[yepimonfire]

Using my Ety HF5's out of my UCA202 i noticed the sound is substantially better than the sound coming from my phone. The sound coming out of the phone sounds "loose" and strained, vs tight and detailed coming from the UCA202. Would a portable amp like a fiio fix this or not? I did try it out with my AD900's (which are known for being easy to drive) and hear absolutely no difference between the  UCA202 and the phone, so i don't think its a DAC issue, but with the HF5 the difference is certainly there. i didn't realize it until i actually plugged them into my UCA202 and noticed the headphones were capable of a lot more than my phone was giving them. i don't have a huge budget btw, so whatever is going to do the job without breaking me more than maybe $50 would be best.
 
Thanks.

 

[NA Blur]

An amp should help power the hungry 16 Ohm load of the HF-5.  This is more noticeably with even lower impedance headphones.