[Psythik]

EDIT: Forget about BT; I found an easier solution (see post #3).

Been using a FiiO e6 for the better part of a decade, and while it has fulfilled my needs up until this point, I'm not so certain that it'll be enough to properly power the E-XS I just bought.

Assuming my intuition is correct, I probably need a new amp. Some things to consider:

• Primary use: PC gaming and music listening on my PC in the den. I already have a DAC that I like with a 2.5mm unbalanced output, and I have no plans on getting rid of it anytime soon. So I don't want to pay any unnecessary expense on an amp that has one built-in.
• Secondary use: Movie watching on the living room TV. I don't want to run a cable across the living room for the wife to trip over, which is why I'm looking for an amp that also has a Bluetooth input (and has all the fancy codecs, of course: LDAC, AptX HD, and whatnot edit: Nevermind. According to my TV's spec sheet, it only supports AD2P. Probably should've checked for this before posting).
• Tertiary use: watching videos on my phone in bed (rarely, can do without since I have IEMs for bedtime viewing).

• I'm not sensitive at all to bass, so I need something with a powerful bass boost that can compensate for the fact that I bought open-back planar magnetics (cause even though I'm a basshead, I'm willing to sacrifice low end for a better soundstage). An amp with a multiband EQ built-in would be even better (more than 12 bands), but I doubt such a thing exists in my price range. For reference, using my FiiO e6 in the red (most boosted) setting, it still isn't enough, so I have to boost 32Hz and 63Hz by an additional 8 and 6dB respectively in my DAC, to get enough bass that would give me a sound that I would call "neutral". I also use a seat shaker to add much needed sub-bass. For reference, my current headphones are Superlux HD 681 (BTW they are garbage, distant-sounding cans with a very closed, left-right sound stage, that need to be EQed heavily to tame the harsh mid-treble; I don't know why they're praised so much... You get what you pay for).
• Needs to be powerful enough to easily handle the E-XS.
• Balanced output would be nice since I've heard that th E-XS performs the best with balanced cables. Not sure if this is necessary or not...
• Tube amplification would also be nice but I don't expect anything other than solid state, given my budget.
• Budget: I can go as high as $200 but would like to keep the price under $100 if at all possible.

Thank you in advance for the suggestions.

EDIT: I've been looking at the FiiO BTR5 but I'm not sure sure if it meets all my requirements. I can't find a definitive answer on whether it actually accepts a 2.5mm unbalanced input, or if it can only receive a signal via BT or USB-C. Also I'm not sure if it has a bass boost or if it can even provide enough power output. ChatGPT claims that it meets all my needs, but the AI will straight up lie to your face sometimes unless you call it out on the lie, so I want a human to confirm to be certain.

 

[Psythik]

Did some more research and apparently I need 64mW of power @ 1v RMS to hit 110dB. Looks like my current amp is rated for 100mW at 32 ohms. So can I expect 50mW at 16 ohms (what the E-XS is rated for)? Can the e6 even handle 16 ohms? If it can, I might just stick with what I have, but it seems to be just barely enough. Also doesn't solve my issue of wanting an amp that can accept a BT signal from the TV; I may just buy a separate device just for living room viewing.

Speaking of separate devices, I'm having a hell of a time trying to find an amp that meets all my needs, so I may just buy a separate EQ as well, but then at that point, I'll have to haul multiple devices to the living room just to watch TV (EQ and amp; BT to analog converter can stay in the living room), and I seriously doubt that I'll be able to stay under even $300 at that point.

Hopefully someone can show up to the thread soon and provide some insight; I don't know how popular these forums still are, but I was planning on making a purchase tonight.

 

[Psythik]

Alright, forget the Bluetooth functionality. I found this thread, but none of the products shown on it (that I was considering buying) can be found on Amazon. So I just bought this instead. Figured it was pointless to spend too much on a BT transciever since my TV can't output any HD codecs regardless, and 90% of the time my headphones will be used on my PC only anyway. Hopefully it'll get the job done well enough. I suppose I could use the TV's analog output and buy a transmitter with the proper codes, but I'm already investing more into this project than I initially planned; originally I was going to just spend $120 on X2HRs and call it a day! But I was sold on the E-XSes and once you start stepping into audiophile territory, it's easy to go overboard.

So now I just need a proper amp with an EQ/bass boost.

Also this thread is starting to feel more like a blog post. Oh well...

EDIT: All this shopping around is getting tiring (and the lack of replies disheartening). I think I'm just going to buy whatever amp and just use the e6 as a pre-amp (so I can still have bass boost). I've done this before in the past to great success.

 

[Psythik]

So I canceled the transmitter order and just bought this hybrid amp instead:

Fosi Audio T20

I'm wary of my purchase cause I've bought a Fosi Audio product before it was absolutely disappointed by it (they straight up lied about the power output), but I said "**** it" and ordered anyway cause I can easily return it if it sucks. I wanted a FiiO A3 but couldn't find any in stock on Amazon. I also considered an XDUOO XD-05 so if this Fosi amp sucks as much as my last one did, I will return it and get the XDUOO instead.

Wish me luck, and shoutout to the 80 or so people who viewed this thread but couldn't be bothered to reply.

EDIT: Scratch that; turns out this thing isn't even designed for headphones. (Shoud've read the reviews that pointed out the low power output of the headphone jack.) Damnit, I knew it sounded too good to be true. Fool me twice Fosi; never again...

Canceled my order and picked up the XDUOO instead:

Seems to have what I'm looking for. However, some people like how it colors the sound, while others hate it. We shall see.

Also this means that I have to re-order that stupid BT transmitter again...

 

[Psythik]

Can someone please reply to this thread? It's been two days now.

The XDUOO amp is absolute GARBAGE. It puts out less power than my FiiO e6 and I can't turn it up more than halfway without a bunch of noise in the signal. What an overpriced joke of an amp this is.

Some replies would be greatly appreciated cause it's obvious that I don't know what the **** to actually buy that doesn't suck.

 

[Psythik]

I've given up on the separate amp/DAC idea, cause I'm finding it almost impossible to find a decent HP amp in my price range that isn't also a USB DAC.

What the hell happened to headphone amps, anyway? Why does almost every amp these days also have a DAC built-in? And why is everything USB-C & BT now? 10 years ago this wasn't an issue. There were lots of amps available that accepted a simple 3.5mm input and didn't have any extra bull included.

Since nobody wants to help me, looks like I'm on my own. I'm returning the XDUOO and giving Creative a second chance, despite the fact that I've been let down by their sound cards in the past. I'm giving the G6 a try. It has some features that would be useful for gaming (if not a little gimmicky), so if I have to give up on using my old sound card/DAC, at least I won't lose any of the desired features that it has (cause the G6 has similar gimmicks). Moreover it's hard to ignore the rave reviews for the thing on both this website and elsewhere.

As for the bass boost, I suppose I could always just use my old e6 in-tandem with my FiiO amp, right? (Effectively turning the G6 into a preamp, but still using the G6 to control volume.) I've done this before with my DJ mixer to great success (but with headphones that weren't difficult to drive; IDK if that even matters). Someone please let me know if this is a bad idea.