[GOT KILLED???]

I hope it's not been asked again, but I've read like 100 pages in this thread. Is there an Amp/DAC portable combo that can power these pretty well for less than 200$? I am interested in the magni/modi stack but I am also looking to take these on the go since they look pretty nice!
 
EDIT: I like the Audioengine D1 AMP/DAC and it looks attractive for its 170$ price!

 

[sonitus mirus]

Quote:

I hope it's not been asked again, but I've read like 100 pages in this thread. Is there an Amp/DAC portable combo that can power these pretty well for less than 200$? I am interested in the magni/modi stack but I am also looking to take these on the go since they look pretty nice!
 
EDIT: I like the Audioengine D1 AMP/DAC and it looks attractive for its 170$ price!

 
I use the Audioengine D1 in my office as a DAC with my O2 amp.  Just for you, I tried the D1 as the headphone amp, too.  It does the job, but I can crank the volume to the max setting and my ears aren't bleeding.  It was too loud for me for anything but a short listen, and as a portable option, it's not bad for the cost.
 
Keep in mind, I am powering the D1 with an AC/USB adapter that can charge my 3rd generation iPad while I am watching an HD movie streaming over Netflix.  It is rated at 5.2V with 2.1 A output. I'm also feeding the D1 via the optical input for the source.  If you were to plug the D1 directly into a laptop's USB port for power and source signal, the available current draw would be much lower, and probably not at all ideal for these headphones.  
 
So, depending on how you plan to power the D1, it may be ok.  AC wall adapter is fine, provided you use one that has a higher amp rating.  Essentially, I am using an iPad charger, so I would think that some newer MacBooks should be ok.  Most laptops, however, do not provide anything near 2.1 amps from the USB port.  Since the D1 gets power from the USB port, it is not possible to use an AC adapter for power while using the USB to connect to your source.

 

[GOT KILLED???]

Ohh! I see, that makes a lot of sense. I am not using it for a laptop, but for a desktop and an iPod. My motherboard does indeed have an optical output so I will use optical as source and USB/AC Adapter @ 5.2V and 2.1A to power it! It probably wouldn't be best to use with an iPod though?
 
edit: facepalm, it's a usb power source, so it wouldn't be powered if through an iPod. Sorry, dumb question! hah

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Go there early and you should be fine
Good luck, I think you'll like them a lot!

Yeap they came in today, and while I still prefer my byers over them [in everything] there is one thing the byers will never do... and that is ISOLATE. WHich means they are useless in public. ANd while the byers r let's say a 10/10 for me the Mad Dogs are a 8.75/10. They are closed so there is some things they just won't do like the byers do.
 
Still a nice pair of cans indeed.I'll HAVE to do an indepth review of the byers and the mad Dogs now q.q
 
 
So yea, my rca clear top sounds great with the Mad dogs, as it opens them up. Tightness and smoooooths everything out a little. WHere as my  Rca 5963 has alot of warmth and "thickens" up my music. So the byer likes the THICK rca 5963 as it's already very smooth and tight, The tube just adds richness. where as the Mad dog is a little too rich. So I shove it through my rca 12ua7 clear top, which has a NICE smooooth tight sound. [Hence is why I own 2 tubes thank fully]
 
I also learned that the 5963 does not run as much voltage as a standard 12ua7 [which might explain why I have to CRANK the volume up on my 5963 amp] sop that's good to know.
 
So my conclusion, I enjoy the Mad Dog with my Clear Top tubes, they are plenty thick they need a little tightness and extension!
 
SO once matched with the right tube and amp the mad dogs sound nice! In addition they do have a touch more bass than the dt 880 which means they should eq pretty nicely 

 

[Makiah S]

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had a 1 hr and 44 min  session while the sound is amazing these are uncomfy after a while they clamp quite a bit and have some head aches around the side and top. the pads are nice and soft but the clamping pressure is a problem. i'm hoping it eases up as comfort is a deal breaker for me due to these being my main portable. 

yar these are super duper comfy [I think] but again I don't have any issue with clamping... I got a big head an lotsa hair so I don't notice the clamp e.e
 
Still they are a nice can, I think they will also be another can I use with my E11 [since my hifiman is already warm I don't want to use a warm cMoy with an already warm freaking can (or maybe I do ]) 
 
Gonna try my portable Mad Dog now! 

