Upgrade from my Fiio K3: Should I buy just an AMP or a Dac/Amp

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

I need some more power for my headphones as the Fiio K3 struggles at times. I am trying to pick between just buying something like an Atom AMP and using the line out on the Fiio k3 or just buying something like a open box Fiio K7 for the same price. That would give me both a DAC and AMP upgrade. I am not sure of the Fiio K3's DAC is good enough for the Atom AMP but even if it is why not just get a DAC/AMP combo like the K7? Only downside of the K7 route is the laggy volume knob and I wont be able to play around with different DACs for the Atom eventually. 

[ImWilly]

4 hours ago, LeapFrogMasterRace said:

I am not sure of the Fiio K3's DAC is good enough for the Atom AMP

Should be fine, since dedicated DAC software is to push away DAC from busy electronic circuits such as PC's motherboard. Sure some DAC advertise has lower THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) especially of the premium DAC. But the THD on the headphone is way much higher anyway, that most people couldn't tell the difference unless that person has God's prodigy ear.

4 hours ago, LeapFrogMasterRace said:

Only downside of the K7 route is the laggy volume knob

FiiO K7 user here, yeah agree on the laggy knob, especially when turning it on, it takes several second for the sound to actually heard on the headphone. But if you want simpler setup without DAC & AMP stack, FiiO K7 is probably one of the great choice, the alternatives would be Topping DX5 on the similar price range.

 

P.S.

For my use of FiiO K7 paired with Sennheiser HD650, I usually set the knob at 1-2 o'clock, so it's at loudness that I'm comfortable without cranking up to the max, especially on the power hungry headphone

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

6 minutes ago, ImWilly said:

FiiO K7 user here, yeah agree on the laggy knob, especially when turning it on, it takes several second for the sound to actually heard on the headphone. But if you want simpler setup without DAC & AMP stack, FiiO K7 is probably one of the great choice, the alternatives would be Topping DX5 on the similar price range.

Yeah the Fiio K7 seems pretty great aside from that volume issue, lots of power and clean sound. The DX5 and DX3 look great but I seen lots more issues with the Topping models in this price range and it seems harder to get them warrantied. So I think I would rather deal with the K7's annoying knob.

As a side note they released a Fiio K11 not too long ago but it is cheaper and the Amp is significantly weaker so probably not worth it. 

Do you think the volume delay on the K7 is annoying or do you get used to it? If so I think I would lean to buying a JDS amp and pair it with my current K3. 

 

 

[ImWilly]

1 minute ago, LeapFrogMasterRace said:

Do you think the volume delay on the K7 is annoying or do you get used to it? If so I think I would lean to buying a JDS amp and pair it with my current K3. 

Not really for me. I'm actually the boomer kind of volume control guy, that use mouse and keyboard to control the volume output 

Since the DAC/AMP combo is place a bit further for me to reach compared to my mouse and keyboard.

For gaming, I never really change the volume, except the mix of music and sound effect in game settings to have more focus on the character dialogue.

While for music and YouTube, I just use keyboard shortcut to control it.

That's why my complaint is mainly only on the turning on delay time.

 

P.S.

For analog or analog-ish device that needs to be volume cranked up to the max, it's probably caused by either of these possibilities:

1. The speaker/headphone is already too weak to begin with

2. The output from the PC (or the input source for the DAC/AMP) is too small

3. Your hearing is about to loss since you're used to listen to a very high volume sound at the extended time (especially above 100dB)

 

And turning the analog volume is not good anyway since in most case, it creates a very noticeable distortion, except for the very high end speaker/headphone

[saintlouisbagels]

What headphones are you using that you need so much power?

 

I would recommend the Topping A50s if you're looking for a ton of power.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-a50s-headphone-amplifier-review.16290/

 

If the "Chinese" origin is a little sketchy for you, then I would totally recommend the JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 for equally amazing measurements.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jds-atom-amp-2-headphone-amplifier-review.49795/

 

17 hours ago, LeapFrogMasterRace said:

I am not sure of the Fiio K3's DAC is good enough for the Atom AMP

DAC has been a solved category for an extremely long time. Your built-in motherboard DAC should be audibly transparent if it's been made in the last decade.

 

If you really think you need a DAC then the $9 Apple USB-C dongle is incredible - as long as you're only looking for a 3.5mm output and nothing else.

 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-apple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/

 

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

8 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

What headphones are you using that you need so much power?

 

HD 6XX, depending on the song I sometimes have to turn on gain and max the volume and sometimes I still wish I had a extra 10% more volume. I used to have a pair of DT 770 80Hms that I would like to replace one day since they broke and unlike the Sennheiser they very rarely got as loud as I wanted. I care about my hearing so it is not like I am trying to make myself deaf either the k3 just does not cut it sometimes. 

 

8 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

If you really think you need a DAC then the $9 Apple USB-C dongle is incredible - as long as you're only looking for a 3.5mm output and nothing else.

 

It is funny how that little thing technically tests higher than the K3 (93 SINAD). The only reason why I got the K3 was because I can hear my AIO pump through the mobo I think it is just vibrating too much I really need to replace that thing. 

 

So do you think it is better to just get a Amp if I really want more power and not bother with an AMP/DAC combo for now? I can get a Fiio k7 for like $150 on ebay which is pretty much the same ballpark as the atom amp 2. The way I see it I can get a DAC/AMP for roughly the same price as a decent Amp.

[saintlouisbagels]

2 hours ago, LeapFrogMasterRace said:

I used to have a pair of DT 770 80Hms that I would like to replace one day since they broke and unlike the Sennheiser they very rarely got as loud as I wanted. I care about my hearing so it is not like I am trying to make myself deaf either the k3 just does not cut it sometimes. 

Um... I think you already have hearing problems.

I have a pair of DT 770 Pro 80 ohm, and I have been using it on a multitude of laptops, desktops, and smartphones for the past decade - admitted I have to run all of them around 80%-85% volume.

 

At this moment I am running Helldivers 2 on the Apple dongle at 86 Windows volume and it's borderline too loud.

 

2 hours ago, LeapFrogMasterRace said:

I can get a Fiio k7 for like $150 on ebay which is pretty much the same ballpark as the atom amp 2.

FiiO K7 outputs 1.2W at 32Ohm unbalanced, and 2W 32Ohm balanced

Atom Amp 2 outputs 2.65W at 32Ohm unbalanced

 

I would just get the Apple dongle + Atom Amp 2.

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

45 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Um... I think you already have hearing problems.

I have a pair of DT 770 Pro 80 ohm, and I have been using it on a multitude of laptops, desktops, and smartphones for the past decade - admitted I have to run all of them around 80%-85% volume.

 

At this moment I am running Helldivers 2 on the Apple dongle at 86 Windows volume and it's borderline too loud.

Haha I hope not. My ears just tested to 19kHz. To be fair I haven't used the 770s in a while maybe I don't remember them but generally the 6XX is a tad harder to drive and I really only struggle when listing to lossless audio. Watching videos and gaming is perfectly fine with the K3. I hear people say adding more power lets you hear more at the same volume if that makes any sense. 

 

I thought about just getingt the Amp 2 but the analog pots means channel imbalance can be an issue. I think I will try the K7 and return it if I find the volume knob that annoying.