[wojo]

Starting to step it up a notch on my hifi journey and looking to acquire the rest of the cans in the title. I have an O2/ODAC clone on order for a desktop amp, but am looking for recommendations for something a little more portable that will drive the above (or most of it) sufficiently. Ideally something I can pocket, if possible. The O2 has batteries so is fine to move around in the house perhaps, but ideally something smaller and more portable would be nice.
 
I briefly looked at Fiio E17s, but then thought it would just be good to ask the folks on here for some guidance.
 
Thanks for the help!

 

[billybob_jcv]

Even though the HE500 are not high impedance, they are notoriously inefficient and hard to drive (not as hard as the HE-6, but what is?) You need some power. I would probably be looking at one of the amps from Ray Samuels Audio or maybe iFi Audio.

 

[wojo]

Even though the HE500 are not high impedance, they are notoriously inefficient and hard to drive (not as hard as the HE-6, but what is?) You need some power. I would probably be looking at one of the amps from Ray Samuels Audio or maybe iFi Audio.

 
Noted. I'll check them out! Any specific models that you could say I should target for reviewing?

 

[Za Warudo]

Both the Cayin C5 and the E12/E12DIY should have enough juice to power those headphones.  I own the the C5 and it drives my HE560 quite easily.  I owned the E12 but returned it due to high noise floor on easy to drive headphones.

 

[wojo]

I'm looking at the C5 or C5D as it has a built in DAC. Would make a great small combo with an iPhone (or even laptop on the go).

 

[Solrighal]

I'm not sure what your source is but I get great results with my Fiio E18.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Is there any portable amp that does well with the T1? It's efficient but still at 600ohms that's a high impedance load that the amp would have to hurdle. 

 

[mikey1964]

I have a Beyer DT990/600 ohms, an LCD2.2 and a MrSpeakers Alpha Dog (amongst others) and I use an iFi Micro iDSD to drive them, So far, the DT990/600 proved to be the hardest to drive, but still, the iDSD drove it with ease. 

 

[maricius]

I'd nominate the iFi Micro iDSD but that would IMO render your ODAC/O2 setup kind of useless… or maybe iDSD's DAC to O2 amp? Anyways, I doubt the Micro iDSD can fit your pocket.
 
For power and relatively pocketable, I suggest the Cayin C5, the Fiio E12, or if your budget allows, the RSA Intruder. 

 

[wojo]

It looks like once you get into the planars (HE-500, HD-560, LCDs) that it takes too much to go portable without spending at least $200+ or sacrificing quality. Hmm.
 
Perhaps I'll just focus on portable driving of dynamics for now. In that case the Cayin C5, JDS C5/C5D seem like good options.

 

[brandonlyz]

I personally would go with the ican nano. 

 

[parkman]

I use a Micro iDSD with my LCD-X. Honestly, it sounds straight up glorious. I know you're looking at the $200 ish mark, but I almost think the versatility alone that the iDSD has justifies the price, and when you add the sound quality.. MAN. One of my most satisfying purchases, because I can really appreciate the differences over my iPhone and FiiO X3. It's funny though, as the LCD-X sounds pretty good just from the iPhone, and even better on an X3, but when you plug her into the iDSD, she sings. Plus, it has power for anything and everything.
Just thought I'd share my experience with ya!

 

[parkman]

Oh, and the FiiO E17 sounds pretty nice too. Much, much warmer however, but I like it. Felt like it was a good combo with the LCD-X. Oh! Almost forgot, the X bass feature on the iDSD cannot be overstated. That feature, is SO cool. If ever, you're lacking bass when using any headphone, just a flip of the switch and boom! More low end bass. No distortion, just bass. Love it.

 

[Youth]

  It looks like once you get into the planars (HE-500, HD-560, LCDs) that it takes too much to go portable without spending at least $200+ or sacrificing quality. Hmm.
 
Perhaps I'll just focus on portable driving of dynamics for now. In that case the Cayin C5, JDS C5/C5D seem like good options.

 
I've read good stuff about those two Seems like a solid pick.

 

[wojo]

Oh, and the FiiO E17 sounds pretty nice too. Much, much warmer however, but I like it. Felt like it was a good combo with the LCD-X. Oh! Almost forgot, the X bass feature on the iDSD cannot be overstated. That feature, is SO cool. If ever, you're lacking bass when using any headphone, just a flip of the switch and boom! More low end bass. No distortion, just bass. Love it.

 
I'm looking at the iDSD right now actually. Did a demo locally and it is a great little device, just not the cheapest at $499.
 
I can't believe I didn't flip the X Bass or the 3D switch, though. Oops.