[harsha1993]

I am very new to high end audio.
I chose Sennheiser HD600 to be my first headphone since has been time tested and is kind of like a legend. (still not bought )
Now I read that you need an amp to run these and may be will need a DAC too.
I will be mainly listening on my Asus N550JV laptop (which is supposed to be a multimedia laptop) and my Samsung galaxy note 4 (probably will change over time )
I need a setup which will work for both so i figured it should be a portable DAC/AMP.
Since I am planning on pumping most of my money to the HD600 I am very tight on the budget for a AMP/DAC.( below 60USD is ideal (soundblaster E1- will it work although it is advertised as support up to 600ohm ?) 
I'm planning on getting them through a friend who is coming from USA (So warranty claims would not be applicable: So i need something solid and built to last ) 
I have been going through reviews and forums for days and the more i read more options i get and more difficult it makes to make a decision. 

I have come across Fiio , Mayflower, Soundblaster , Vivid Technologies V1 USB DAC/portable amp(of which i was not able to find any retailers) , jdslabs, iBasso  in my browsing.

My questions are will i need a DAC? or only an amp?
Would be great if you guys could could recommend a DAC/AMP for me.

Thanks 

 

[harsha1993]

Some other stuff i came across today 

Audio-Technica AT-PHA50BT (seems it will make the HD600 wireless too )
Fulla USB Dongle DAC/Amp
FULLA 2
Poweradd Bluetooth 4.0 Receiver/Transmitter 

 

[Monsterzero]

TBH the HD600s arent that hard to drive,my Astro Mix Amp Pro drove it just fine when my HD600s got relegated to gaming only service.

So you dont need to got out and buy the most powerful amp available,though they do upscale well with more power.

As far as a DAC goes im not an expert on them,but typically they are the 3rd thing people in this hobby upgrade after headphones and amp....HD600s arent as resolving as a the AKG7 series or DT line from Beyer so detail retrieval on the HD600 wont be as apparent as they would be on the others I mentioned. 

 

[rikk009]

HD600/650 is cheaper on Amazon.co.uk. Was 160 pounds in Oct even with shipping and customs that was Rs.19000. So either wait for a price drop and buy it from there and save money for a DAC/AMP or buy a used amp. I saw a couple of guys selling Matrix HPA-1/2 for 10k. (Assuming you are from India.)

 

[nutric08]

I listen to my hd600 with the Samsung s4 (i9505) all the time without an amp. I can get to moderate sound level with ease. Order the headphone and enjoy the sound. When the time comes and budget allows get an amp/dac combo. Dont overthink it

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Originally Posted by harsha1993 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I am very new to high end audio.
I chose Sennheiser HD600 to be my first headphone since has been time tested and is kind of like a legend. (still not bought )

Now I read that you need an amp to run these and may be will need a DAC too.
I will be mainly listening on my Asus N550JV laptop (which is supposed to be a multimedia laptop) and my Samsung galaxy note 4 (probably will change over time )
I need a setup which will work for both so i figured it should be a portable DAC/AMP.
Since I am planning on pumping most of my money to the HD600 I am very tight on the budget for a AMP/DAC.( below 60USD is ideal (soundblaster E1- will it work although it is advertised as support up to 600ohm ?) 
I'm planning on getting them through a friend who is coming from USA (So warranty claims would not be applicable: So i need something solid and built to last ) 
I have been going through reviews and forums for days and the more i read more options i get and more difficult it makes to make a decision. 

I have come across Fiio , Mayflower, Soundblaster , Vivid Technologies V1 USB DAC/portable amp(of which i was not able to find any retailers) , jdslabs, iBasso  in my browsing.

My questions are will i need a DAC? or only an amp?
Would be great if you guys could could recommend a DAC/AMP for me.

Thanks 

 

Do you really need it to be a portable? I mean, you can't move around anywhere but inside a house given the open backs of the HD600 don't isolate any environmental noise. And even if you were moving around in the house whatever you're doing there will be audible. Forget using a vacuum cleaner - even while pouring coffee I can hear it hitting my mug with my HD600 on.

 

If what you want is actually a transportable, ie you can stash it in a bag and bring it elsewhere, all you need is a small desktop amp that isn't too heavy and the right way to carry it. My Pangea HP101 fits into my camera backpack with the HD600 in the top compartment, but of course apart from the padding it's not like I'm lugging around a load of several lenses. Heck, my other cameras+laptop backpack can fit a 1.5in thick, 15.6in laptop (even with the specs saying it's for the 15in Mac).

