[dperolio]

Hey there guys. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I do enjoy listening to music. Right now I only have a set of HD598's and AKG Q701's, besides some lower end stuff.
 
I just recently ordered my AKG Q701's and I was under the impression that the AKQ Q701's would need an amp to sound good.
 
So I was planning on getting the FiiO Q1 AMP/DAC. The AKG Q701's arrived though and I think they sound wonderful, both connected to my phone (OnePlus One) and my computer via my Blue Yeti mic. It's honestly too loud for me to use with my phone or computer at max volume. So why is an amp really necessary? Do you guys just like listening to music at ear-damaging levels or am I not understanding the purpose of an amp? Does it do more than just increase the volume?
 
Thanks.

 

[HUM24H]

An AMP & DAC are important for quite a few reasons.
 
A high quality DAC, such as; WM8740 or CS4398 or ESS 9018K2M, will provide a more efficient audio processing which will naturally result in a cleaner sound. DAC's do have different sound signatures where some can sound warm with more emphasis in the bass, where as some can sound bright or harsh where the treble is over done.
 
An AMP can provide a higher output of power to your headphones which will allow you to drive headphones with a much higher impedance (Resistance). Also a well designed AMP can aid in reducing distortion or noise with low impedance IEM's, it can also help with image separation and overall sound stage. 
 
So generally an AMP isn't just going to make the volume louder, it will aid it quite a few other important areas like Distortion and Background Noise. Plus a DAC will improve the efficiency in decoding the audio files and also higher end DAC's will be able to decode higher resolution audio files such as 24-Bit Hi-Res and DSD. 
 
Overall it is always recommended to have a decent DAC and AMP paired with headphones, sometimes driving headphones from a smartphone can be fine but in a lot of cases adding a separate DAC/AMP improves the audio quality and listening experience.
 
But at the end of the day it is down to your own preference and what you prefer. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

Amps and DACs may or may not make an audible difference on any given system. There are many factors to consider. The best thing to do is compare with and without each component in your system to see whether you perceive a difference. Then if you at least perceive something that sounds different to you, you can pursue more objective tests, which I won't get into in this post.