[Jearly410]

QUESTION:

I bought a dragon fly red and I am also thinking on buying a good pair of open or closed headphones under 400 dollars. I plan to use the headphones to listen to music and watch movies at home only.

Could you give me some advice between five and ten headphones that fit well with the dragonfly red for music and movies on a Tab S tablet?

I like pop and I watch drama movies like the Godfather

My idea is to pick one headphone among those options

Because you like movies, I’d imagine a comfortable headphone is very important. Look into the audioquest nightowl/hawk as it will provide amazing comfort as well as a non fatiguing sound.

 

[ninetylol]

Fidelio X2 would be another option

 

[VRacer-111]

At the upper end of your range, Fostex TH-X00 pairs very well with a DFR and tablet...It's good stock, but even better with Lawton driver dampening installed and different pads with custom attenuators - approaches TOTL level sound.
Philips SHP9500s pair well too. The Monolith M1060 goes fairly well with DFR too, more relaxed sounding than TH-X00PH for movies and music.

 

[musicfan145]

QUESTION:

I bought a dragon fly red and I am also thinking on buying a good pair of open or closed headphones under 400 dollars. I plan to use the headphones to listen to music and watch movies at home. I dont use heaphones outside home. I have very cheap headphones but i'd like a pair of good ones.

Could you give me some advice between five and ten headphones that fit well with the dragonfly red for pop music and drama movies on a tablet?

I wouldnt like to end up buying a pair of headphones that do not run well on dragon fly red. In other words, I began buying the dac, then the headphones.

At the 400 USD price point, the Oppo PM-3 should definitely be on your list to audition. They are designed for portable use, so the DFR has plenty of power for them.

 

[Cheffy]

QUESTION:

I bought a dragon fly red and I am also thinking on buying a good pair of open or closed headphones under 400 dollars. I plan to use the headphones to listen to music and watch movies at home. I dont use heaphones outside home. I have very cheap headphones but i'd like a pair of good ones.

Could you give me some advice between five and ten headphones that fit well with the dragonfly red for pop music and drama movies on a tablet?

I wouldnt like to end up buying a pair of headphones that do not run well on dragon fly red. In other words, I began buying the dac, then the headphones.

That question is better suited to a headphone section of the forum. Virtually all headphones will work well with the DFR unless they're really hard to drive, which probably won't be the case for <$400. Do some research and figure out the sound you want. The DFR will just work with it.

 

[VRacer-111]

That question is better suited to a headphone section of the forum. Virtually all headphones will work well with the DFR unless they're really hard to drive, which probably won't be the case for <$400. Do some research and figure out the sound you want. The DFR will just work with it.

I know of one that doesn't pair particularly well with the DFR - MrSpeakers Aeon. Very anemic sounding on the DFR, detailed but anemic in presentation.

 

[caballerolance]

That question is better suited to a headphone section of the forum. Virtually all headphones will work well with the DFR unless they're really hard to drive, which probably won't be the case for <$400. Do some research and figure out the sound you want. The DFR will just work with it.

ok. I didn´t know that Cheffy. A question. Do you mean 600ohms+ by really hard to drive?

 

[Cheffy]

ok. I didn´t know that Cheffy. A question. Do you mean 600ohms+ by really hard to drive?

Just trying to put you in a direction where you'll probably find more answers, not turn you away!

r.e. 600 ohms - could be, but ohms aren't the only consideration with how hard it might be to drive some headphones. You'd need to read up on the specific headphone and determine what you might need. The more legwork you do in advance, the more specific your questions will be, and you'll get better and more specific answers!

 

[musicfan145]

Just trying to put you in a direction where you'll probably find more answers, not turn you away!

r.e. 600 ohms - could be, but ohms aren't the only consideration with how hard it might be to drive some headphones. You'd need to read up on the specific headphone and determine what you might need. The more legwork you do in advance, the more specific your questions will be, and you'll get better and more specific answers!

@caballerolance, It has as much to do with efficiency as impedance. The Fostex RP series is 50 Ohms, but very inefficient. The DFR doesn’t have nearly enough power to do them justice.

I think the key is to look for headphones in the “portable” category (designed to be driven directly by a mobile phone or DAP). Anything in that category should be even better with the DFR.

But as @Cheffy pointed out, 1) most headphones under $400 are “portables,” 2) you’ll likely get more/better recommendations in the “headphones” forum(s), and 3) even there, you’ll want to include details about what kind of music and sound signature you like.

 

[stansmiths]

I've read complaints about the Dragonfly's clipping @ high volume levels, what are yall's opinion on that?

 

[Cheffy]

I've read complaints about the Dragonfly's clipping @ high volume levels, what are yall's opinion on that?

Absolutely not the case at all here. Where have you read that? If there are issues it's probably related to android/IOS/cable/headphone problems, not the DF itself.

 

[brad713]

Hi All, I currently have a Dragonfly Red that’s worked pretty well with my past two iPhones. However, after recently upgrading to an iPhone X, I’m getting frequent glitches and cutouts that are driving me crazy. They specifically occur when I'm holding/using the phone. Audioquest’s customer support was less than helpful as they just blame it on Apple. It is in fact probably Apple’s issue, but they clearly state on their page it is compatible with iOS devices, but I digress. I have tried more cables than I’m willing to admit with no luck. Has anybody else had any issues with the iPhone X and DFR?

It's gotten to the point where it defeats the point of using the DFR, and was considering the oppo ha-2se. However, I've seen people mention issues with iOS devices with this dac/amp as well. Do you think it's worth a shot trying out this option even though they both utilize the lightning out port (albeit with slightly different cable configurations)? My last resort is just using a standalone player like the fiio x7 mark ii, but don't really want to pay the premium if I don't have to. Appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

 

[Cheffy]

Really enjoying the sound of my DFB with my NAD HP50s, keeps sounding better and better. I've found the mid-range response on a small number of songs a little flat and sometimes muddled though, especially for piano, but bass is reasonably tight and vocals are usually crystal clear. Anyone else notice this? Might be the songs themselves, but I think the DFB enhances this effect a little. So was thinking of going to the DFR instead for improved clarity, but the extra $100 could go a long ways to a new set of headphones! All my current phones are closed-back, so they might not be able to do the mids justice.

Question to all those who own both the DFB and DFR - why did you keep both, and for which genres of music do you prefer one over the other? Please note the headphones you use and your impression of the headphone sound signature as well as what the DF brings to the table.

 

[stellarelephant]

I have only heard the black but I would agree with you that its sound runs cool...without midrange emphasis compared to other DACs I have heard.

 

[Damien Chung]

Does the black still support Iphone 7 plus?