DAC/AMP for DT880 Premium 250Ω

[OlekKing]

Try the Samsung earbuds, see if the same stuff happens. 

No, also nevermind, i plugged them into my phone also with the volume maxed and there was the same exact distortion when listening to the same song when the bass kicked in.

[OlekKing]

If they are distorting on both devices without being amped with the volume maxed out in windows and my phone does that mean that i just need an amp or something's wrong with them?

[OlekKing]

Sorry for making new posts instead of editing, i read this "The key is that amps need to deliver enough power for the headphone not to sound distorted at the musical peak—not the average volume. The purpose of a headphone amp is not to blast your ears into deafness! It's to have the sound you hear be cleaner and more controlled, especially during peaks. But you should always practice safe listening, and keep the volume at a very comfortable level." http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ultimate-headphone-guide-articles-what-headphone-amplifier-and-why-do-i-need-one 

 

So from what i understand this is normal because i'm maxing the volume on my pc/phone without the headphones being properly amped? There's no distortion at around 40% or lower volume, at least it's not audible to me

[OlekKing]

The funny thing is that it seems this appeared out of nowhere, i don't think i noticed anything when i tried them and used them for a few hours in the morning right after i got them, then i left to do something and left them playing some music for about an hour or so and i noticed that my computer had crashed or something, it looked to me like a GPU Driver crash because the screen was black and unresponsive and the headphones were looping a part of a song.

[OlekKing]

Any help? I noticed that only the right speaker is distorting but not the left one...what do i do

[Lauen]

well then I think there's something wrong with the headphones

[ShearMe]

Damn dude, quadruple post? Buy the E7 already - if it fixes your "distortion" great. If not, you know your headphones are the problem.

[mr moose]

I believe it's your headphones, The general rule is that you will notice the distortion from over powering a driver before you will notice distortion from under powered amp.

[OlekKing]

Is the Andes E07K enough to power 250ohm cans? On their page it says the recommended headphone impedance is up to 150, but in the specs it's capable to power up to 300? I am confused gents.

[ShearMe]

Is the Andes E07K enough to power 250ohm cans? On their page it says the recommended headphone impedance is up to 150, but in the specs it's capable to power up to 300? I am confused gents.

 

Protip - there is no "powers up to x ohms" spec. It is all made up buy the manufacturer. 

 

The 150 ohms recommendation is a known typo on their website.

[OlekKing]

Protip - there is no "powers up to x ohms" spec. It is all made up buy the manufacturer. 

 

The 150 ohms recommendation is a known typo on their website.

So i should be fine with it? All i want is to get clear audio and to be able to properly drive the headphones, this is my first time using "audiophile" grade audio equipment so it should be a good starting point for me?

[ShearMe]

So i should be fine with it? All i want is to get clear audio and to be able to properly drive the headphones, this is my first time using "audiophile" grade audio equipment so it should be a good starting point for me?

 

Pretty sure multiple people have already said yes to that question, including me.

[Wasabiz]

Matix Mini-i is quite a nice and reasonable priced DAC/AMP

[OlekKing]

Pretty sure multiple people have already said yes to that question, including me.

So i just got the E07K, seems to be working well but i hear a slight hiss when playing music, i'm using the correct windows audio settings, also, which gain setting should i use? 12 is the highest and seems to make the audio louder but the hiss is too high, with 0 there's less hissing but it's still audible.

[OlekKing]

Wow alright, i still get the f*ing distortion on the right driver, unbelievable, i guess i'll have to RMA. It only happens whenever there is bass.

 

Now i am completely lost, i switched the gain to 0 and don't seem to be hearing the distortion.

[Lauen]

So i just got the E07K, seems to be working well but i hear a slight hiss when playing music, i'm using the correct windows audio settings, also, which gain setting should i use? 12 is the highest and seems to make the audio louder but the hiss is too high, with 0 there's less hissing but it's still audible.

That hissing is probably the noise floor of the amp/dac. 

 

Contact Beyerdynamic and tell them about the situation, you're probably just gonna have to RMA it. 

[OlekKing]

That hissing is probably the noise floor of the amp/dac. 

 

Contact Beyerdynamic and tell them about the situation, you're probably just gonna have to RMA it. 