 

[ruleof72]

Mad Dogs On The Way!
 
I made the decision to get the Mad Dogs last week but have waited to order until I got my Schiit Magni that will be powering the MD's. It isn't scheduled to ship until sometime next week. Then today I saw the note about Dan running out of Alpha pads and that it would be April until I'd get them. So I went ahead and ordered them this afternoon figuring I'd get them in 3 weeks or so.
 
Well, to my surprise, I got an email a couple hours ago that they had already shipped

 My guess is I'll have them by next Tuesday or so, probably before the Magni shows up.
 
I'm really looking forward to the Mad Dogs paired with the Magni, I think it will be a great combination. Now I just need to decide on whether I need a separate DAC or not. or the time being I'll be using the Squeezebox DAC, which I think is fairly decent.

 

[Makiah S]

SO I like the hm 601 with the mad dogs I also like my cMoy, which is very lush as opposed to the colder e11, voices are really fabolous with the hm 601 and the cMoy. Now I miss the tighter bass of the e11, but the mids are much better, so I can live with slighty "loose" bass for the sake of RICH mids, the highs are also better on the e11, but again they are not bad with the cmoy, but the cmoy [the jds 18v with a opa2227] for me a much more mid focused amp [with a bigger stound stage and more lush treble] suits the mad dog nicely. I feel the e11 is a little sharp, the treble is nice on it, the mids r balanced and the bass is tight, great for edm, but I'll take a little extra color with my neutral cans xD
 
The dt 880... sounds equally as good! The hm 601 is so freaking warm and the cMoy adds EVEN more, so the voices are a little more detailed on the dt 880, where as the Mad Dog has a little more personal feel to it with still great detail... well it's a little to forward... the piano [listening to "To Build a Home Cinmeatic ORchestra] the Piano really pairs RIGHT UP against his voice, where as the dt 880 buts the piano back a little and has his voice still very forward... still the Mad Dog has a great personal feel to it... [the smaller sound stage is tolerable]
 
And I of course prefer open cans in every way over closed. Always and forever, but open [or semi open] leaks and does not isolate... so they are pretty useless outside of my house, where as the Mad Dogs sound WONDERFUL and they isolate , and ofc with the hm 601 the mad dogs has PERFECT bass, the dt 880 doesn't have quite enough and using bass boost ruins the nice mids. Still the bass is not as nice simply because it's a solid state amp, all my tubes have GREAT bass for the dt 880s 
 
So yea I do like them very much ^^ They are both great cans, and I'll use the Mad Dogs at home for sure [my crazy room mates like to scream at night lol (I think they r going deaf)] 
 
I'm likeing my mad dogs! The pleather how ever is a little warmer than Velour e.e but it's not a big deal, I only noticed the aplhas were warm because my ears where cooled with the dt 880s xD
 
And again treble is better on the dt 880, but horns have a nice fullness to em on the mad dogs  
 
Now going back to my oDac and my rca CLear Top Tube, the Mad Dogs are wonderful! The treble and sound stage open up beautifully, the voice is still warm and engaing and the bass is still awesome.

 

[Kamakahah]

Quote:

had a 1 hr and 44 min  session while the sound is amazing these are uncomfy after a while they clamp quite a bit and have some head aches around the side and top. the pads are nice and soft but the clamping pressure is a problem. i'm hoping it eases up as comfort is a deal breaker for me due to these being my main portable. 

 
You can stretch the band on the top. There is actually a PDF that Dan posted somewhere that shows how to increase the clamping force. In short, you just lengthen out one side and shorten the other, then hold onto the sides and you can stretch each side individually to reduce the clamp. It has possible downsides though. If you do one side more than the other it can cause some discomfort, and you could alter the bass/isolation a bit. Anyway, I like a little less clamp myself so I stretched the band out just a bit and it worked fantastic.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Mad Dogs On The Way!
 
