[estreeter]

Tell me about it - first pair of decent headphones I bought was the K601. Anyone who wants to take 'hard-to-drive' headphones needs to slap a pair of these on their heads.

 

[brasewel]

Quote:

Ear Candies : i might have to consider this deal thanks, however i still have to decide what i actually want to get first, by then the deal would probably be long gone
 
 
 
Brasewel: Whats the pricing on these 'Little Dot MK II etc'? Are they better than all the listed?
 
 

http://www.audiophilechina.com/products1.asp?S_id2=2&s_id=24
 
There you go. The K701 pairs very well with tubes. Down the line you can upgrade to the WooAudio WA6 or WA6SE. Ask Sphinx for his impressions on the WA6 paired with the K701.
Sound is relative so there no amp that's "better" than the other unless you start paying a lot more.
 
 

 

[brendon]

The FiiO E9 is a very capable neutral amp and IMO will do justice to your K701s.
 
However the K701 is on the brighter side of neutral and IMO a tube amp would be a better match to mellow down the highs a bit and smoothen out the sound.
 
I heard it with a Maverick A1 tube amp and the sound was amazing for a budget amp.
 
The Maverick will set you back by around $199 + shipping.
 
http://www.mav-audio.com/base/product/tube_magic_a1

 

[grokit]

Schiit Lyr. It has tubes, it's considered inexpensive for what it does, and it's absolutely perfect for the K701.

 

 

[ZoaKaizer]

I have K 702  ^__^ v
 
My friend jus bought ibasso d12 for his Ultrasone 750, but he said it may not enough for 702, although he never tried 702 before.
I had read threads in this forum about portable amps for 701/2, but I still find ambiguity for the conclusion.
 
 
I currently looking at some ibassos and  fiio e7+e9 (the dock mode will make them better than e9 alone right ?)
 
I read from the 56 portable amps thread that ibasso D4 or toucan  is good, and may be used for 701/2, but since the thread is quite old, and now D12 is already released, is the newer D12 supposed to be better than D4 mamba which is older ibasso ?
 
My budget us up to US$300 and e9 is the biggest (in size)  one I can go. For me, e9 is portable because its small enough to be carried easilly from my house to my work place ^__^ v
 
Yes I know its hard to drive and it will be better with bigger amps instead of portable, I have my reasons to use the portable ones.
 
So, whats your suggestion for the best portable amps for K 702 ?
 
 
 
 
 

 

[obazavil]

IMHO, E9 is a wonderful and cheap amp that drives k702 wonderful.
 
I use it everyday with both of my cans, and using E7 as a DAC, and i'm pretty happy with the sound.
 
The next step, for me, is the Lyr, but that is still far to acomplish
 
In my opinion, you won't regret getting the E7+E9 combo, since E9 drives K702 with ease.

 

[Mikesin]

Looks like the CMoy is out of the list.. 
Looking at the FiiO E9, Little Dot MK II and the Matrix M Stage (Seeing if i can get it cheap!)
Also anyone know what the 'Cavalli-Kan Kumisa III ' are like what munchzilla listed?
 
Out of these does the E9 perform well or even better compared to the others ( its the cheapest out of the lot)..

 

[estreeter]

For the money, I dont see how you can go wrong with the E9 - its not like a larger amp where you will be shelling out 3-400 dollars new.
 
1. Read this:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/548718/can-the-e9-compete-with-the-big-boy-entry-level-amps
 
2. Just order the thing. Even if it doesnt meet your expectations, it will be a baseline for other amp purchases. If that approach doesnt appeal to you, buy a Dynalo straight up.
 
Problem solved - next !

 

[ZoaKaizer]

Thanks for the information XDDD
 
Now I now e7+e9 combo is powerful enough to drive K702.. ^__^
 
But how about the sound quality ?
 
And does ibasso can drive k702 well also ?
How about the sound quality of fiio vs ibasso ?
 
 
Or there are better amps in similar price range ?
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Mikesin]

Although this aint a portable amp, how does the Asus Xonar Essence sound compared to these amps?
Whats better?
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Although this aint a portable amp, how does the Asus Xonar Essence sound compared to these amps?
Whats better?
 

A quick search on sound cards vs amp/DACs will yield the answer to that question.  Don't be afraid to put in a little work, there is a wealth of information on Head-fi especially for new-comers, think of anything and there's probably a thread that has addressed it.  
 
PS - I have heard that sound card and it is nothing special.  In my opinion, a waste of money, like 99% of on-board sound cards.  

 

[brasewel]

The only soundcard that is worth mentioning is the HT Omega Claro Halo. It retails for $199 and you can even swap opamps. It is a fantastic soundcard in my opinion and can compete with any $200 dac. Maybe you should just get the E9/E7 combo and judge for yourself if it sounds good instead of constantly asking the same question in 2 different threads.

 

[Mikesin]

 
Hmm, the thing is with these HT Omega soundcards i can't seem to find and sites that sell them in the UK or anywhere at all..
Im kind of confused with the SNR now, the essence has 124 SNR while the HT has 120, isn't higher the better?
The Essence also has swappable opamps, the card i have now also can Asus Xonar DS, and im asking the same question in other similar threads for more opinions and answers, i have looked around and just want to get something i won't regret.
But the E9 is probably the one i will get, apparently awesome for its price.


 
Quote:

The only soundcard that is worth mentioning is the HT Omega Claro Halo. It retails for $199 and you can even swap opamps. It is a fantastic soundcard in my opinion and can compete with any $200 dac. Maybe you should just get the E9/E7 combo and judge for yourself if it sounds good instead of constantly asking the same question in 2 different threads.

So many mixed opinions, some say the Essence is the top of the line soundcard, and i think you meant non-on board soundcards, i have searched around and just alot of people saying the same thing, is it for portable or non etc. 


Quote:

Quote:

A quick search on sound cards vs amp/DACs will yield the answer to that question.  Don't be afraid to put in a little work, there is a wealth of information on Head-fi especially for new-comers, think of anything and there's probably a thread that has addressed it.  
 
PS - I have heard that sound card and it is nothing special.  In my opinion, a waste of money, like 99% of on-board sound cards.  

 

 

[sphinxvc]

 


Quote:

But the E9 is probably the one i will get, apparently awesome for its price.

So many mixed opinions, some say the Essence is the top of the line soundcard, and i think you meant non-on board soundcards, i have searched around and just alot of people saying the same thing, is it for portable or non etc. 
 

 
Not sure what you mean by mixed opinions, the Essense IS a top of the line soundcard, but that's not saying much.  As I said before, 99% on-board soundcards, yes, on-board soundcards, are not worth it.  
 
Check this out, even more awesome for it's price.

 

[brendon]

The K701 are inefficient low impeadance headphones. So you need portable amps that can provide sufficient current to drive them properly.
 
At the $300 budget I can think of only 2 amps that can possibly do that-
 
Ibasso P4+ (Can deliver 1000 mW + 1000 mW @ 32 ohms with the right OPAMP combo) - $245 + shipping
Ibasso PB1 (Can deliver approximately 800 mW + 800 mW @ 32 ohms) - $229 + shipping
 
The P4+ is probably the better amp since its a pure single ended amp while the PB1 is a balanced amp and you will be running it in single ended mode.
 
Also the P4 comes with a variety of OPAMPs to change the flavour of the sound. So its very useful to get the sound that you want out of the K701.