Before you buy amp and DAC + recommendations.

[GamerDude]

6 hours ago, clankfu said:

 

 

What do you guys think about the Modi Multibit?

Heard good things about it in the forums in my neck of the woods, it seems to have garnered a few fans in the forums here (NOT here, but forums in my neck of the woods). One even went so far as to say it matches, perhaps even exceeds the DAC section of the Mojo.I'm kind of curious about it myself as I have DAC's that uses the Sabre ES9018 chips, don't have a MB DAC, so it'd be interesting to try one.

[clankfu]

27 minutes ago, Pomfinator said:

Most likely the latter.  There is still very little in the way of exactly how multi-bit benefits audio reproduction.  It's amazing that a decent ladder DAC can be had for less than many headphones now, but it's still incredibly iffy.  Most people have remarked that while the Bifrost Multibit sounds different than the 4490, it doesn't always sound better in some cases, in fact the reportedly warmer overall analog section of the Bifrost might actually be more appealing to those in the market for a mid-range DAC.

 

Interesting.

[Dackzy]

6 hours ago, clankfu said:

Have you had a chance to listen to one or are you just underwhelmed by the concept?

I have read about it and TBH I like the idea, but I am not sure if it makes any sense, but then again, I would buy it just to test it out and I might buy it. For the average guy I think it is meh.

[clankfu]

9 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I have read about it and TBH I like the idea, but I am not sure if it makes any sense, but then again, I would buy it just to test it out and I might buy it. For the average guy I think it is meh.

Gotcha.  I'm kind of intrigued.

[SSL]

9 hours ago, Dackzy said:

I have read about it and TBH I like the idea, but I am not sure if it makes any sense, but then again, I would buy it just to test it out and I might buy it. For the average guy I think it is meh.

 

Supposedly one of the main features is time domain optimization, which helps with imaging - but supposedly only really noticeably with speakers and the very best headphones.

[Dackzy]

Just now, SSL said:

 

Supposedly one of the main features is time domain optimization, which helps with imaging - but supposedly only really noticeably with speakers and the very best headphones.

Yeah, this is great for people with the very best headphones and I guess my HE 560 are not among them  But at this price point it just seems weird for me, because I think most high end audio heads would just look at it and say for that price it cannot be any good and the people who would be buying it would not have high end enough headphones (ofc some will).

 

I kinda want to buy it and also get a magni 2 uber and do my own testing.

 

I bet some LSR 305 would work nicely with it  

[ContraHacker]

Good job on the explanations. You are  a good boy. 

[Dackzy]

2 hours ago, ContraHacker said:

Good job on the explanations. You are  a good boy. 

Thanks, do I get a cookie now?

[Pomfinator]

[natsume]

it is very detailed......

[Dackzy]

6 minutes ago, natsume said:

it is very detailed......

well yeah, but I could make it even more detailed, but then it would also be harder to understand for none "audiophiles'"

[notdoctorjoel]

Very nice guide. 6/7

[kennyk2228]

On March 8, 2016 at 11:48 AM, Dackzy said:

Okay guys I have seen a lot of people on here is starting to wanting to buy amps and dacs and let me just explain to you guys why you need one and why you don't need one. This is going to be very basic and generalised.

 

Reasons to get a DAC.

 

1. Noise in your sound

2. Your onboard makes the sound warm or cold sounding

3. Over all low quality sound coming from your onboard

4. Can look nice

 

Reasons to NOT get a DAC.

 

1. No noise.

2. No coloring in your onboard.

3. You already have transparent sound. ( kinda the same as Nr. 2)

4. Takes up space.

5. You will need to buy an amp.

 

Reasons to get a AMP.

 

1. You cant power your headphones. (your headphones don't get loud enough)

2. Your headphones sound muddy only at that pc (kinda the same as Nr. 1)

3. Can look nice.

4. You want to try tube sound. (they get really hot, so do NOT touch them.)

 

Reasons to NOT get a AMP.

 

1. You can power your headphones.

2. Takes up space.

 

Most motherboards on the market to day can power 90%-95% of all the headphones on the market. A DAC and amp will not make your headphones better if you already have transparent sound and they are powered properly.

Save the money and get better headphones if you are unhappy by the sound you have in your headphones.

 

Ohm does not say if your headphones are hard to drive or not.

