headphones Do i need a dac?

[Xavier_12]

Hi I have been looking for headphones to use when I am on the go and I recently came upon the term impedance. My question is, will my LG G3 be enough to power the Sony MDR 1A or will I need a portable dad or something?

[drewjn]

Think of dac as the audio codecs, or the software, while the amp amplifies the sound to support devices that require the power. Most portable products actually come as a dac/amp in one unit.

 

As @huilun02 mentioned, only if the lg g3 does not supply enough power for the headphones, you need a portable amp. I think you should be fine without though. Just test it out a bit and if you have to crank the volume up extremely to hear, or hear a static sound when you have the volume at listenable range, then that shows when you need to get one.

[Guest]

A DAC isn't "software".

[drewjn]

5 hours ago, SSL said:

A DAC isn't "software".

I said think of it as. I specifically oversimplified the purpose of it. Yes, it stands for digital to analog converter and is hardware. However, I was using it in a very roundabout, maybe awkward metaphor. My fault in that, but not everyone is an audiophile, or even tech savvy.

[Guest]

Just now, drewjn said:

I said think of it as, get a grip and cool yourself. I specifically oversimplified the purpose of it.

 

Who needs to get a grip? I just made a helpful correction. A DAC is neither "software" nor a "codec" at any level of abstraction.