[razo]

I am thinking of using the E7 amp/dac with the Cowan J3. Would I be able to take advantage of the DAC with J3? I dont know if the J3 has a dedicated line out. I hope im asking the right questions here since I only recently discovered the world of quality music. The idea is to build a portable rig capable of holding lossless files along with a portable amp. Im not sure how much I would benefit from a DAC system but from what Ive read so far the E7 looks like a good choice. 
 
Thanks!

 

[LevA]

a few notes on your path to portable setup...
DAC (digital to analogue conversion) will not be possible with any portable players unless they have optical or usb out (such as old irivers), allowing digital data to be exported. however the Amp section can be utilized, though as far as I know j3 has no dedicated line out, meaning you will be double amping with the E7. 
I have read the headphone out of J3 is very clean so that might not be a major problem if you dcide to double amp, though someone who has first hand experience might give you better informed opinions on that matter...also, a lot of people here use superlatives when it comes to J3's internal amp and its Equalizer software, so it might be the case that J3 really doesn't need amping at all. 
 
DAC is useful for sources that you get can digital out such as computers through USB, optical etc. 
so for only portable use it might be better to look for amp only, unless you plan on using it with your computer.
 
hope this helps..
 
***Edit :  dedicated line out means that the player bypasses the amp section, but still uses its own DAC chip to convert digital to analogue.

 

[razo]

Thanks that was very useful 

 So any player that has a dedicated line out wont "double amp" when used with a amp? 

 

[LevA]

Quote:

Thanks that was very useful 

 So any player that has a dedicated line out wont "double amp" when used with a amp? 

thats right. 

 

[BotByte]

You don't need a amp with the J3
 
Unless your headphones are extremely under powered
 
I used a j3, and buying one in the next week or so for my Sr80is and it pushes them better then my zune
 
I don't know what headphones your using so I can't tell you if you need a amp or not
Truthfully, any headphones to the j3 will not need a amp, unless your a extreme audiophile, but your buying a fii0, so your not I take it
 
Tell me your headphones your using, and post them in your profile for future notice