Quote:
I have a question about a good amp for T50RP. My iBasso D4 portable DAC/Amp combo cannot drive them without the stutter. Here's a link for D4 specs :
http://www.ibasso.com/download/2010226223657.pdf
The options:
1. Leave D4 as DAC and invest in amplifier.
2. Replace D4 with usb DAC/AMP combo. I can use D4 at home, since I have no rig there.
If I sell some of my gear, I can go as far as $500, if it is reasonable (is head-fi reasonable anyways) of course. But with so many options I'm totally lost, so I'm turning for the help here.
I'm looking at Maverick D1 or Schiit Asgard, are they a good option? Any other good amps or usb amp/dac combos I should know about?
Thanks in advance)
Have you looked into the Objective 2? Before I stumbled upon it, I was looking into all sorts of amps I couldn't afford, all with their own drawbacks (from the Asgard, to the Lyr, to the upcoming FiiO E15, to the NFB-12, the Matrix M-Stage, etc.). It's a DIY project, but every once in a while someone builds a bunch and sells them off for ~$150. It's powerful enough to drive almost anything, yet it also has a low output impedance, so it's suitable for sensitive, low-impedance headphones too. (When I say "almost" anything, I mean, "HE-6: Yes," but "Sextets and K1000: No.")
Other than limited commercial availability (and the potential for DIY'ers to make mistakes, etc.), its biggest drawbacks are a cluttered front panel and 1/8" minijack output only. Because of that, I got the V-Moda cord for use with my T50RP's. (The designer is making another amp called the Objective Desktop Amp though, which includes 1/4" and RCA jacks...and a few DIY'ers have added them to their O2's. The upcoming design also includes a high-resolution USB DAC daughter board.) You also don't want to use the O2 with extremely high voltage inputs, since it'll clip the signal with those, but most inputs are fine.
As the name suggests, it was designed objectively using measurements, so it's provably neutral/uncolored and "correct." No reliable third party measurements have been done yet, but it measures very well across the board according to the designer's own dScope measurements (conducted properly with a real headphone load). While it doesn't compensate for any headphone's frequency response flaws, it doesn't exacerbate them or add additional flaws either. It's basically a "wire with gain," but it's pretty unique in that it measures well without being a complete overkill or a "no expenses spared" design. (Another similar DIY amp to look into would be The Wire, which slightly more expensive and much heavier on the overkill...but I haven't seen any prebuilt ones for sale.)
I'm completely happy with mine, even though I don't have a point of reference for subjective comparison. LFF uses it for his T50RP Paradox too, and it's the amp he used to tune his mod...so apparently it matches up very well with the T50RP. (I can't weigh in on that personally, since I don't have my Paxmate yet! I can say that it drives the heck out of the stock cans though.)