Before you buy amp and DAC + recommendations.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, Huskyhunter said:

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?

the human ear can generally hear 20 to 20,000 Hz. The E18 is more made for phones, while the D1 is more made for computers. The D1 should be a bit better, but the amp in the D1 is not that powerful.

 

Also I just looked up the Audio Technica WS1100iS, they are made for phones, so they should not be hard to drive, this means that you most likely just dislike the sound signature of them, since they are very bassy, with meh/bad mids and meh highs.

[Huskyhunter]

31 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

the human ear can generally hear 20 to 20,000 Hz. The E18 is more made for phones, while the D1 is more made for computers. The D1 should be a bit better, but the amp in the D1 is not that powerful.

 

Also I just looked up the Audio Technica WS1100iS, they are made for phones, so they should not be hard to drive, this means that you most likely just dislike the sound signature of them, since they are very bassy, with meh/bad mids and meh highs.

Hmm. I was looking for bassy headphones and these just arent very bassy. I guess not. It might be my unit as well, I've seen some reviews where people had problems with their unit. So if these were made for phones do you think there wouldnt be much of a difference with the amp/dac?

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, Huskyhunter said:

Hmm. I was looking for bassy headphones and these just arent very bassy. I guess not. It might be my unit as well, I've seen some reviews where people had problems with their unit. So if these were made for phones do you think there wouldnt be much of a difference with the amp/dac?

no sadly not

[Dackzy]

3 minutes ago, Huskyhunter said:

Hmm. I was looking for bassy headphones and these just arent very bassy. I guess not. It might be my unit as well, I've seen some reviews where people had problems with their unit. So if these were made for phones do you think there wouldnt be much of a difference with the amp/dac?

I would recommend that you return them if you can and maybe get the Vmoda M100 + XL pads, if you really are a basshead

[Huskyhunter]

3 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I would recommend that you return them if you can and maybe get the Vmoda M100 + XL pads, if you really are a basshead

I'll keep those in mind. I'll try these for awhile longer, see if I like them with my phone and what not. Thanks for all the information though.

[GamerDude]

17 minutes ago, Huskyhunter said:

I'll keep those in mind. I'll try these for awhile longer, see if I like them with my phone and what not. Thanks for all the information though.

I had the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 a while back, I used it with my Samsung Note 3 as well as on my desktop DAC's. They are tuned heavily to bass but do retain some semblance of mids and highs, pretty good if bass is your deal. I dunno what the deal is with your W1100iS, according to the specs, it looks like a mobile friendly pair of cans to me.

[Huskyhunter]

Just now, GamerDude said:

I had the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 a while back, I used it with my Samsung Note 3 as well as on my desktop DAC's. They are tuned heavily to bass but do retain some semblance of mids and highs, pretty good if bass is your deal. I dunno what the deal is with your W1100iS, according to the specs, it looks like a mobile friendly pair of cans to me.

Maybe I would be better off with a pair of Beats. 

[Huskyhunter]

27 minutes ago, GamerDude said:

I had the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 a while back, I used it with my Samsung Note 3 as well as on my desktop DAC's. They are tuned heavily to bass but do retain some semblance of mids and highs, pretty good if bass is your deal. I dunno what the deal is with your W1100iS, according to the specs, it looks like a mobile friendly pair of cans to me.

I was just kidding. Reading the AT website they say that there are vents to vent air so the drivers have more room to do their thing. I think I might try a second pair to see if anything changes. I really want to like these headphones.

[Volbet]

1 hour ago, Huskyhunter said:

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?

Well, your hearning range ends at 20Hz, so it doesn't make any difference. 

 

Edit: I see now that this was already answered. Sorry for wasting everyones time.

[Ubleron]

Also a good reason to get a DAC if you spent more than $200 on headphones, and price is not because it's a "brand" or "gaming" stuff.

[Dackzy]

41 minutes ago, Ubleron said:

Also a good reason to get a DAC if you spent more than $200 on headphones, and price is not because it's a "brand" or "gaming" stuff.

no. Because the jump in audio quality jump is bigger with just better headphones and it really comes down to how good your onboard is.

