[davidsh]

Personally I would think it is better to have them separately in case of upgrade. A DAC like the hifimediy and a reasonable amplifier like the Magni, and you would be set for a long time.

 

[TSDragonnn]

Quote:

Personally I would think it is better to have them separately in case of upgrade. A DAC like the hifimediy and a reasonable amplifier like the Magni, and you would be set for a long time.

I see.... I will look into it...
 
In the meantime, if I were to buy just an amp for my iPhone and IE80s... what exactly does an amp do to the sound quality? Just make it louder?

 

[davidsh]

Nope. With my e17 (same amplification as e11) and ety hf2 I get more weighty bass, better imaging (by a good margin) and therefore more clarity. The sound is also more alive and well balanced. I am going line-out from my iphone. This is all compared to my iphone4 with its internal amp.

 

[Frosty3258]

i have not heard those, the e11 does very little for the hd598's but i had the klipsh s4i's and the e11 amped them very nicely, but there are better ones out there fiio is just more popular there is an amp i am thinking of and will post again when i find the link.

 

[CaptTripz]

   
 
So do you feel buying an e10 or e17 will improve sound quality enough to be worth the purchase or do you feel it will be so minimal that its not worth it? 
 
An other alternative would be to sell my headphones and put the cost of an amp/dac towards a new pair but then iam assuming they would certainly need an amp so it would cost much more then just adding an amp/dac to what i currently have!

 
I have a Fiio e17 and I just got my pair of HD 598s in the mail today. The Fiio e17 is worth it in my opinion. My setup:

Mac mini > Fiio e17 > HD 598

My cans are brand new so I am still burning them in, but they sound great right now, especially running with the e17.

 

[Roy2001]

I am also using X230->E17->HD598. Great sound.

 

[Elvenefris]

Understand the discussion's done and dusted, but I could really use some help here. I listen to music on my MacBook Pro + PA2V2 (kept right next to the laptop) + Sennheiser HD 439 and will be getting the 598's.
 
If I could go as high as $150/200, what portable (would still be kept still next to the laptop) or desktop Amp/DAC are available? I know the general notion is MacBooks have a good sound card but I have experienced what PA2V2 did to a low impedance cans and I NEED more, specially now that the 598's will be ordered any moment

 

[AndyG]

I own hd 598+fio e07 just to put more bass on them. but it mades the uppermids a little recesed imho .

 

[Palm Springs]

i hooked up the hd 598's to my zune 30, and e11k.
i switched mid track to straight out of the zune,
what was apparent right away is that the amp brings the vocals more upfront, and they seem fuller
and boosts the bass (even without the bass boost)
but the overall sound seemed more balanced without the amp
does this make sense?

 

[Head Injury]

  i hooked up the hd 598's to my zune 30, and e11k.
i switched mid track to straight out of the zune,
what was apparent right away is that the amp brings the vocals more upfront, and they seem fuller
and boosts the bass (even without the bass boost)
but the overall sound seemed more balanced without the amp
does this make sense?

The only way the Zune would be significantly changing the sound is if the output impedance is high. In that case you'd actually get the opposite effect of what you described: the Zune would add a bass boost in a steep peak centered around 90-100 Hz. Other than this, amps very rarely actually change the balance of the sound, they just make it louder and add distortion.
 
Did you have the volumes perfectly matched in your test? Even a small change in volume, enough to be perceivable but not obviously louder, can change the sound considerably. My guess from your description is that the E11K's volume was turned up higher, it tends to make the sound fuller and more forward.