[Thrill Killer]

I have a iPhone 5 SE (3Q 2016) that only has 3 months of use. and sits in a drawer. I currently have my music on a iTouch 5th Gen. All songs in ALAC.
So, I was wondering... does the 5SE have a better DAC/AMP than the itouch? Or, do they have the same one? And would the 5SE have a more powerful amp to run full size HPs?

My HD6XXs make only a "OK" sound from my itouch. Even at Full volume, it's not enough to drive the 6XX's.

I need more info on the 5SE to see if the Amp on it has more milliwatts. And can it output Line Level off the DAC w/o conversion to Analog first? And maybe connect it to a DAC/AMP. Turn it into a Rig. As it has both Lightening Connector and HP Jack.

HD6XX, SR325e, ATH-M50x, W30, SE425, ER3XR

 

[yong_shun]

I think to drive your 6XX to reach the optimum volume, you would need an amp. You can connect an Amp/Dac combo using camera connection kit

 

[Sparky191]

There is a 5s and a se but there is no phone called a 5se. I assume you mean a se.

Have you AB them for SQ?

I don't know about amps. Can't advise you on that.

 

[Redcarmoose]

All I can say is hold onto your 5th Gen Touch. The new 6th Generation have horrible battery life! On average they last 1/3 of the time as the 5th, if using the screen.

 

[Sparky191]

The 6th gen have slightly larger battery.

Curious why it does so badly on battery life. Have you checked yours isn't faulty.

 

[Redcarmoose]

The 6th gen have slightly larger battery.

Curious why it does so badly on battery life. Have you checked yours isn't faulty.

Purchased two to make sure, don't think both are faulty. It's the processor.

 

[Sparky191]

I guess you can compete it with the phones

 

[Thrill Killer]

There is a 5s and a se but there is no phone called a 5se. I assume you mean a se.

Have you AB them for SQ?

I don't know about amps. Can't advise you on that.

My iPhone is the SE. I will A/B them after I charge it up and update it.

 

[Sparky191]

I'm curious what if any the difference will be.

 

[Thrill Killer]

I think to drive your 6XX to reach the optimum volume, you would need an amp. You can connect an Amp/Dac combo using camera connection kit

I need to find out about the dac in the SE. Is it better than the iTouch 5?

I'd like to turn my SE into a Rig paired with a D/A. I think it would be cheaper to buy something like a Fiio Q5, Q1MarkII, xDuoo XD-05. As buying a whole new "Media Player" cost too much. I'd like a Oppo HA-2SE. But, that cost as much as most dedicated Media Players.

 

[yong_shun]

I need to find out about the dac in the SE. Is it better than the iTouch 5?

I'd like to turn my SE into a Rig paired with a D/A. I think it would be cheaper to buy something like a Fiio Q5, Q1MarkII, xDuoo XD-05. As buying a whole new "Media Player" cost too much. I'd like a Oppo HA-2SE. But, that cost as much as most dedicated Media Players.

Maybe you can consider Audioquest Dragonfly. I like it a lot. The presentation is lively and dynamic. The price isn't as high as those models that you mentioned

 

[Thrill Killer]

Maybe you can consider Audioquest Dragonfly. I like it a lot. The presentation is lively and dynamic. The price isn't as high as those models that you mentioned

I have to pass on anything that is USB related. It means another connection, another cable. I prefer Lightning out to a D/A.

 

[megabigeye]

I'm confused. Every single one of the DACs you mentioned above is USB. The xDuoo would even use the same Lighting/USB camera adapter as the Dragonfly.

EDIT:
Ahh... I think I see. I think you're conflating "line level" (analog) with digital output.

iPhones and iPods that don't have a 30 pin connector don't have a line level analog output. They only have a headphone output and Lightning digital output.
A line level and a headphone output are similar in that they are both analog and both have already been processed by an onboard DAC. They differ in that the headphone output is amplified, the line level is not. An analog signal, obviously, cannot be reconverted from digital to analog, thus you wouldn't need a DAC, but an amplifier.

Conversely, the Lighting connectors on your iPhone and iPod only outputs digital, which necessitates a DAC. The headphone adapters that come with new iPhones, for example, have a very small DAC in them. As far as I know, there are no Lightning DACs, but only USB (maybe I'm wrong. I don't use iOS devices, so I've never spent much time looking), which necessitates some sort of adapter.

I apologize if this is something you already know.

 

[Thrill Killer]

I'm confused. Every single one of the DACs you mentioned above is USB. The xDuoo would even use the same Lighting/USB camera adapter as the Dragonfly.

While Technically true. They all also have 3.5mm Line In, 3.5mm Balanced Line In. Or, Micro USB. I would go with 3.5mm connection most likely.

 

[yong_shun]

If you are using 3.5mm then it would defeat the purpose of getting the dac amp combo since you are not bypassing your phone DAC and AMP... Double amplification is pretty undesired (at least for me) because it amplifies the noise twice and making it more significant...