[hanni7345]

I am thinking about buying an amp for my ath-m50x as iv'e heard amps would make it sound better on my laptop and mobile, but i also have a desktop tower, and i want a portable amp, is it also viable for the tower, or would it be better getting a real amp for that one. 
my idea was to buy the FiiO E12. it fits quite great with my phone, but i don't know if i should buy a portable or one i can have in one place all the time.
is the quality remarkably lower in portable amps?

 

[ProbablyProdigy]

In all honesty, if your desktop tower is worth upgrading, you'd be better off looking into a sound card more than anything. The ATH-M50 is a low-ohm headphone and can be powered just fine using a portable device such as an iPhone, etc. Yes an amp would make a difference but you wouldn't get enough change in sound quality to be nearly worth the money you'll spend.

 

[gitf03]

The M50 needs amplification for the whole fun, but the FiiO E12 seems like a overkill considering your poor source quality. Maybe try to split that money and buy a cheaper amp (other FiiO) + some entry level DAC you can connect to your PC. It would be a more balanced system SQ wise. No need to worry about portable vs. desktop.. portable will be fine, you can use it then with your phone too.

 

[davei1]

A FIIO E10 would give you better better sound on your desktop and laptop and cost much less...It wouldn't work for your mobile
but for the other's it works well and only costs in the $60 to $70 range...I have two....They work great...

 

[Shawn71]

I would suggest 2 options,one buying an HP amp ONLY and the other being USB DAC/HP Amp combo.
1) HP Amp only »»» FiiO E11/12
2) USB DAC/HP Amp »»» FiiO E07K

E11 has the flexibity of gain,eq,user replaceable BL-5B battery and SW for hi/lo under the hood and costs almost half the price of E12. On the other hand E12 has gain,x-feed,bass boost and drive power hungry headphones with ease. Perhaps E11 does it too.

If you wish to listen music thru your PC equally as portable or atleast say min. 30% of your total then get E07K.it serves both well and has more options along with the display.