[droopdog7]

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-portable-headphone-amp-with-built-in-dac/
Those are portables--battery powered.

There's also the Shanling UA2, which is powered by the phone--i.e., will suck up phone battery life. But the reviewers specifically say it sounds good with Sundara.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/shanling-ua2-portable-usb-dac-amp.25182/reviews

If you're willing to plug in something and leave it on the desktop, the Schiit Magni 3+ or JDS Labs Atom are just amps (no DAC) and about $100 each.

Schiit also makes the Fulla, a DAC/Amp combo, for $109.
https://www.schiit.com/products/fulla-2

Thanks! One more question if I may. Some of the dac/amps I’ve researched show 20hz-20khz in their specs. The sundara specs are outside of this range. Does that matter?

Perhaps because I’m looking at less expensive variety? Or maybe one has nothing to do with the other?

 

[earmonger]

Thanks! One more question if I may. Some of the dac/amps I’ve researched show 20hz-20khz in their specs. The sundara specs are outside of this range. Does that matter?

Perhaps because I’m looking at less expensive variety? Or maybe one has nothing to do with the other?

Human hearing -- when you're young, before you start to lose high frequencies -- is 20-20,000 Hz. A piano keyboard goes from 27.5 Hz to just 4186 Hz.

Club subwoofers and Dolby theater setups may go below 20Hz to shake the floor, but I don't think you have to worry about what you can't hear. My ATH-R70X claim 5-40,000 Hz but they sound fine with my Schiit Magni 3+. A lot of audio equipment uses the 20-20,000 Hz spec automatically, because that's the industry standard.

You can test your own playback (and hearing) with this fun site.
https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

 

[pk4425]

I posted earlier about issue with grado gw100 sounding very different on my phone and pc and have decided to keep looking while I try these a little more. I am liking the open sound, and plan to use them at home, which is where I work. So difficult to really try headphones so trying to get it (close to) right when I order.

After doing some research online, I came across the Hifiman Sundara, which look promising and are within the price range. But I'm seeing some reviews that say they don't really have much of any bass. Unlike the grado's, which are wired or wireless, I am okay with just wired now. I will probably start by using my phone as the main source; may also connect to PC and would consider buying an inexpensive desktop DAC as well. That's probably the extent as far as high end audio investment.

I listen to music across the spectrum in multiple languages. I do like bass of modern music but I am after listening to the grados, which have less bass than closed backs, I am good with the gain in fidelity on the lower end. Not okay if bass isn't there though. Also prefer a detachable cable (3.5). I want them to be lightweight (under 1lb) and not to squeeze my head too tight. Not a musician, not mixing, not a true audiophile; looking for something a consumer would like.

I suppose if anyone can speak on the sundara's that would be great. Any other suggestions given the parameters would be awesome too.

HiFiMan HE-400se. $129 on sale. Fantastic entry-level planars that punch WAY above their weight.

Sennheiser HD 6xx. $220. Legendary for a reason. Smooth, easy listen. Not a ton of detail up top, but fantastic mids.

Both of these cans need an amp to reach their peak.

 

[Congregator]

+ for Schiit for Hifiman setup

 

[droopdog7]

Thought I would give a quick update. As I mentioned, I ordered the Sundaras and also ended up ordering the Fidelio’s X2 to have something less expensive and seemingly different to compare. Both were open box like new but I save about $85. Sweet.

Would you believe that both appear to be lost? One was supposed to get here Sunday, the other on Monday. Both were being delivered to a nearby Amazon Fresh store so I wonder what that’s all about. Kinda crazy.

 

[silent-circuit]

Thought I would give a quick update. As I mentioned, I ordered the Sundaras and also ended up ordering the Fidelio’s X2 to have something less expensive and seemingly different to compare. Both were open box like new but I save about $85. Sweet.

Would you believe that both appear to be lost? One was supposed to get here Sunday, the other on Monday. Both were being delivered to a nearby Amazon Fresh store so I wonder what that’s all about. Kinda crazy.

Oof. Hopefully they show up soon. Shipping issues this time of year are sadly the norm.

 

[droopdog7]

So I received the Fidelio's and a Schiit Magni amp last night and have been listening for a couple of hours. As I may have mentioned, I plan on using either a PC or my iPhone as the primary source. Here are my scattered impressions thus far.

• the Fidelio's are bassy as heck; not in a bad way as I enjoy bass but surprising considering they are open back. These don't seem like the critical listening type
• my iphone is no match for these headphones; at 50% they are barely audible; at 100% I can hear them but there is no oomf.
• the PC seems to have no issues driving the headphones; this is where the bass comment comes from!
• I hooked up the schiit and connected to PC and iphone comparing the sound
  • my first impression is that I don't really need an amp if I'm going to be using the PC as primary source; sure, I get a big boost on high gain, but I don't need it; the amp doesn't seem to change the sound in any way
  • I would need the amp for the iphone and I do note a less bassy sound using it (compared to the PC). The schiit needs to be set to high gain and I'm trying to determine whether I like it better or not? The musical details are definitely jumping out more and that's definitely interesting to me
  • I can already see the purpose of a dac; I imagine if I had one, it would have it's own sound signature. I wonder if it would be closer to the PC or the iPhone? I guess I wouldn't know until I tried one.

The Sundara's, having been lost in outer space somewhere, have been reordered and will arrive (hopefully) next week. I ended up ordering an acceptable pair for $260 something, so not bad. Looking forward to trying them to see how they sound and how they might change the dymanic above.

 

[dilbertprogrammer]

So I received the Fidelio's and a Schiit Magni amp last night and have been listening for a couple of hours. As I may have mentioned, I plan on using either a PC or my iPhone as the primary source. Here are my scattered impressions thus far.

• the Fidelio's are bassy as heck; not in a bad way as I enjoy bass but surprising considering they are open back. These don't seem like the critical listening type
• my iphone is no match for these headphones; at 50% they are barely audible; at 100% I can hear them but there is no oomf.
• the PC seems to have no issues driving the headphones; this is where the bass comment comes from!
• I hooked up the schiit and connected to PC and iphone comparing the sound
  • my first impression is that I don't really need an amp if I'm going to be using the PC as primary source; sure, I get a big boost on high gain, but I don't need it; the amp doesn't seem to change the sound in any way
  • I would need the amp for the iphone and I do note a less bassy sound using it (compared to the PC). The schiit needs to be set to high gain and I'm trying to determine whether I like it better or not? The musical details are definitely jumping out more and that's definitely interesting to me
  • I can already see the purpose of a dac; I imagine if I had one, it would have it's own sound signature. I wonder if it would be closer to the PC or the iPhone? I guess I wouldn't know until I tried one.

The Sundara's, having been lost in outer space somewhere, have been reordered and will arrive (hopefully) next week. I ended up ordering an acceptable pair for $260 something, so not bad. Looking forward to trying them to see how they sound and how they might change the dymanic above.

I think you'll enjoy the Sundaras. I commonly recommend them to folks shopping in at this price point. Look forward to hearing your impressions!