[PhreshNEss99]

Hello everyone,
 
Let me just start off by saying that I am not in any way an audiophile...I'd like to be, but I simply dont have the fundings and my parents don't like to spoil me.
 
Anyways, I just ordered the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones and here and there I read that my mobile phone(SE Vivaz Pro) won't be able to the most out of my Hd 598's. So now I want to buy either a DAC or a Headphone amp but I have no idea if a DAC can help my phone power the headphones or if that's really something that only an amp can do. If DAC's can ''power'' phones, then I will most likely be looking at the option of the Fiio D5 or D3, and it's about these that I have a two questions:
 
- Which one would be better to use with my phone?
- Which one provides better quality?
 
Also, my budget is around 20 - 60 euro's and I'm not really looking for anything that's more expensive than that. I can always upgrade in the future.
 
Peace!
 
P.s. I'm sorry if the noob level on this question surpasses the 100.

 

[DTKZ]

I guess I'll take a stab at this. First, read my post here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/594393/which-of-these-will-most-improve-the-sound-through-my-hd595s-through-computer-dac-or-dac-amp#post_8124497
 
Now that you're hopefully more enlightened about DACs and amps, I'll address a few details specific to your case. Firstly, I very much doubt that your phone has any digital or analogue line-outs. The D3 only accepts digital coaxial and optical inputs which means it's out. The D5 only accepts inputs via usb and so it's out as well. Yes, your phone might have a micro or mini usb port, however, that does not automatically mean it's capable of outputting digital line-out. The other thing to bear in mind is that both of them require a usb port or adaptor for power and they're not meant to be used without a computer or power point nearby.
 
If you find that you need more volume out of the headphones, I guess you could hook up something like a Fiio E11 or other amp to the headphone out on your phone. Bear in mind though, that what you're doing in this case is feeding an amp into another one, which is usually a no-no if your concern is sound quality. The idea behind external DACs and amps are to bypass the usually inferior built-in ones, so feeding the headphone out of your phone into an external one sort of defeats the purpose of having an external one in the first place. There are some cheap amps that are built with this sort of purpose in mind, but again, remember that in these cases, they're more for volume considerations than sound improvement. In all honesty, the full potential of the HD598s will probably be wasted in this case.
 
Finally, do try reading up on the differences between open and closed headphones. Something tells me you're planning to use the HD598 as a portable which is probably not a good idea.

 

[PhreshNEss99]

Okay thanks a lot for the info!
 
I do know that the Sennheiser HD598's will leak plenty of sound and will let plenty of it in, but that's one of the reasons that
I decided to go with them. When I wear closed earphones, I get really suspicious and I keep taking 
my headphones off to hear if anyone (like my mom from downstairs) is saying anything. I like all my senses to be available
and active at all times so to say.
 
Also, the only times that I'll be using these outside is when I do my paper round(lol) or when I'm 
cycling to school and it those cases, there won't be many people around to hear my music and once again,
I wouldn't be comfortable walking outside, not being able to hear properly.
 
But anyways, thanks a lot for your effort and wonderful input, I know with which I'm going
to go now(fiio e6) and this is mainly because I read that the large adapter that comes with the HD598's puts
a lot of pressure on your phone's headphone socket, causing it to become damaged. Hence the headphone amp.
 
Cheers!