[-Daan-]

Hi,

I'm planning to upgrade my crappy audio setup. So I'm considering buying a nuforce udac I can use with my senn hd 25-1 ii, and my laptop as source.

Some questions:

- Besides delivering a cleaner sound than my laptop onboard audio , will this improve the sound? This thing has a built in amp right?

- How well do hd 25's scale with amps in general?

- Will I need some sort of drivers(software) on my computer for this dac to run, this is important because I'm a linux user, and the drivers need to be compatible.

- Is it worth its money or should I buy something more expensive but with alot more improvement?

Thx in advance,

Greets Daan

 

[Head_case]

Quote:

- How well do hd 25's scale with amps in general?

I use the same HD25 Mark IIs, unamped through a mini-disc and ipod, as well as amp'd through a Musical Fidelity X-Cans v2 and VDL cables.

There is a substantial character shift once the HD25 MarkIIs are amplified regardless of the quality of source. Amping these great headphones will drive the resolution further and pick up incredibly analytical detail in the mid-range that I didn't notice before. The mid-range flexes more freely and the bass is exceptionally taut and pounces deftly.

The volume drive is very fluid and you'll definitely hear a shift in quality with the amp. My only reservation with the Musical Fidelity X-Can v2 (which I treat as a portable amp, because it rolls away neatly into my motorcycle rucksack) is that there is always a background veiling hiss at the upper frequencies. Sometimes listening to the HD25 Mark IIs unamped, is a pleasure because this is absent. It's still a pleasure to listen to music with the hiss.

As for true portable amps - I only have a Fiio E5 at the moment. I'm yearning for a TTVJ portable tube head amp to fill me in the time being though. I can't say whether a (true) portable headphone amp is worth it or not. I'd say my Musical Fidelity X-Cans v2 is worth it, but most people will say they aren't supposed to be portable, wot with the need for 240V and a mains current for its power source...

Can't help you out with the DAC front. Wouldn't be worth your while getting an integrated USB Dac with a porty headphone amp together? Or just ditch your current soundcard for an upgrade?

 

[-Daan-]

Well it actually doesn't have to be portable..
But what you're saying is that it would be better to buy an amp and a dac seperately?

Greets Daan

EDIT: Does anybody have other dac/amp recommendations for my senn hd25 besides nuforce udac? Max € 150.

 

[Head_case]

I prefer separate amps/dacs - maybe it's just a Musical Fidelity thing about isolating currents and separates, so that there's no interference. S'pose I think the amp makes more of a difference to my HD25s, than the DAC side of things, but if you listen to music through your computer, a USB DAC would be a significant upgrade.

There's a Headamp DAC for sale here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs...ropped-457471/

That would fit your budget for a DAC only

Everyone else seems to like the Little Dot amps (portable) which come into your price range...

 

[-Daan-]

Hm, that's too much money for me, I'm still a student .
Anybody else have any recommendations for a seperate dac/amp solution? In total for max €200.

Greets Daan

 

[Head_case]

Why don't you ask this guy nicely:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs-bantam-dac-461447/

Some of the USA Head-Fi'ers will ship to the UK. Unless they live in Arizona and the nearest post office is about 2 hours drive and the post office master has never managed to understand how to send a parcel abroad

Anyhooo. You could combine the Bantam DAC with a cheap Musical Fidelity X-Cans v1 (less than £100) and fall into your budget....

I don't really know other non-headphone porty amps. I'm more of a Musical Fidelity user....