I made the decision to get the Mad Dogs last week but have waited to order until I got my Schiit Magni that will be powering the MD's. It isn't scheduled to ship until sometime next week. Then today I saw the note about Dan running out of Alpha pads and that it would be April until I'd get them. So I went ahead and ordered them this afternoon figuring I'd get them in 3 weeks or so.
 
Well, to my surprise, I got an email a couple hours ago that they had already shipped

 My guess is I'll have them by next Tuesday or so, probably before the Magni shows up.
 
I'm really looking forward to the Mad Dogs paired with the Magni, I think it will be a great combination. Now I just need to decide on whether I need a separate DAC or not. or the time being I'll be using the Squeezebox DAC, which I think is fairly decent.

The mad dogs have nice detail retension. I'd make sure you have a good dac, and the one you have may be just that! I think the Magni will do nicely for it. Solid States [I think] are colder than tubes, bass is tighter [usually] mids are more linear and highs are brighter [but not always smoother] which, the mad dog sounds good with a tight low end, the mids are really wonderful on a tube or a solid state, and the highs [I'd get a tube if you like highs] as the solid state still didn't give me the space and air to the treble that I like.
 
Still it should be great! These are some great cans <3

 

[mrspeakers]

For the record, I use lamb leather not pleather....

 

[sonitus mirus]

Quote:

Mad Dogs On The Way!
 
 Now I just need to decide on whether I need a separate DAC or not. or the time being I'll be using the Squeezebox DAC, which I think is fairly decent.

 
I think you are spot on about the Squeezebox DAC, it ain't half bad.  Unless you have some issues with ground loop noise and want to switch to the optical output, you would probably need to spend quite a bit of money on an external DAC to get any significant improvement.  That money would best be spent on headphones before dumping it toward a DAC.  The output should be 2.1 Vrms from the Squeezebox RCA to the amp, and there are no input sensitivity issues to worry about with your amp, so you should be good to go.  Just lock the volume to 100% on the Squeezebox, as this is a digital volume control similar to a typical computer volume adjustment.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

Mad Dogs On The Way!
 
I made the decision to get the Mad Dogs last week but have waited to order until I got my Schiit Magni that will be powering the MD's. It isn't scheduled to ship until sometime next week. Then today I saw the note about Dan running out of Alpha pads and that it would be April until I'd get them. So I went ahead and ordered them this afternoon figuring I'd get them in 3 weeks or so.
 
Well, to my surprise, I got an email a couple hours ago that they had already shipped

 My guess is I'll have them by next Tuesday or so, probably before the Magni shows up.
 
I'm really looking forward to the Mad Dogs paired with the Magni, I think it will be a great combination. Now I just need to decide on whether I need a separate DAC or not. or the time being I'll be using the Squeezebox DAC, which I think is fairly decent.

Dan did an excellent service. If he's already run out of Alpha pads, you'll get Shure 840 pads, then when the Alpha's come back in stock, he ships you out the pads free of charge.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

For the record, I use lamb leather not pleather....

Oh DUH your right, my XB 700s are pleather and they are COLD... WHY IS LAMB LEATHER SO FREAKING WARM xD
 
But yes it's comfy VERY comfy and very warm e.e
 
But Dan the can sound great! Very balanced, I'm enjoying them alot

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

 
I think you are spot on about the Squeezebox DAC, it ain't half bad.  Unless you have some issues with ground loop noise and want to switch to the optical output, you would probably need to spend quite a bit of money on an external DAC to get any significant improvement.  That money would best be spent on headphones before dumping it toward a DAC.  The output should be 2.1 Vrms from the Squeezebox RCA to the amp, and there are no input sensitivity issues to worry about with your amp, so you should be good to go.  Just lock the volume to 100% on the Squeezebox, as this is a digital volume control similar to a typical computer volume adjustment.

I got a used Odac pretty cheaply. And I like it [although I wish a had a JDS odac with rca out... the one I got is tiny and the rca cords make it tip over lol] 

 

[sonitus mirus]

Quote:

I got a used Odac pretty cheaply. And I like it [although I wish a had a JDS odac with rca out... the one I got is tiny and the rca cords make it tip over lol] 

Sure, there are some fine options available, but the Squeezebox does not have a USB output, which a lot of the cheaper DACs require. (like the Schiit Modi or ODAC)