[TheEldestBoy]

Hi All,

My current set-up is as follows:

• Streaming services -> offline mode -> iPhone -> Ifi Hip Dac - HD6XX / HE4XX

This set-up gives me great sound + plenty of power + an incredible bass boost option.

--

Truth is, I'm tired of stacking phone + HipDac and I want a more elegant solution.

I'm wondering which DAP out there would suit my needs best?

It needs to do the following:

1. Be powerful enough for properly drive HD6XX / HE4XX.
2. Offline mode for streaming services.
3. The ability to apply EQ when listening to the music downloaded from streaming services (I'll primarily be boosting the low-end bass frequencies a bit for some added presence since I listen at relatively low volumes).

Any suggestions?

 

[ScubaDrunk]

Hi All,

My current set-up is as follows:

• Streaming services -> offline mode -> iPhone -> Ifi Hip Dac - HD6XX / HE4XX

This set-up gives me great sound + plenty of power + an incredible bass boost option.

--

Truth is, I'm tired of stacking phone + HipDac and I want a more elegant solution.

I'm wondering which DAP out there would suit my needs best?

It needs to do the following:

1. Be powerful enough for properly drive HD6XX / HE4XX.
2. Offline mode for streaming services.
3. The ability to apply EQ when listening to the music downloaded from streaming serves (I'll primarily be boosting the low-end bass frequencies a bit for some added presence since I listen at relatively low volumes).

Any suggestions?

What is your budget?

 

[TheEldestBoy]

What is your budget?

I'm realizing that maybe I shouldn't have put "Best" in my subject line

I'm actually wondering what my options would be across all price ranges?

In other words, what would be the most budget friendly option... up to the most expensive options?

Realistically, I'd be looking for a budget friendly and/or mid-tier option.

 

[TheEldestBoy]

3.the ability to apply EQ when listening to the music downloaded from streaming services.

...I'm anticipating that this is going to be the limiting factor here (since it seems that most DAPS only allow the user to apply EQ when listening to files using the DAP's native player, not streaming services).

 

[gonzfi]

Dx300 all day long

 

[CharlyBrown]

Hiby R6/R8, Astell&Kern SE200/Kann Alpha are the ones I know that will meet all of you criteria.

 

[TheEldestBoy]

Dx300 all day long

Hiby R6/R8, Astell&Kern SE200/Kann Alpha are the ones I know that will meet all of you criteria.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Out of those 3 brands (iBasso, HiByMusic, Astell & Kern) I’m wondering which is going to do the best job with EQ?

Do any of them do a poor job?

I essentially want to try to mimic, as close as possible, the wonderful bass boost that I get with my HipDac.

 

[CharlyBrown]

Well, I had the Hip-Dac once and didn‘t find the Bass Boost that good because it just lifted up a broad area of the lower spectrum of the Frequency in a yes or no manner without possibility to adjust anything. This can easily be done much better with 4 swipes within the EQ of the A&K mentioned. Hiby goes a different path with MSEB which is a very intuitive approach of EQing but from my experience it tends to distort the sound easily and it doesn’t work with MQA, if you want to use Tidal...

The best EQ I know in a portable device is that of the Qudelix 5k. This beats everything I‘ve ever seen in a DAP (first hand or in YouTube videos) out of the water and it only costs a fraction (around 120$). I know you want to get rid of the multiple components (Phone, Cable, Dongle) and I can understand that but that would be the perfect implementation of an EQ.

I know only Hiby R8 and A&K SE200 and of those mentioned, and I prefer the EQ from the A&K. It will do the job boosting your bass and it can do much more like using Harman adjustments as a baseline and then adjust further to your personal liking. Thats what I do with my HPs. Here’s a link to pretty much all Headphone/IEM settings to Harmann:

https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results