[robertbratosin]

I guess when i saw you put the source quality at only 10℅ I found it difficult to swallow what you meant.

Source ,files,dac and amp are almost 50,60% of the final sound quality , a 100 dollars headphone with high quality source,files.dac and amp will sound better than a 4000 dollars heaphone hooked up to an iphone

 

[Muinarc]

Source ,files,dac and amp are almost 50,60% of the final sound quality , a 100 dollars headphone with high quality source,files.dac and amp will sound better than a 4000 dollars heaphone hooked up to an iphone

 
I haven't found that kind of ratio to be remotely true. Focal Utopia sound pretty good out of a phone.

 

[Mirakoolz]

Quote:

Source ,files,dac and amp are almost 50,60% of the final sound quality , a 100 dollars headphone with high quality source,files.dac and amp will sound better than a 4000 dollars heaphone hooked up to an iphone

 

   
I haven't found that kind of ratio to be remotely true. Focal Utopia sound pretty good out of a phone.

 
Associating fidelity with cost is not the best way to think about this. the way you Feel however is up to you
 
for me, the ratio is
- songs i enjoy
- gear that i own that works as it should
- 90% Mood. i can tolerate crap when im in a positive mood

 

[BarDash]

Source ,files,dac and amp are almost 50,60% of the final sound quality , a 100 dollars headphone with high quality source,files.dac and amp will sound better than a 4000 dollars heaphone hooked up to an iphone

 
 

   
I haven't found that kind of ratio to be remotely true. Focal Utopia sound pretty good out of a phone.

 
 

 

IMHO, the breakdown of sound quality percentages for listening. This assumes good quality equipment.
 
source quality: 10%
cables: 1% (Monoprice cables or better)
Power Supplies: 1%
DAC: 3%
Amp: 3% (includes the benefits of balanced vs SE)
Headphone cable: 2%
Headphones: 80% *
 
* pads can make a significant difference
 
Obviously YMMV, except for very well trained and sensitive ears (youth helps), this is probably true. True audiophiles are always trying to squeeze that last 1% or less out of their system. We always head about the law of diminishing returns, and it it absolutely true. It's early easy to get to the 95% level with 500$US headphones and $500US of electronics. 
 
The said, the Jodie does seem to power some of my harder to drive headphones well, like the Ether C and the HD800. I haven't tried the T1 as I loaned it to ColtMrFire, but I'll get it back too. I still need to more comparison listening to draw conclusions, though, but initial impressions are unless you need more power to

drive hard to drive headphones, benefits are minimal if you already have a good amp. I will also compare it to my iCan Nano, and I might bring home my 1st get Magni, but that is a lot of wiring headache. 

With the understanding that most of Head Fi offers subjective opinions It's difficult for me to understand why or how you can post "sound quality percentages for listening" which is probably one of the most subjective things anyone would post. Just because it's pre-faced with IMHO or IMO doesn't mean it's any less opinionated, and almost impossible to determine IMHO
Also for beginners I totally disagree with amps are only 3% of the equation and are equal to the DACs in SQ percentage.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  With the understanding that most of Head Fi offers subjective opinions It's difficult for me to understand why or how you can post "sound quality percentages for listening" which is probably one of the most subjective things anyone would post. Just because it's pre-faced with IMHO or IMO doesn't mean it's any less opinionated, and almost impossible to determine IMHO
Also for beginners I totally disagree with amps are only 3% of the equation and are equal to the DACs in SQ percentage.

 
 
Sorry, you are right. From now on we ONLY post facts that can be checked. No more opinions, please.

 

[Muinarc]

   
 
 
 
With the understanding that most of Head Fi offers subjective opinions It's difficult for me to understand why or how you can post "sound quality percentages for listening" which is probably one of the most subjective things anyone would post. Just because it's pre-faced with IMHO or IMO doesn't mean it's any less opinionated, and almost impossible to determine IMHO
Also for beginners I totally disagree with amps are only 3% of the equation and are equal to the DACs in SQ percentage.

