[Angelgome]

I just got into hi-fi audio. I'm currently using HFI-780 and i was wondering if you guys can explain to me the purpose of an AMP and DAC and why some headphones need both to get good performance.

Better yet if there is reading material in this forum please link me

 

[1Time]

Welcome.

What sound card or other equipment are you plugging your HFI780 into?

What's your budget for upgrading the associated equipment for your HFI780?

 

[Angelgome]

Well i mostly use my PC that has a SupremeFX II sound card from Asus. I also own a Cowon S9 which i truly love. Budget for upgrading hmm i can say i can spend another 300 bucks on my audio.

 

[fenixdown110]

An amp does exactly what it means. It amplifies and allows you to increase volume without distortion. It also brings out the strong point(s) of your headphones. A DAC (digital to analog converter) allows you to get the best sound out of a computer source. DAC's also override the existing computer sound card via USB. Someone feel free to add or correct me if I'm wrong. You can just do a simple search and come up with in depth topics covering these two.

 

[ting.mike]

The HFI 780 has really good synergy with Corda 2Move or 3Move amplifiers, which falls just within your price bracket. And they also come with an DAC.

 

[Angelgome]

Override the video card? Elaborate on this please.

 

[berlinguyinca]

i think he meant the sound card

 

[Angelgome]

Oh okay.

Im gonna look up reviews on the Corda 3Move.

In the meanwhile, What can i do to prevent wire damage? and please dont say just take care of them haha

 

[fenixdown110]

Yes, sorry. I meant sound card. You can always recable for an upgrade.

 

[Angelgome]

Oh okay...

Since im not used to spending 3 figures on headphones i would probably let someone else do the cabling for me.

Fenixdown110, you have any suggestions on what DAC/AMP i should get? im looking into Corda 3Move as ting.mike recommended but i just want to have things to compare to

 

[fenixdown110]

DAC amps 300 and under? Here's a quick list from the top of my head.

1) The Headroom Total Bithead ~$160
2) Fubar III ~$230
3) Aune hifidiy.net MK2 SE ~$165
4) Tianyun Zero ~$160

I'm sure other people will have much more to add. The Aune has gotten decent reviews. The amp is also based off the SOLO(Another decent but higher priced amp). If you plan on ordering, you'll have to wait since they're coming out with a revised version. If you want something more for portable use, the Bithead would be a better choice though. Beware of the Zero's. They're been known to "sudden death" and rarely blow up or fry your cans. Their new 09 versions might have solved that problem though, but can't be too sure.

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, sorry. I meant sound card. You can always recable for an upgrade.

Don't recable. Think of it this way. Even if cables bring a 10% improvement in sound, a recable with "audiophile" wire will probably cost about 50% of what you paid for the 780, if not more. Doesn't make sense to me..... Just buy a better headphone if you are gonna shell out that much.

And a lot of us think cables don't do anything!

 

[Angelgome]

tvrboy so your saying that what ALO Audio does is just a waste of money?

 

[Angelgome]

Fenixdown110, What would make a DAC/AMP better quality? example Why is the 3Move almost 300 dollars and the Aune hifidity.net MK2 150 dollars

 

[Drubbing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ting.mike /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HFI 780 has really good synergy with Corda 2Move or 3Move amplifiers, which falls just within your price bracket. And they also come with an DAC.

...but you only get the DAC activated when used via USB on a PC. If using the 3move on the Cowon you'll only access the amp.

The 3move costs more becasue it's more portable. But it is decent German quality too.

Recabling is a terrible waste of money that could be better spent on better phones; that is what makes far more of a difference to sound, than any 'high end' cable will.

You do the numbers; you buy a $250 phone and spend $400 on recabling that may offer 5-10% difference (not neccesarily improvement). You've just spent $650 and got $275 worth of sound. And yes, plenty of people think expensive cables are a scam.