[Afashi]

Hey,

I've got a nice pair of NAD HP50's and I wanted a good (not very expensive) amp for the go.

I'm looking at this two options right now. Which one should I get? Does the price difference between the iFi and the PA2V2 represents a difference in performance that justifies this difference?

Thanks for your help!

 

[cel4145]

The HP50s are easy to drive, so they don't need a lot of headphone amp. Depending on your source device, you might do better with a dac/headphone amp for the cost of the Nano.

 

[Afashi]

What do you suggest? I use them mainly with my Xperia Z Ultra, iTouch 4th generation and Toshiba P50.
 
Thanks for replying! 

 

[cel4145]

Not sure about the iTouch (some generations of iOS devices require a special lightning adapter). But I would imagine you could find a USB DAC/amp that would work with your phone and laptop. Look into the Fiio E18, and see if people are using external USB dacs with the Xperia Z Ultra.

 

[Afashi]

I think the E18 it's a great option. I'm wondering if I would have better results in terms of sq with the E18 or if I plugged my HP50's directly to a 2nd Gen X3 and use it alone.

 

[cel4145]

I would imagine that the E18 and 2nd gen X3 would be somewhat comparable, but I do not know that for sure. Certainly not a mountain of difference.

But I hate carrying around portable amps/dacs. The only time I use my Fiio E12 is with my tablet when traveling where I need the extra amp power (my tablet is a bit weak with some of my headphones). A phone with a dac/amp strapped to it is so unuser friendly for carrying around in one's pocket and trying to change the volume or use the phone interface to switch songs. Or even pull in and out of one's pocket. Got the wire sticking up, too, to connect the devices. Pain in the butt (lol).

Plus, I'd prefer not to run my phone battery down. So my choice would be the X3. Definitely if you just want it for listening to music files. My son has the first gen X3. Sounds great (I have the DX50). The X3 can also double as a usb DAC to connect to a laptop, so it offers some of the same DAC functionality for portable use.

 

[Afashi]

I think i'll probably go with the X3. I have the same fears about the portability issues of an extra DAC/Amp. I'll end up paying a little bit more, but I'll have a dedicated device, which means less problems with portability and battery. Regarding the iBasso, do I get a better device with the X3?
 
Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[cel4145]

Some people like the DX50s better. Some the X3s. And they argue over it, so who knows? The one advantage that the DX50 has is that you can load Rockbox firmware onto it, if you are familiar with that. Otherwise, without actually using them to decide for yourself, whichever is cheaper is probably best.