[jibzilla]

.

 

[Andeby]

With a tiny bit of EQing I'm pretty sure I am getting both more and better bass than from my DT770's, can't stop loving these headphones!

 

[eac3]

  With a tiny bit of EQing I'm pretty sure I am getting both more and better bass than from my DT770's, can't stop loving these headphones!

 
Are you still running an FiiO E10 with them?

 

[Andeby]

No, I mostly run them on my Essence STX. Fiio E10 would be too weak for normal use, considering max volume was needed.

 

[Shorty03]

I don't really have time to read this whole thread so sorry if these questions have already been addressed.
Do these headphones sound at least good without an amp? Because if I get them now it might be a month or two before I could get an amp.
Also does a good amp to drive these exist for under $100? I might could go a tad bit higher but not much. I would also want the amp to be at least slightly portable since they will be used for a lot of car traveling. Thanks!

 

[AxelCloris]

  I don't really have time to read this whole thread so sorry if these questions have already been addressed.
Do these headphones sound at least good without an amp? Because if I get them now it might be a month or two before I could get an amp.
Also does a good amp to drive these exist for under $100? I might could go a tad bit higher but not much. I would also want the amp to be at least slightly portable since they will be used for a lot of car traveling. Thanks!

 
They sound good without an amp, but they sound incredible with one. So you can buy now and buy an amp later, sure. If you're looking for a budget amp that pairs well, many people including myself have enjoyed the Mad Dogs off the Schiit Magni. It'd be right at your budget for the amp ($99) but it's a great combination.

 

[Shorty03]

The

They sound good without an amp, but they sound incredible with one. So you can buy now and buy an amp later, sure. If you're looking for a budget amp that pairs well, many people including myself have enjoyed the Mad Dogs off the Schiit Magni. It'd be right at your budget for the amp ($99) but it's a great combination.

I've heard good things about the schiit amps, but I will doing a lot of listening on the go in the car. So from the pictures ive seen it looks to big.
I was looking for something around the size of a phone or a little bigger. What about the fiio line and someone mentioned one called a cmoy, I think, in another thread?

 

[AxelCloris]

The
I've heard good things about the schiit amps, but I will doing a lot of listening on the go in the car. So from the pictures ive seen it looks to big.
I was looking for something around the size of a phone or a little bigger. What about the fiio line and someone mentioned one called a cmoy, I think, in another thread?

 
The E12 has been mentioned around this thread to be able to drive the Mad Dogs. I personally have never used one. It has quite a bit of power for a portable amp, but it'll set you back $130 if you buy new. I have a DIY cmoy amp but it's certainly not a power house by any means. But it was cheap to build.

 

[gamefreak054]

   
The E12 has been mentioned around this thread to be able to drive the Mad Dogs. I personally have never used one. It has quite a bit of power for a portable amp, but it'll set you back $130 if you buy new. I have a DIY cmoy amp but it's certainly not a power house by any means. But it was cheap to build.

 
The E12 drives the Mad Dogs well, however the rest of the fiio line is not recommended. The rest of the line does the job but you can listen to them on the highest gain and highest volume pretty easily. They also do not gain the advantages of the power of the E12. 

 

[Shorty03]

The E12 drives the Mad Dogs well, however the rest of the fiio line is not recommended. The rest of the line does the job but you can listen to them on the highest gain and highest volume pretty easily. They also do not gain the advantages of the power of the E12. 

I just looked at the e12 but reviewers were saying there were problems when paired with a cell phone, and I will be using that about 80% of the time.
Also how portable are the Mad Dogs? If you have tried any how do they compare in size to the ath m50(the only well known headphone ive listened to)?

 

[gamefreak054]

I just looked at the e12 but reviewers were saying there were problems when paired with a cell phone, and I will be using that about 80% of the time.
Also how portable are the Mad Dogs? If you have tried any how do they compare in size to the ath m50(the only well known headphone ive listened to)?

