[Kjeldsen]

Coming from a pair of Denon AHD1100's and a Xonar Essence ST sound card, i want to take the plunge into a low-mid range setup and have been reading a slew of topics on HeadFi over the past few weeks. Still, i remain mostly confused.
 
I've read enough to believe that a pair of HE-400 will probably suit me well, and i'm pretty curious about PMD's in general. I've tried to depict my cunning scheme in the image below which shows pretty well my upgrade plan: Get a pair of headphones and start off with an amp that'll serve me both at home and on the go using an ipod (probably 5th gen) as source. But which amp?
 
I guess i'm looking for a really portable amp that would be satisfying as a desktop amp aswell for a pair of HE-400's. I really don't have a good grasp on defining my preferences yet in terms of bass, treble, mids, etc., but i listen to all kinds of music from classic to rock to black metal and love a good vibrant guitar. 
 
I hope i gave atleast some indication of what i'm aiming at here. Thanks in advance for any insight!
 
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
/Martin

 

[olegausany]

Get Fiio E17

 

[bowei006]

First you get a budget, and then you find the headphone and people that have that amp along with the headphones telling you if you have enough power.
 
You don't really need a DAC as your PC already has one and an iPod's is suitable with LOD. Just a plain portable amp that works well with that headphone, meaning has enough juice for it. The He5K I thought were hard and picky to drive so read around on it. The FiiO E12 and Leckerton units at this price range offer good power. E12 is not out yet though and may not even synergize well with some headphones. Just look around, portable amps, there are many of them from headroom to whatever. Just make sure people that have the hedphones you ultimately choose also have the amp(get at least 3 sources) and say that it is powerful enough to drive said headphone and also sounds good.

 

[Kjeldsen]

Cheers guys,
 
That narrows it down a bit. I've got a few additional questions:
 
1) Regarding the LOD, is it possible to use one with every version of an iPod? 
2) If i was to get an amp/DAC combo to favor a portable setup, how would that effect my non-portable setup that already has a DAC?
 
Thanks!

 

[Eric_C]

1) Yes, every past version of the iPod should be fine, except for things like the Shuffle which doesn't have the same dock. The bigger ones (Classic, Touch) will be just fine for line-out functionality.
2) Well you'd have 2 options at home. You can plug the amp/DAC via the 1/8 or 1/4" jack, and this will double amp (both the amp/DAC's and your sound card's) but rely on the sound card for DAC. Or you can plug the amp/DAC via USB or optical--this will bypass the sound card entirely for both DAC and amp functions.

 

[Kjeldsen]

Quote:

1) Yes, every past version of the iPod should be fine, except for things like the Shuffle which doesn't have the same dock. The bigger ones (Classic, Touch) will be just fine for line-out functionality.
2) Well you'd have 2 options at home. You can plug the amp/DAC via the 1/8 or 1/4" jack, and this will double amp (both the amp/DAC's and your sound card's) but rely on the sound card for DAC. Or you can plug the amp/DAC via USB or optical--this will bypass the sound card entirely for both DAC and amp functions.

 
Perfect. Exactly the answers i was looking for, thanks

 

[Kjeldsen]

I thought i'd continue on in this thread as i get closer to choosing an amp.
 
Bowei suggested Leckerton and i've been reading up on a few of their amps. Does anyone here have experience with Hifiman HE-400 headphones and Leckerton UHA-6S.MkII ? One review stated that he didn't think the UHA-6S paired well with "darker" headphones, but i'm a bit unsure of what that means. 
 
Cheers!

 

[bowei006]

Quote:

I thought i'd continue on in this thread as i get closer to choosing an amp.
 
Bowei suggested Leckerton and i've been reading up on a few of their amps. Does anyone here have experience with Hifiman HE-400 headphones and Leckerton UHA-6S.MkII ? One review stated that he didn't think the UHA-6S paired well with "darker" headphones, but i'm a bit unsure of what that means. 
 
Cheers!

Not really suggested, just put it out there that they were a popular option, never heard their products

 

[Eric_C]

^ Likewise, I've never heard a Leckerton, but the 6S mk II really looks like it gets a lot of good praise from the right folk.
 
You might want to check the HE-400 threads for amp recommends. I've been on this one:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586885/new-hifiman-headphone-he-400-is-out
 
And the E17 gets a lot thumbs up there for pairing with the 400.

 

[Kjeldsen]

Gentlemen,
 
Thought i'd update the thread with my decision. After spending alot of time in the E17 / HE-400 threads per your recommendations, i decided that the FiiO would be a solid choice for an @home amp and portable/workplace dac/amp. Especially since it's a bargain at Amazon UK right now.
 
Thanks for your time everyone