[musicman88]

Hey
I have a pair of Custom UE5c IEMs that I use to listen to my iPhone any my Macbook Pro (Unibody). I was wondering if getting a headphone amp to use with these devices will increase the sound quality coming out of my IEMs. If so is it likely to be a large increase in quality? I don't know much about headphone amps...

 

[nc8000]

It will increase sq but how much depends on the amp chosen and your ears. Also be aware that using an amp with the iPhone opens you up to rf interference unless amp and lod cable is properly shielded. I can only use my T4 when the iPhone is in airplane mode.

 

[musicman88]

Thanks for the info about the iPhone, i didn't think about that. Could you recommend a few good amps for under $150?
Thanks!

 

[nc8000]

The only <$150 amp I've tried is the iBasso T4 that I have just received and that is a fantastic amp at that price but I have to set my iPhone to airline mode to use it without being killed by rf noise. Also it is amp only so wont do much for pc use. At $274 the iBasso D10 is a fantastic allround amp/dac and probably has the best price/performance ratio of anything on the market at the moment but again is not well shielded against rf interference although that can supposedly be improved with a change of opamp. Also the D10 should be especially good for you since you have a Mac that as far as I know has optical out.

 

[Currawong]

Some portable amps have DACs (Digital to Analogue Converters) built in. While this is useless with an iPod or iPhone, that can only output an analogue signal (non-portable Wadia iTransport notwithstanding) it can improve the SQ from your MacBook Pro, as it would translate the digital signal instead of your MacBook Pro translating it. I admit I haven't tried the audio out from the latest Unibody models, which may have improved from my 2.5 year old MBP.

 

[musicman88]

What do you guys think about the IBASSO D2? It has a USB DAC.
So another question. When I listen to music from my iPhone through the headphone jack, the audio seems pretty clear. However, when I listen from my Macbook Pro, the sound has a lot of background hiss. Also I have to turn the volume up a lot louder than I would like to get the detail to come through my IEMS. Is a headphone amp likely to help with these problems?
Thanks for your help!