​You just need to follow the distortion. Headphones have the highest distortion, they vary the most from model to model. Amps next, especially tube amps. A good DAC should have insanely low distortion by comparison. Sure some have better filters and that does make a difference as does the analog output stage in the dac. It's still a lot less of an influence on what you hear than the amp. If you want to subscribe to cables they would be the next in line....... That's just gear, Of course some arguments can be made about component symmetry in there yada yada.
 
The recording matters a lot, as does the mood of the listener.

 

[BarDash]

   
 
Sorry, you are right. From now on we ONLY post facts that can be checked. No more opinions, please.

Not my point, but take from it what you will...

 

[Delayeed]

 
​You just need to follow the distortion. Headphones have the highest distortion, they vary the most from model to model. Amps next, especially tube amps. A good DAC should have insanely low distortion by comparison. Sure some have better filters and that does make a difference as does the analog output stage in the dac. It's still a lot less of an influence on what you hear than the amp. If you want to subscribe to cables they would be the next in line....... That's just gear, Of course some arguments can be made about component symmetry in there yada yada.
 
The recording matters a lot, as does the mood of the listener.

Distortion isn't a big deal. We are talking about 0.001% like THD values here, also well implemented tube amps can measure even better than "decent "solid state ones. Anyway I agree. Headphones > Amp > DAC >>> Interconnects. Synergy is above all though since you could have the best measuring setup and be fatigued after a few tracks or a setup that doesn't look insanely amazing on paper but in real life allows more detail through with less fatigue.

 

[KG Jag]

The weakest link will always limit, if not drag down, an audio chain.
 
Beyond that it's how the various parts of that chain work (or fail to work) together.

 

[BarDash]

  The weakest link will always limit, if not drag down, an audio chain.
 
Beyond that it's how the various parts of that chain work (or fail to work) together.

Well said!

 

[Kcharng]

   
What do you mean by "USB 1.03 version" ?  Where did you get it from?
If you refer to the USB Gen3 driver (for Yggy) - then I already gave it a try (see my original post) with same results as Gen2 driver...  If that is a different one - please oh please share the link with me  

 
here is the link from Schiit website. 
http://schiit.com/public/upload/drivers/Schiit_USB_1_03.zip
 
This version should work fine. 

 

[Kcharng]

  Any comparison Jot+DAC with the Grace Design m9XX? We are talking of the same price.
 
More Power and balanced outputs Vs a better DAC?

 
They both sound pretty much the same to my ear, as with any reasonable quality amp/dac.
 
Main factors are Grace have more features while Jotunheim have more power to drive a wider variety of headphone. 
 
Other than that it will be boil down to design and mobility. 
 
The convenience of grace size and USB power will allows you to be more mobile. But Jotunheim build-in transformer is pretty convenient too. 

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I always find assigning percentages to how much each component affects the final sound silly; I think of SQ as a series of bottlenecks between the recording studio and my ears. The A/D converter in the studio, the resolution of the digital file, the DAC, the amp, the transducers. Focus your dollars on your bottleneck. If you have the analog out of Tidal on your iPhone (6 series or earlier, lol!) going into BHSE and SR009, you should probably look at upgrading the DAC. Even though transducers might account for a bigger "percentage" of the overall sound, sticking your aux jack into the Orpheus Successor, while hilarious, will not move the needle so much even as upgrading to Mimby, never mind Yggy, despite the "DAC percentage" accounting for rather little of the usual "total."

 

[chenszhanx]

My coworker bought M9xx and I bought Jot(DAC module)
 
M9XX with stock cable and normal power source at office
Jot printer cable  and stock power cable plug at office  
 
M9XX has blacker background 
but  insufficient power to push Q701 and MDR-Z7(compared with Jot)
 
 
Jot has no background noise  when max volume with IEMs,but M9XX has blacker background and cleaner sound.
Jot slightly stronger bass and mid.
 
They are both very good stuff.
 
We think M9XX need a amp to power full-size headphones.
 
Jot need more work on usb decrapify or buy another DAC.

 

[zeissiez]

Sometimes it's more than fixing the technical bottleneck. Many find the HD800 with the Manley Neo Classic 300B a match, as this amp rounds down the edginess in the sound of the HD800.