Need Help buying Audio DAC/Amplifier.

A

Adwaith

Enclave Plus
Contributor
Hi TE!

Sometime last year, in anticipation of building a new PC, I bought a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro headphones and this is the 250 ohm version. I've been told that I need an AudioDAC/Amplifier to get the full potential out of these headphones and I've been searching for options.

I don't know the first thing about audio and I've come across a range of suggestions on reddit, but the ones suggested are either not available in India or too expensive.

Right now the headphones are just plugged into my motherboard, which is also a tad inconvenient because the cable runs from my left ear to the right side of my desk, where the PC is and therefore a DAC or Amplifier would help with that also.

Would greatly appreciate suggestions for the TE community. I'm also not sure how much my budget should be, but I think ₹20K is as high as I'm willing to go.

Thanks!
 
Having actually owned the original DX3, I would stay away. The amp was changed from a discrete setup to a power opamp, and the unit had quite a few firmware issues including turning off by itself. I would not use a Chi-Fi product at all, all of them have some issue or the other because of their relative inexperience in consume products. My only good experiences have been with Gustard, but even they have some niggling firmware issues.

After owning a variety of SMSL, Topping and Gustard products I homed in on the little Fosi DS2 due to rave reviews and guess what, the experience on Windows is trash. The driver is half baked and has severe dropout and skipping issues.

The only units below 20k are going to be Chi-Fi, that I understand, or you can get an interface from one of the pro audio brands. While not meeting "audiophile" cred, they will offer a more stable and intuitive experience. I'm very happy with my MOTU M2, for example (but it will not go very loud on the headphone output). I hear good things about the Focusrite Scarlet's new generation interfaces. If you absolutely must buy Chinese, get the Shanling: https://www.headphonezone.in/products/shanling-eh1 It has output capability sufficient to drive a 300 ohm headphone to high volume (though I'm not sure about the implementation, which is critical). The other thing they don't talk about is the audio chipset (the interface chip). If it's anything other XMOS is provided, turn and run. That would be a cheap nasty domestic (Savitech or similar) chipset with washy drivers. These cheap fellows don't want to pay license fees and end up with a rubbish offering.

Turns out the Fiio K7 does indeed stick with a XMOS chip:

www.headphonezone.in

FiiO - K7

Buy FiiO K7 Desktop Amplifier & DAC Online in India at Headphone Zone. Best Amps and DACs. Offers, Expert Advice, Reviews & Detailed Specs.
www.headphonezone.in www.headphonezone.in

Has sufficient power and the 4493 is no slouch BUT

The last Fiio I used was very, very bad to listen to but that was 12 years ago so who knows....
 
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For desktop headphone use there is little difference, I believe the headphone section is the same, as is the upstream chipset. The ADC is better on the M4, so for recording that's a better bet. The Out3/out4 on the MOTU also have no volume control, so be warned if ever using those.
 
cranky said:
For desktop headphone use there is little difference, I believe the headphone section is the same, as is the upstream chipset. The ADC is better on the M4, so for recording that's a better bet. The Out3/out4 on the MOTU also have no volume control, so be warned if ever using those.
Click to expand...
what alternative then for having it all?
 
deathblade said:
Under 20k, I would highly recommend getting a Topping DX3 Pro+. It has more than enough juice to power that DT 770 Pro.

Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion!
cranky said:
Having actually owned the original DX3, I would stay away. The amp was changed from a discrete setup to a power opamp, and the unit had quite a few firmware issues including turning off by itself. I would not use a Chi-Fi product at all, all of them have some issue or the other because of their relative inexperience in consume products. My only good experiences have been with Gustard, but even they have some niggling firmware issues.

After owning a variety of SMSL, Topping and Gustard products I homed in on the little Fosi DS2 due to rave reviews and guess what, the experience on Windows is trash. The driver is half baked and has severe dropout and skipping issues.

The only units below 20k are going to be Chi-Fi, that I understand, or you can get an interface from one of the pro audio brands. While not meeting "audiophile" cred, they will offer a more stable and intuitive experience. I'm very happy with my MOTU M2, for example (but it will not go very loud on the headphone output). I hear good things about the Focusrite Scarlet's new generation interfaces. If you absolutely must buy Chinese, get the Shanling: https://www.headphonezone.in/products/shanling-eh1 It has output capability sufficient to drive a 300 ohm headphone to high volume (though I'm not sure about the implementation, which is critical). The other thing they don't talk about is the audio chipset (the interface chip). If it's anything other XMOS is provided, turn and run. That would be a cheap nasty domestic (Savitech or similar) chipset with washy drivers. These cheap fellows don't want to pay license fees and end up with a rubbish offering.

Turns out the Fiio K7 does indeed stick with a XMOS chip:

www.headphonezone.in

FiiO - K7

Buy FiiO K7 Desktop Amplifier & DAC Online in India at Headphone Zone. Best Amps and DACs. Offers, Expert Advice, Reviews & Detailed Specs.
www.headphonezone.in www.headphonezone.in

Has sufficient power and the 4493 is no slouch BUT

The last Fiio I used was very, very bad to listen to but that was 12 years ago so who knows....
Click to expand...
Thanks! Most of this is overhed transmission to me.

Do you think enhancing my budget would help?
 
I've provided a few options (M2 and K7) but yes, increasing the budget would help. Unsure of what options are available outside of Chi-fi, I don't listen much to headphones and haven't bought a DAC in that price range for some time now. A cursory look at the HeadphoneZone site showed me no good options.
princeoo7 said:
what alternative then for having it all?
Click to expand...

When you say all, what do you need? The M4 is good enough, just don't connect any monitors directly to out 3/4 and you're set.

The Audient iD14 looks like the most solid bet in the ~25k price range. Watch the caveats on low impedance headphones.

 
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Personally i think you are throwing Good money after bad - the only way I can bring myself to listen to a beyer is with with heavy eq. And to add to it's pretentiousness it has this high impedance. If your goal is to enjoy music and not look for recording flaws, I would sell the beyer, get something in 32 ohm which opens up a lot of entry - mid dacs. Personally i think an ath m50 + zen dac is fabulous
 
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