[Ch1Kn]

not much info on m audio q 40, i hear they are 32 omhs and i wanted to know if its worth getting a fiio e6 (25$) for them or will they work just fine unamped
i plan to use them on a blackberry playbook, psp go and my computer (stock realtek hd audio chip)

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

not much info on m audio q 40, i hear they are 32 omhs and i wanted to know if its worth getting a fiio e6 (25$) for them or will they work just fine unamped
i plan to use them on a blackberry playbook, psp go and my computer (stock realtek hd audio chip)

 
They are 64 ohm and do benefit a lot from amping in my experience, How? I find the midrange to come more forward and detailed (instead of sounding slightly "smeared" with the bass and more laid-back) and the bass becomes a bit punchier while becoming slightly more controlled at the same time, you get the feeling of it getting better "dynamic range" by amping and it scales quite well with better amps. Not sure how well FiiO E6 fares but I hear the "blue" EQ setting on FiiO E6 sounds quite good to a lot of people which also emphasizes the midrange slightly and it might pair quite well with Q40. Otherwise I'd recommend amps that are somewhat neutral or slightly on the warm side, maybe Gary's PA2V2 and SoundMagic A10 and SRS Listen amp on ebay which I've tested and can confirm it pairs very well for a quite modest $42 or so amp and I get a very noticable boost in midrange detail and improvement to bass response especially.
 
For me it's like it goes from average/good $120 headphone to very enjoyable headphone comparing ampless vs using digiZoid ZO2.1. I also have a ZO2.3 but for Q40 I'd pick another amp as with the v2.3 the synergy isn't the very best and the midrange & highs sounds a bit overly laid-back and unexciting to my ears which isn't the case with v2.1.