You can have 600 Ohm headphones that are easier to drive than 32 Ohm headphones.

 

Different explanations (keeping it simple)

 

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Noise: you have crakling or some other sound that should not be there.

 

Warm sound: You have more bass and lower mids in your sound when you use your headphones with that pc.

 

Cold sound: You have more treble and less bass in your sound when you use your headphones with that pc.

 

Coloring: Well your soundcard adds treble/bass/mids.

 

Transparent: your soundcard does not add any extra treble/bass/mids to the sound.

 

Tube amp/tube sound: A tube amp generally makes the sound smoother and warmer because it distorts the sound.

 

Before you go buy an amp for some headphones you just orded wait get the headphones and test them with your onboard before you go spend money on a amp.

Before you go buy an DAC amp combo, if you already has transparent sound and you have nothing wrong with your onboard DAC then you will not notice a difference between your onboard and a DAC and if you buy an DAC you will need an amp.

 

Remember sound is not black and white like some people say it is, there are more to sound than just specs.

 

Only look down here if you really need an DAC and amp or just an amp

 

I have used amazon.de and amazon.com for every product that is not from Schiit where I used their own webshop

 

My recommendations for desktop amps:

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1. Schiit magni 2 EU= 120€ US= 99$

2. Schiit magni 2 Uber EU= 175€ US= 149$

3. Objective 2  EU=?? US=139$

4. Schiit vali 2 with lisst tubes (tube)  EU= 284€ US= 268$

5. Fiio K5 EU= 149€ US= 110$

6. Schiit asgard 2 EU= 269€ US= 249$

7. Little Dot MK2 MKII (tube) EU= 185€  US= 185-200$

8. SMSL sApII EU= 68€/43£ US= 68$ (this a good option for you guys that is on a budget, and just needs a powerfull amp)

9. Schiit Asgard 2 EU= 259€ US= 249$

10. Schiit Valhalla 2 (tube amp) EU= 379€ US= 349$

11. Schiit Lyr 2 ( tube hybrid or Solid state amp) EU= 459€ US= 449$

12. DarkVoice 336SE (tube) EU= 320€ US= 320$.

 

My recommendations for desktop dacs:

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1. Schiit modi 2 EU= 123€ US= 99$

2. Schiit modi 2 Uber EU= 175€ US= 149$

3. Objective Dac EU=?? US= 149$

4. SMSL Sanskrit 6th (this dac has been known for having a usb port that doesn't work properly, but it is good if you get one without the problem) EU= 110€ US= 105

5. Schiit Bifrost EU= 435€ US= 399$

 

My recommendations for desktop Combos:

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1. Objective combo EU= 259£ or 301£ (depending on what model you get, this is from amazon.co.uk) US= 275-290$

2. Monoprice 111567 Desktop Headphone Amplifier EU= ?? US= 113$

3. micca origen EU=??  US= 110$

4. SMSL SD793-II EU= 65€ US= 65

 

My recommendations for small Combos that run on usb only:

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1. Schiit Fulla EU= 99€ US= 79$

2. Audioquest DragonFly EU= 148€ US= 149$

3. Fiio k1 EU= 50€ US= 40$ (on sale) 100$ (this is for you guys that are on a low budget)

4. Oppo HA-2 EU= 300€ US= 300$ (you can use this one with a phone and it has a build in battery)

5. Chord MoJo EU=599€ US= 599$ ( can also be used with a phone)

 

 

Lastly if you have interference look at this guide SSL has made.

FEEL FREE TO ASK ME ANYTHING ABOUT THIS POST  

There are no stupid questions, I am here to help  

I hope that this post helped you and cleared some things up for you  

Hi, I'm using the Beyerdynamic dt880's and an Asus Xonar DG sc. Everything has been fine and dandy (no sound distortion or anything) but u have noticed that in order to get the volume of my headphones to a comfortable level for me (and I don't like listening to very loud music) I need to turn my sound up to around 70-80 on Windows. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the amount of power going to my headphones or some software related problem, any help would be immensely appreciated!

[SSL]

25 minutes ago, kennyk2228 said:

Hi, I'm using the Beyerdynamic dt880's and an Asus Xonar DG sc. Everything has been fine and dandy (no sound distortion or anything) but u have noticed that in order to get the volume of my headphones to a comfortable level for me (and I don't like listening to very loud music) I need to turn my sound up to around 70-80 on Windows. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the amount of power going to my headphones or some software related problem, any help would be immensely appreciated!

