Niroc
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2016
- Posts
- 38
- Likes
- 15
Hi everyone.
With modern phones predominantly excluding a 3.5mm headphone jack, a lot of us who can’t be F’d carrying around an extra device, or an amp/dac that doubles our carry load, are looking for a HIGHLY portable, simple, and easy option to power our HiFi grade headphones. Just a little extra juice and some good processing to bring expensive headphones up to scratch (generally lower impedance).
This is designed to be iPhone-centric, but may aid all looking for this kind of solution.
Please add any suggestions you can think of!
With that said, I have created a list of amps (most with dac) that wouldn’t be a pain in the ass to keep with your headphones in your pocket.
I’ve included some short notes about each: size (s) from 1 to 3 (1 being smallest); r (review) being the general favour of the amp according to most sites (1 to 5 with 5 being lauded); the common remarks about the amp; and how much it approximately costs (au = Australia dollar, us = USA).
Fiio K1: s2, r3, mild amplification but lacks soundstage and width. $60au
Fiio i1: s1, r3.5. Ok reviews, with decent dac sound-signature but not providing much amplification, smallest option. $60au
Cozoy rei: s3, r4.5. wide soundstage and very well priced. $550us
WRS Calyx PaT: s2.5, r4. Ok amp, good dac, and very well priced.$99us.
Ultrasone NAOS: s2, r3. Not many reviews, but decent word of mouth, smallest s2 on list, comes with cables and carry case. $299au
Cozoy Takt pro: s1.5, r4. Well reviewed for value and sound, amplification 1.5v at 32ohm, very sleek design. $160us
HRT dSp s1.5, r4. Well reviewed for value and sound well above price, could have better build quality/finish, some people reported unusual background noise. $150au
Audioquest Dragonfly (Black & Red). S2, r5. Very well known and regarded dac/amp with multiple generations, but needs to be connected via Apple lightning to USB dongle (recommended camera connector) which ads bulk etc. $140au, $275au
I’ve excluded a number of amps that a) were just a tad too big, b) had bad reviews, or c) weren’t reviewed or well known.
This is my first post as a thread starter of this kind, so if I’ve messed anything up, please be kind!
Cheers!
With modern phones predominantly excluding a 3.5mm headphone jack, a lot of us who can’t be F’d carrying around an extra device, or an amp/dac that doubles our carry load, are looking for a HIGHLY portable, simple, and easy option to power our HiFi grade headphones. Just a little extra juice and some good processing to bring expensive headphones up to scratch (generally lower impedance).
This is designed to be iPhone-centric, but may aid all looking for this kind of solution.
Please add any suggestions you can think of!
With that said, I have created a list of amps (most with dac) that wouldn’t be a pain in the ass to keep with your headphones in your pocket.
I’ve included some short notes about each: size (s) from 1 to 3 (1 being smallest); r (review) being the general favour of the amp according to most sites (1 to 5 with 5 being lauded); the common remarks about the amp; and how much it approximately costs (au = Australia dollar, us = USA).
Fiio K1: s2, r3, mild amplification but lacks soundstage and width. $60au
Fiio i1: s1, r3.5. Ok reviews, with decent dac sound-signature but not providing much amplification, smallest option. $60au
Cozoy rei: s3, r4.5. wide soundstage and very well priced. $550us
WRS Calyx PaT: s2.5, r4. Ok amp, good dac, and very well priced.$99us.
Ultrasone NAOS: s2, r3. Not many reviews, but decent word of mouth, smallest s2 on list, comes with cables and carry case. $299au
Cozoy Takt pro: s1.5, r4. Well reviewed for value and sound, amplification 1.5v at 32ohm, very sleek design. $160us
HRT dSp s1.5, r4. Well reviewed for value and sound well above price, could have better build quality/finish, some people reported unusual background noise. $150au
Audioquest Dragonfly (Black & Red). S2, r5. Very well known and regarded dac/amp with multiple generations, but needs to be connected via Apple lightning to USB dongle (recommended camera connector) which ads bulk etc. $140au, $275au
I’ve excluded a number of amps that a) were just a tad too big, b) had bad reviews, or c) weren’t reviewed or well known.
This is my first post as a thread starter of this kind, so if I’ve messed anything up, please be kind!
Cheers!