[Ubleron]

Just now, Dackzy said:

no. Because the jump in audio quality jump is bigger with just better headphones and it really comes down to how good your onboard is.

You're not wrong. What I meant is if you have good expensive headphones you should probably get a DAC, if you don't, get good headphones first.

[Dackzy]

4 minutes ago, Ubleron said:

You're not wrong. What I meant is if you have good expensive headphones you should probably get a DAC, if you don't, get good headphones first.

TBH 200$ is not really expensive headphones... No you should not get a DAC just because you have 200$ headphones, most decent motherboards has onboard that is as good as a 100$ combo, the high end boards often have onboard that is as good as 150-200$ combo's. The audio quality jump you get from getting a DAC with 200$ headphones vs decent onboard with the same headphones is small compared to the audio jump you would see if you got 300-400$ headphones. You should only get a DAC and amp with 200$ headphones if you have a problem with onboard or you got a really cheapo motherboard and you cannot just get a DAC, you need a amp or else a DAC is just a brick.

[SSL]

7 hours ago, Ubleron said:

Also a good reason to get a DAC if you spent more than $200 on headphones, and price is not because it's a "brand" or "gaming" stuff.

I disagree. I wouldn't think about a DAC unless you're spending close to $1000 in total.

 

This is because that is usually how much is needed to hit the transducer price to performance plateau. Only then should the rest of the chain be improved.

[Ubleron]

12 hours ago, Dackzy said:

TBH 200$ is not really expensive headphones... No you should not get a DAC just because you have 200$ headphones, most decent motherboards has onboard that is as good as a 100$ combo, the high end boards often have onboard that is as good as 150-200$ combo's. The audio quality jump you get from getting a DAC with 200$ headphones vs decent onboard with the same headphones is small compared to the audio jump you would see if you got 300-400$ headphones. You should only get a DAC and amp with 200$ headphones if you have a problem with onboard or you got a really cheapo motherboard and you cannot just get a DAC, you need a amp or else a DAC is just a brick.

Something like FiiO e10k is still going to be better than onboard soundcard and it's cheaper than most sound cards you can buy.

[SSL]

1 hour ago, Ubleron said:

Something like FiiO e10k is still going to be better than onboard soundcard and it's cheaper than most sound cards you can buy.

I disagree again. Fiio is pretty mediocre in my experience. Maybe I got lucky with my onboard, but I found the E10 worse due to a noisy volume pot.

[Dackzy]

9 hours ago, Ubleron said:

Something like FiiO e10k is still going to be better than onboard soundcard and it's cheaper than most sound cards you can buy.

nope, maybe vs your onboard. Fiio is pretty meh and I found the e10K to be quit a bit worse than my onboard.

[Ubleron]

3 hours ago, Dackzy said:

nope, maybe vs your onboard. Fiio is pretty meh and I found the e10K to be quit a bit worse than my onboard.

Maybe. My onboard is utter garbage though I had to buy Xonar DX which I like personally but in smaller builds there is not room for sound card and DAC actually looks better and according to some people feels better too.

[Doh007]

what do you think about the Musiland Monitor 02US Dragon DAC/Amp? link:

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/musiland-monitor-02us-dragon-dac-amp

$119

[Dackzy]

1 hour ago, Doh007 said:

what do you think about the Musiland Monitor 02US Dragon DAC/Amp? link:

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/musiland-monitor-02us-dragon-dac-amp

$119

Not tried it yet, but from the looks of it, it is not a very powerful build in amp, but it seems good.