 

Here's what I pack to meets

 

Here's what it looks like on my desk

 

The Schiit Magni+Modi would be roughly the same size and with smaller power bricks, but they'd be two boxes.

 

[Monsterzero]

 

 

Do you really need it to be a portable? I mean, you can't move around anywhere but inside a house given the open backs of the HD600 don't isolate any environmental noise. And even if you were moving around in the house whatever you're doing there will be audible. Forget using a vacuum cleaner - even while pouring coffee I can hear it hitting my mug with my HD600 on.

 

The Schiit Magni+Modi would be roughly the same size and with smaller power bricks, but they'd be two boxes.

+1

Fairly common mistake when first getting into this hobby is not considering the noise going in and out of open backed headphones.Youll end up cranking the volume way high to drown out the surrounding noise,and everyone around you will hear what youre listening to....which can lead to a fair share of dirty looks and perhaps a shoe toss or two

 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  +1

Fairly common mistake when first getting into this hobby is not considering the noise going in and out of open backed headphones.Youll end up cranking the volume way high to drown out the surrounding noise,and everyone around you will hear what youre listening to....which can lead to a fair share of dirty looks and perhaps a shoe toss or two

 

 
And a downward spiral of the music competing with background noise while people around you compete with your noise that ultimately results in hearing damage in the longer term, with the possibility of a knuckle sandwich along the way.

 

[harsha1993]

Thanks guys 
This site is great (i thought i would have to wait weeks to get a reply )
I thought of just getting the Headphone only without any amp or DAC.
But  Poweradd Bluetooth 4.0 Receiver/Transmitter still tempts me since it seems it will make the headphones kind of wireless.
( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZUSJIQE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AVWEWK27WU24S)

 

[harsha1993]

What are your ideas on schiit Fulla or even a fulla 2 or E1
seems it can be made into a portable amp by powering it by a Powerbank.
Since schiit is one of the best out there (as for my knowledge) I might be able to stretch the it up to 99USD. (the price they are selling on their site)
Any inputs on this ?

 

[nutric08]

For $100 you can get an O2 amplifier (to be built by yourself) or a little more for a ready to use unit. It can be run on batteries or ac outlet.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harsha1993 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I thought of just getting the Headphone only without any amp or DAC.
But  Poweradd Bluetooth 4.0 Receiver/Transmitter still tempts me since it seems it will make the headphones kind of wireless.
( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZUSJIQE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AVWEWK27WU24S)

 

Technically speaking the BT receiver is both a DAC and HPamp, except the digital signal is transferred via BT wireless instead of a cable. That said, you have to take into consideration that even Apt-X is not totally lossless if the source files are lossless files (ie if it's 320kbps CBR then technically speaking Apt-X is lossless since it won't do any kind of compression  to that kind of signal, but not the same case with FLAC or ALAC), on top which, how much voltage with how much distortion and noise will such a small battery powered unit spit out for a 300ohm headphone. It can be comparable to a similarly priced portable amp without BT given a reasonably efficient 32ohm headphone, but once you get to 300ohms I wouldn't assume it works well enough without at least some feedback on how they compare to an iPad/Macbook and an amp like the O2 or Magni.

 

[harsha1993]

  For $100 you can get an O2 amplifier (to be built by yourself) or a little more for a ready to use unit. It can be run on batteries or ac outlet.

 

 

 

Technically speaking the BT receiver is both a DAC and HPamp, except the digital signal is transferred via BT wireless instead of a cable. That said, you have to take into consideration that even Apt-X is not totally lossless if the source files are lossless files (ie if it's 320kbps CBR then technically speaking Apt-X is lossless since it won't do any kind of compression  to that kind of signal, but not the same case with FLAC or ALAC), on top which, how much voltage with how much distortion and noise will such a small battery powered unit spit out for a 300ohm headphone. It can be comparable to a similarly priced portable amp without BT given a reasonably efficient 32ohm headphone, but once you get to 300ohms I wouldn't assume it works well enough without at least some feedback on how they compare to an iPad/Macbook and an amp like the O2 or Magni.

 
Thank you all 

I just placed the order for the HD600  

Now for the amp/dac i have narrowed down to 4 options ;
1. FULLA 2 ( I feel this is the best value since its both DAC and amp)
2.Creative Sound Blaster E3 
3.Creative Sound Blaster E1
4.Just using the HD600 without any amp/DAC

JDSLABS Objective2 ( only amp for 100usd so i left it out of the list)

Would love to hear your inputs.
thanks again
 

 

[nutric08]

I would go with number 4. Get to know your headphone. Later get an amp or amp/dac combo to complement your setup.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[harsha1993]

No 4 it is

Thank you