How to improve audio quality from iPhone (e.g., Amp, DAC+Amp, EQ Apps, etc.)?
May 25, 2016 at 4:01 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

ddub965

New Head-Fier
Joined
May 22, 2011
Posts
21
Likes
10
Hey everyone,
 
Just got me a pair of V-Moda Crossfade Wireless and it's as if I'd never really listened to music before. I hear the subtle layers, notes, and effects I'd been missing all my life. It's incredible!
 
Anyways, I'm wondering if there is a good portable option to get even more out of these puppies. I've been trying to do some reading on these boards and there seems to be some conflicting information. From what I understand, assuming the only audio player I'll be hooking my headphones up to is the iPhone (6s plus, if it matters), there are three real options:
 
1) A portable amp. From my understanding, Amps obviously do improve sound quality when choosing the right one. But, I've read on these boards that you need to buy all kinds of cables (e.g., Lightning to 30-pin converter + 30-pin to 3.5mm converter) to bypass the internal amp of the iPhone, or else you're "double-amping" the sound. Is this true, and if so, is there a measurable/noticeable decrease in the sound quality caused by "double-amping? I've also read that the internal amp on the newer-model iPhones is top notch, such that an amp won't even noticeably improve audio quality. Is this true either? Feel free to suggest any portable amps that you know to work particularly well with the iPhone and/or that are good for use while listening in my room or at my desk at work (it doesn't need to be great for "on-the-go" aka it doesn't need to be the size of a wheat thin).
 
2) A DAC/Amp Combo. I've read the same issues exist for this option as for the Amp alone, except that you might need a Lightning to USB adapter instead of 30-pin. Most people on here seem not to recommend DAC/Amp combos with an iPhone, but I've seen disagreement on this. Is there any benefit to using one of these with an iPhone (as opposed to an Amp alone or nothing at all) and/or any that are known to be particularly good in doing so?
 
3) Equalizer Apps downloadable from the Apple Store. I'm actually loving the EQTube app for listening to any Youtube video with adjusted levels. Any others that are particularly good?
 
Thanks a lot for your time and input!
 
May 25, 2016 at 4:14 PM Post #2 of 11

Keep in mind if you're planning on getting an external DAC/Amp, you won't be able to use the wireless functionality of your Crossfade Wireless. That said, the iPhone 6 and up is supposed to be a great source as is, and seeing as you're using relatively easy to drive headphones, an amp wouldn't do much. If you wanna try and squeeze out the last bits, get a USB DAC such as a Chord Mojo (you'll need the lightning to USB adapter and then the usb to Chord Mojo cable supplied) or a Dragonfly Red/Black (you'll need the lightning to USB adapter). Then you'd plug your headphones into each of those. If you still want to use your headphones wireless, a software EQ app would be best (not sure on the current offerings), but at that point you'd be tweaking the sound to your liking, but things like soundstage/imaging/etc. won't change no matter the headphone you use. 
 
May 25, 2016 at 4:16 PM Post #3 of 11
Gotcha, thanks for that input! I don't know if it matters, but the Crossfade Wireless can also be used in 3.5mm wired mode, and in fact I do that a lot (mostly to conserve battery). Would that change your outlook of the benefit of an Amp or DAC/Amp?
 
May 25, 2016 at 4:28 PM Post #4 of 11
I understand that they can be used wired, but at their core, they're still a headphone made for portable use, in which case, I'd say a DAC/Amp setup is almost overkill. Almost. Sure there could be some minimal changes if you do get a DAC/Amp to use portably, but you just have to weigh the consideration of worth. These headphones are already easy to drive, so an amp isn't necessary, and the iPhone has a pretty good internal DAC as well, so it isn't completely necessary either. BUT, if you wanna squeeze that last .01% that you think you might be missing, then go ahead and get something like the Dragonfly Black + lightning to USB. If anything you future proof your purchases and you won't need a DAC/Amp for at least a couple upgrades, either portable or at a home station (if you ever plan on using the Dragonfly as a laptop/desktop DAC/Amp as well). If you want definite, more drastic changes to sound suited to your preferences, download an equalizer app and mess around with it. Note: I haven't done enough research on the Crossfade Wireless to say if there are sound quality differences between wired and wireless, but in some cases the sound suffers in one over the other (looking at Logitech UE6000 and maybe the Bose QC25s), so make sure to check that out. If you notice the sound quality is better in wireless over wired, then no need to buy anything (except maybe an EQ app), since you can't use it wireless with a DAC/Amp anyways.
 
May 25, 2016 at 5:05 PM Post #5 of 11
Interesting - to be honest, I don't notice a massive difference between wired and wireless modes, which shocked me. Is the Dragonfly Black 1.5 simply a DAC with no Amp component? Is there any benefit to using a DAC alone without an Amp, and in that case, does it simply use the Amp of the phone?
 
May 25, 2016 at 5:23 PM Post #6 of 11

The Dragonfly Black is a DAC and an Amp. You can't use only a DAC, there needs to be some amping to power the headphones. All external DACs will either require another amp, or have one built in, but in either case it won't send the signal back to use the iPhone's amp (which I'm gonna go ahead and assume is only connected to the headphone jack of the iPhone).
 
May 25, 2016 at 5:37 PM Post #7 of 11
 
The Dragonfly Black is a DAC and an Amp. You can't use only a DAC, there needs to be some amping to power the headphones. All external DACs will either require another amp, or have one built in, but in either case it won't send the signal back to use the iPhone's amp (which I'm gonna go ahead and assume is only connected to the headphone jack of the iPhone).

Shows how much I know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Is there any reason you suggest the Dragonfly Black as opposed to the Red?
 
May 25, 2016 at 5:38 PM Post #8 of 11
It's cheaper 
tongue_smile.gif
 I don't have any experience with the red, but I do have the black, and for my purposes, it does its job 
 
May 25, 2016 at 8:39 PM Post #9 of 11
Not that this will help you much but I did hear the Red ( only in DAC mode) this past weekend at a meet and it was feeding a Ampsandsound Kenzie amp powering my Ether-C's and it did a very good job. I was more interested in the amp as I have a pretty good DAC but that thing is pretty impressive for the size and money. There was several there so I should've tried the amp function but I was looking for a desktop amp.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top