The build quality of the SXFI amp is excellent (aluminum case), it has volume buttons, it has an equalizer, it's cheaper, and the audio it produces is excellent.
For the 300-Ohm HD600, I would suggest getting a headphone amplifier that is AC powered, which I believe would provide more power then a head amp that is USB powered.
So maybe the Schiit Magni or JDS Atom head amp.
Then maybe a DAC from Hifimediy, $30-$70. https://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs?sort=p.price&order=ASC
I vote for waiting until you get your headphones to decide whether or not you need an amp and/or DAC. My Galaxy S9 drives my HD 650 to satisfyingly loud levels, though it doesn't sound quite as good as with a better / more powerful amp/DAC, and I think the HD 600 is slightly more sensitive. You might be surprised at how good/loud your PC and phone can be... Then again, if it takes a long time to get things shipped to you, it might be worth just jumping the gun.
If you're going to be using it with a cell phone, moving about, etc., the Dragonfly Red is great. Again, for the HD 650 (and I assume the HD 600, as well), it'll sound better with more power. One of the great things about the DFR is that it can be used as a DAC to feed another amp, so it can be a good starting place for building a system. Something to be aware of, though, is that your cell phone battery will take a pretty big hit when using the DFR, especially with high impedance 'phones. I think my S9 will last only five or six hours when using the DFR. The DFR's Android volume issue that boomhaur mentioned has been fixed with a firmware update, so just make sure it has the latest firmware. The DFR is even better for IEMs and more sensitive headphones, if you ever want to walk that road.
On the other hand, if you're going to be doing most of your listening at your computer, you might as well just get a more powerful desktop solution. I haven't heard the Schiit combo, so I can't comment on that specifically.
I'll put in a vote for a Schiit stack! If you want to save money, you could find them on eBay or Craigslist for used at pretty good prices! Check those hubs out, they may surprise you.
I am currently running an Xduoo XD-05 to run everything. They currently power/source my STAX, HD600's, Aryas, DT770's, and Monolith M565's. I run it on high gain for a little more detail and my volume knob is only halfway! Has a surprisingly great bass boost on it and its portable. Good battery life as well! My apologies for sounding like a salesman, but the XD-05 have treated me very well and they are sub $200.
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