 
They actually are nearly the same size as the M50s, but the major downfall of them is not collapsing. I do not wear them while walking (if thats what you mean by portable), however I wear them at college all the time. I carry them around in the little pouch mr.speakers give you from class to class. They are not the prettiest headphones, but they do the job. They also stick out more from your head due to the thicker pad. Imo I rather listen to good audio than look cool.
 
As for the cell phone issues (I believe its called emi), I have no idea. I paired mine with an ipod.
 
I do not know your budget, but there are better but expensive amps out there that probably wont have those issues. Imo looking at the specs the JDS amps will probably be a bit underpowered, so will the CMOYs.

 

[Shorty03]

I think this is my last question. Earlier I asked how they sound without amping since I couldn't get one right away. I would just be using an iPod touch.
Someone said they sound good but not there full potential. How downgraded is good? Is it on par with most other headphones in that price range?

 

[gamefreak054]

I think this is my last question. Earlier I asked how they sound without amping since I couldn't get one right away. I would just be using an iPod touch.
Someone said they sound good but not there full potential. How downgraded is good? Is it on par with most other headphones in that price range?

 
IMHO they do not sound good at all. Just my opinion. You can listen to them, but they just do not sound right. A easy to drive headphone in the same price range will easily beat out the mad dogs. For instance I compared the MDR1R at the sony store, and much preferred my MDs w/ Fiio E12 vs MDR1R w/E12, however take the amp away and I would choose the MDR1R. It could be just because I know what they sound like with an amp. However I did let my buddy (who knows nothing about audio) try my headphones who was skeptical about how much of an difference the amp makes. He first tried the MDs with an amp and it seemed like he was really enjoying the music. The second I switch directly to the Ipod amp only he gave me kinda gross face and said something like what the hell.
 
I am not trying to disrespect the headphones, as I clearly love them. I would not be saving my money for the alpha dogs if I hated these. Other people said it was just fine with the ipod. I personally just did not like them at all directly from an low powered source like an ipod.
 
If you really wanted to you could probably pick up a cheap used Fiio E11 amplifier (which is pretty much the same amp portion of the E17) for now, then save up a while for a nice amp to carry around. I am not sure if the E11 had EMI issues though. There is a huge difference in sound imo in underpowered (Fiio E11) vs grossly under powered (ipod). With the FIio E11 I believe the MDs compare well to the rest of its price range. 
 
As a heads up, the users in this thread have been trying to seperate the amping questions from these threads. As there have been a lot, if not too many amp questions have been already asked. I highly suggest checking out this thread for further guidance- http://www.head-fi.org/t/683118/mr-speakers-mad-dog-3-0-3-2-amp-pairing-recommendation-discussion-thread/105#post_9856754
 
Otherwise I wish you the best of luck in making your decisions.

 

[Asr]

I've heard good things about the schiit amps, but I will doing a lot of listening on the go in the car.

 
Wait, are you saying that you'll be using headphones while driving - and closed headphones at that? That sounds extremely risky and potentially accident-prone.
 
That aside, consider the KEF M500 as an alternative to the Mad Dog. No it doesn't sound the same, but it can be driven much better out of portable sources directly (due to its low impedance & high efficiency) and it's more transportable too. Even comes with a nice travel case. The Mad Dog is somewhat of a bulky headphone and won't travel nearly as well. It's about as bulky as the Audio-Technica M50, but unlike the M50 it doesn't fold up.

 

[gamefreak054]

   
Wait, are you saying that you'll be using headphones while driving - and closed headphones at that? That sounds extremely risky and potentially accident-prone.
 
That aside, consider the KEF M500 as an alternative to the Mad Dog. No it doesn't sound the same, but it can be driven much better out of portable sources directly (due to its low impedance & high efficiency) and it's more transportable too. Even comes with a nice travel case. The Mad Dog is somewhat of a bulky headphone and won't travel nearly as well. It's about as bulky as the Audio-Technica M50, but unlike the M50 it doesn't fold up.

 
I think he is talking about the back seat, on long trips. Maybe when he is not driving. I listen to my headphones all the time in the car on family trips. There is no way in hell I could stand my dads music for the average 4 hour family trip we take. 
 
Granted I do see people wearing earbuds when driving. Which imo is pretty stupid.