Do i contact Beyer or the retailer i bought it from? I didn't get the headphones directly from Beyer.

[ShearMe]

Do i contact Beyer or the retailer i bought it from? I didn't get the headphones directly from Beyer.

 

If you want a refund, the retailer. If you want a replacement, Beyerdynamic.

 

I've heard rumors that bass distortion if a somewhat common occurrence on the Pro models. They just don't go through the same QC rigors I guess.

 

That hiss is going to be present on just about any device you use, but the noise floor in most songs is higher than that of the DAC/amp (one of the major drawbacks of Classical music), so I wouldn't worry about it. Just something you gotta get used to.

[OlekKing]

If you want a refund, the retailer. If you want a replacement, Beyerdynamic.

 

I've heard rumors that bass distortion if a somewhat common occurrence on the Pro models. They just don't go through the same QC rigors I guess.

 

That hiss is going to be present on just about any device you use, but the noise floor in most songs is higher than that of the DAC/amp (one of the major drawbacks of Classical music), so I wouldn't worry about it. Just something you gotta get used to.

I don't think my retailer does refunds, the policies are pretty strange in Switzerland, i don't really want one either way, the retailer is www.brack.ch and it's an officially authorized Beyerdynamic distributor, well they do have a RMA service so i guess they would replace it, i sent a message to Beyer for now describing the issue and asking for advice.

 

I don't seem to be getting the said distortion with the gain set to 0 on my amp, or it's less noticeable, it's hard to describe it's like the bass gets followed by a heavy vibration of sorts, i don't know if this has a proper term or not.

 

I don't have the Pro model, i have the Premium one

Edited February 12, 2014 by OlekKing

[OlekKing]

Wow that was a really quick reply from Beyer, they said it sounds like a driver issue and gave me a Swiss address to send it for repair.

[Lauen]

Wow that was a really quick reply from Beyer, they said it sounds like a driver issue and gave me a Swiss address to send it for repair.

Well then send it, and hope they're fast. If you could, give us some feedback on their support, so we can also know if they're nice or not. a fast answer is an early sign of good service. 

[OlekKing]

Well then send it, and hope they're fast. If you could, give us some feedback on their support, so we can also know if they're nice or not. a fast answer is an early sign of good service. 

My first time sending a product back to the manufacturer for repair, i hope it goes well, another few euros to send it to them, oh well, i want to send it through priority mail so it gets there the next day. Going to try to do it today, if not then tomorrow at the latest.

 

I have to say though, ignoring the issue with my heaphone, it's a true experience listening to high quality uncompressed music through them now that i have a proper dac/amp.

Edited February 12, 2014 by OlekKing

[OlekKing]

The support has so far has been excellent, looks like i've been speaking to one of their guys who repairs products, he told me that usually it takes about a week to do a repair but if he gets my headphone on Friday he should be able to do it that same day, so he said i could have them back by Monday-Tuesday. I was told that usually they don't replace products but i'm assuming they do so if they are unable to perform a repair.

 

Really informative and above all quick responses. I'm impressed so far, none of my emails were ignored so far, i thought i'd have to wait days to get a reply haha...

 

He just replied again he said they'd replace it if repair is impossible and that he will do his best.

[ShearMe]

The support has so far has been excellent, looks like i've been speaking to one of their guys who repairs products, he told me that usually it takes about a week to do a repair but if he gets my headphone on Friday he should be able to do it that same day, so he said i could have them back by Monday-Tuesday. I was told that usually they don't replace products but i'm assuming they do so if they are unable to perform a repair.

 

Really informative and above all quick responses. I'm impressed so far, none of my emails were ignored so far, i thought i'd have to wait days to get a reply haha...

 

Their more expensive headphones are built to be repaired, so it makes sense that they'd do it that way. Pretty cool to live in Europe where such a good headphone manufacturer has nearby shops.

[OlekKing]

Their more expensive headphones are built to be repaired, so it makes sense that they'd do it that way. Pretty cool to live in Europe where such a good headphone manufacturer has nearby shops.

I don't think it's their shop, it's like a repair center for their products, they are located in Germany so i was scared that i'd have to send them there lol, this is the installation http://www.gowild.ch