[Doh007]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Not tried it yet, but from the looks of it, it is not a very powerful build in amp, but it seems good.

thanks

[faisal92]

my laptop has bad dac alot of noise while playing songs so i need a dac

why do i need an amp if i need a dac ( according to what did you say ) 

i'm looking for 2.1 speaker & dac & ( amp if neccessary ) with total budget of 150 $ can you suggest some cheap models or it's impossible with this budget?

thanks in advance

[GamerDude]

3 hours ago, faisal92 said:

my laptop has bad dac alot of noise while playing songs so i need a dac

why do i need an amp if i need a dac ( according to what did you say ) 

i'm looking for 2.1 speaker & dac & ( amp if neccessary ) with total budget of 150 $ can you suggest some cheap models or it's impossible with this budget?

thanks in advance

Often times, when someone says 'DAC', it generally refers to a DAC combo.....in which BOTH DAC and amp functions are built into one unit. Of course, there are separate DAC's and amps (each is an individual unit), these are 'stack'.

 

Pic below is that of my Oppo HA-1 DAC combo, it functions as a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), a headphone amp as well as a preamp for my Rokit5 G3 speakers. This is an older pic, before replacing the Focal XS Book speakers with my present Rokit5.

 

Below is a pic of my Gustard X12/H10 stack. The X12 (DAC, functions solely as a DAC only, no amp section whatsoever)) is stacked below (note that it has no headphone jack input/port at all), while the H10 headphone amp is on top (note the headphone jack input). That little white amp on the side is my Virtue One amp which powers a pair of Jamo Classic 4 speakers.

[faisal92]

9 hours ago, GamerDude said:

Often times, when someone says 'DAC', it generally refers to a DAC combo.....in which BOTH DAC and amp functions are built into one unit. Of course, there are separate DAC's and amps (each is an individual unit), these are 'stack'.

 

Pic below is that of my Oppo HA-1 DAC combo, it functions as a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), a headphone amp as well as a preamp for my Rokit5 G3 speakers. This is an older pic, before replacing the Focal XS Book speakers with my present Rokit5.

 

Below is a pic of my Gustard X12/H10 stack. The X12 (DAC, functions solely as a DAC only, no amp section whatsoever)) is stacked below (note that it has no headphone jack input/port at all), while the H10 headphone amp is on top (note the headphone jack input). That little white amp on the side is my Virtue One amp which powers a pair of Jamo Classic 4 speakers.

what's the useful of pre-amp if your speakers is active and had internal amp ? 

the rokit5 g3 they call studio monitors why i mean what does studio monitors mean and why you people use it for ?

i want speakers for movies,hip hop,soundtracks i like deeb bass.

are the studio monitors good for me or just 2.1 will be fine

[GamerDude]

1 hour ago, faisal92 said:

1. what's the useful of pre-amp if your speakers is active and had internal amp ? 

2. the rokit5 g3 they call studio monitors why i mean what does studio monitors mean and why you people use it for ?

i want speakers for movies,hip hop,soundtracks i like deeb bass.

are the studio monitors good for me or just 2.1 will be fine

1. Well, although my Rokit5 G3's have volume control knobs at the back, it'd be quite inconvenient to have to adjust the volume via the volume knobs at back of the speakers because there're differences in audio volume levels between audio formats, movies and such. Sure, you can also use Window audio panel to adjust volume, but it can be quite inconvenient as well (like after starting a game, you find the volume too loud, w/o a preamp, you'd have to get out of the game, and adjust Windows volume). Having a preamp section on my Oppo HA-1 means that I don't have to bother adjusting volume in WIndows and even the audio player or the Master volume of a game. All I have to do is set Windows/game/audio player/video player volume at a certain level, like 90% for example, then I can use the volume knob on my Oppo HA-1 itself to adjust the volume. In other words, the preamp on my Oppo HA-1 takes over the master volume control for my speakers.

2. Don't bother about how the speakers are referred as, like studio monitors, that's just marketing talk. Although my Rokit5 are referred to as studio monitors, they do a good job presenting an overall balance in sound, but with a mild bass boost. I find them great for movies, gaming and music and certainly not bass light (though they lack the low freq extension of sub woofers.

 

If 'deep bass' is what you're keen on, perhaps a good 2.1 setup would be more ideal for you. As to what would suit you, it's best that you actually audition them yourself and see, or rather, hear them personally as you're the best judge of what sounds best. JBL LSR305 is very much favored by the audio heads here....