 

What gain setting are you using?

[kennyk2228]

6 hours ago, SSL said:

 

What gain setting are you using?

Hey sorry, noob question, but how do I check this? Would I find this setting in Windows sound settings or my driver's settings?

[SSL]

2 hours ago, kennyk2228 said:

Hey sorry, noob question, but how do I check this? Would I find this setting in Windows sound settings or my driver's settings?

 

One of the two...probably says in the docs or online somewhere.

[Huskyhunter]

I got the Audio Technica WS1100iS today and I was quite disapointed in the audio quality of them, my Moto Z Force doesn't seem to make them sound good and neither does the on board of my computer. I was planning to get the Audioengine D1 amp/dac because it seems like the only thing that has the low hz range that the 1100's offer. Should I need something like this or am I just uninformed in the headphone world? I used to use a pair of Logitech G430's on my computer and they seemed like they sounded better. Another question, if I got that amp how could I connect that to my phone? It only has a USB C connector on it.

[Dackzy]

12 minutes ago, Huskyhunter said:

I got the Audio Technica WS1100iS today and I was quite disapointed in the audio quality of them, my Moto Z Force doesn't seem to make them sound good and neither does the on board of my computer. I was planning to get the Audioengine D1 amp/dac because it seems like the only thing that has the low hz range that the 1100's offer. Should I need something like this or am I just uninformed in the headphone world? I used to use a pair of Logitech G430's on my computer and they seemed like they sounded better. Another question, if I got that amp how could I connect that to my phone? It only has a USB C connector on it.

well what motherboard do you have? Do you have a place where you can try a headphone amp, because it might just be that you just don't like the soundsignature of those headphones. Unless they don't get enough power, then the sound is not going to become suddenly better.

[Huskyhunter]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

well what motherboard do you have? Do you have a place where you can try a headphone amp, because it might just be that you just don't like the soundsignature of those headphones. Unless they don't get enough power, then the sound is not going to become suddenly better.

I have the Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0. I was going to get that amp and hook it up by optical audio cable to my motherboard.

[Dackzy]

9 minutes ago, Huskyhunter said:

I have the Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0. I was going to get that amp and hook it up by optical audio cable to my motherboard.

That is not only a amp, it is a combo, so it has a DAC and a amp inside of it. the D1 is a bit overpriced like the rest of the Audioengine products. It is also not something you can use with a phone. If you want something that you should be able to use with your phone then look at Fiio E18, I am not very happy with recommending this but the Creative E5, the reason why I am not happy with recommending creative is because they are very hit and miss with their products.

[Huskyhunter]

9 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

That is not only a amp, it is a combo, so it has a DAC and a amp inside of it. the D1 is a bit overpriced like the rest of the Audioengine products. It is also not something you can use with a phone. If you want something that you should be able to use with your phone then look at Fiio E18, I am not very happy with recommending this but the Creative E5, the reason why I am not happy with recommending creative is because they are very hit and miss with their products.

Could I use a USB B to USB C cable to get the D1 to work with my phone? Like this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VKSF39O/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1AMUYYA3CT6HJ

[Dackzy]

Just now, Huskyhunter said:

Could I use a USB B to USB C cable to get the D1 to work with my phone? Like this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VKSF39O/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1AMUYYA3CT6HJ

I don't know, I have not seen anyone do that, you can try and google to see if there is someone who has that working 

[Huskyhunter]

18 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I don't know, I have not seen anyone do that, you can try and google to see if there is someone who has that working 

Alright I'll look around. But besides the phone is that a good amp/dac? I'm probably going to buy it from amazon so if I don't like it i will just return it. 

[Dackzy]

Just now, Huskyhunter said:

Alright I'll look around. But besides the phone is that a good amp/dac? I'm probably going to buy it from amazon so if I don't like it i will just return it. 

It is a bit overpriced, you can take a look at all of the recommendations I have in the OG post.

[Huskyhunter]

Just now, Dackzy said:

It is a bit overpriced, you can take a look at all of the recommendations I have in the OG post.

I was looking at the Fiio E18 before the D1 and the lowest hZ range the E18 says it offers is 20hZ. The 1100's go down to 5hZ, is there really a difference there or no?