Do I need an amp for FiiO FT1 headphones?

[eEmillerz]

Hello, LTT community.

I just purchased a new pair of FiiO FT1 headphones, and I'm wondering if it's necessary to purchase an amplifier for them? I currently have a desktop with onboard audio, and I see sources saying you do not need them using this calculator (https://headphones.com/pages/headphones-power-calculator) as an argument. However, some people argue that the sound quality may improve with an amplifier.

Would you recommend for me to get an amplifier? And if so, could you possibly recommend me one - preferably for a low price and compatible with FiiO FT1?

Thanks all :)

[saintlouisbagels]

No amp necessary. They're as sensitive as most headphones.

 

21 minutes ago, eEmillerz said:

However, some people argue that the sound quality may improve with an amplifier.

That's how audiophiles get you to spend more money for no reason.

You might hear a sound quality difference. Whether it is objectively better, or you think it's better is up to you.

 

The general rule is: If you want better audio, you buy better headphones/speakers.

[eEmillerz]

5 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

No amp necessary. They're as sensitive as most headphones.

 

That's how audiophiles get you to spend more money for no reason.

You might hear a sound quality difference. Whether it is objectively better, or you think it's better is up to you.

 

The general rule is: If you want better audio, you buy better headphones/speakers.

Alright, thank you for your advice I guess I'll try them out first and take it from there!

[jaslion]

44 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

The general rule is: If you want better audio, you buy better headphones/speakers.

This so fucking much. I have a 50€ sony skmething whatevers amp driving kef ls50's (gen 1 they were 500€ so way cheaper). Yes the yamaha amp I have can do better and sounds slightly better and can make them louder but it doesnt have a remote.

 

That and I have neighbours and the difference is so minimal that unless you side by side you wouldnt know.

 

I drive ancient decades old hd600's rhat are what 600ohm on a msi b450 mortar a board thats like 32ohm or a bit more and they are found. They cant get that loud but well built in hearing protection!

 

When plugged in to the yamaha they go WAY louder but like I dont even use rhem at 100% normally. Yes they sound a smidge fuller but again not noticable unless you side by side.

 

 

[Psittac]

@saintlouisbagels hit the nail on the head.

 

I may differ and say that you Will find better sound with a dac and amp but there is a big catch to that.  It depends on the headphones, not just power requirements and it depends on the DAC and Amp.  Some headphones like the Rode NTH-100 are very agnostic to what is driving it, sounds 98% as good with onboard or a USB dongle dac as it does on an expensive stack.  The Sennheiser HD600/650/6xx will display every change behind it.

 

Then there's the issue of whether or not it's worth it, for a very small percentage of improvement your money is far better spent on the main device.  If it's not power hungry you won't see nearly as much of a gain from a DAC or amp.  Something like a class A amp or a tube amp will give some headphones an "improved" sound and a solid DAC will offer more clarity and depth to the music.

 

And on that note, I tested a roundup of budget dac/amp's and what I found was that if it's good enough chances are you won't notice an improvement worth the investment.  Onboard audio can be very competent, it actually came in second to the Schiit Fulla.  However every last bit of miniscule difference I observed completely disappeared when I listened to YT video music instead of max res tidal.  The Fosi Q4 was still distorted but everything else just sounded the same.

 

To summarize:

Headphones make the biggest impact, next is ear pads, last is amp then dac while also being the most expensive.

Some headphones just don't care about how they're driven.

Onboard is plenty good for most.

Unless you're listening to high res you aren't really missing much if anything.

[eEmillerz]

On 3/17/2025 at 2:40 AM, Psittac said:

@saintlouisbagels hit the nail on the head.

 

I may differ and say that you Will find better sound with a dac and amp but there is a big catch to that.  It depends on the headphones, not just power requirements and it depends on the DAC and Amp.  Some headphones like the Rode NTH-100 are very agnostic to what is driving it, sounds 98% as good with onboard or a USB dongle dac as it does on an expensive stack.  The Sennheiser HD600/650/6xx will display every change behind it.

 

Then there's the issue of whether or not it's worth it, for a very small percentage of improvement your money is far better spent on the main device.  If it's not power hungry you won't see nearly as much of a gain from a DAC or amp.  Something like a class A amp or a tube amp will give some headphones an "improved" sound and a solid DAC will offer more clarity and depth to the music.

 

And on that note, I tested a roundup of budget dac/amp's and what I found was that if it's good enough chances are you won't notice an improvement worth the investment.  Onboard audio can be very competent, it actually came in second to the Schiit Fulla.  However every last bit of miniscule difference I observed completely disappeared when I listened to YT video music instead of max res tidal.  The Fosi Q4 was still distorted but everything else just sounded the same.

 

To summarize:

Headphones make the biggest impact, next is ear pads, last is amp then dac while also being the most expensive.

Some headphones just don't care about how they're driven.

Onboard is plenty good for most.

Unless you're listening to high res you aren't really missing much if anything.

Thanks for your input! From the research I've done, the Fiio FT1 does not seem power hungry at all so onboard audio is likely good enough - for me, anyway.

[E-waste]

On 3/16/2025 at 8:12 AM, eEmillerz said:

FiiO FT1 headphones

AutoEQ has F3 and F5 measurements, looking for F1 as well

 

F3 chart

 

https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/over-ear/FiiO FT3 (suede earpads)

 

https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/over-ear/FiiO FT5 (suede earpads)

 

F3 clearly looks higher quality, more consistent sound vs F5, the treble in particular is more stable, less spikes, and the bass is more neutral with the midrange, vs a huge downward slope.

 

500 Hz is the range of snare drums and a lot of guitar notes, so when that is quieted down, drums aren't as snare-y.

 

Here's the F1, it's even better!

 

https://forum.headphones.com/t/fiio-ft1-measurements-discussion/24767

 

Since there are multiple charts, look at the raw charts.