The E09K is a much more powerful amplifier so can drive higher impedance headphones more easily. It also has a dock for the E07K and E17K so that when connected, they act as DACs and the amplification is taken care of by the E09K.
Getting the best out of my DT770 Pro
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The E09K is a much more powerful amplifier so can drive higher impedance headphones more easily. It also has a dock for the E07K and E17K so that when connected, they act as DACs and the amplification is taken care of by the E09K.
Well good to know I have it set up correctly. Although what DAC is, what it does, and why it's important is like greek to me
I take it you have these headphones too? How do you power yours?
What I'm looking at the moment is either buying the E09K and then using the E07K as the DAC. The E09K has a drive ability of 16-600ohm and the E07K has a drive ability of 16-100ohm. Will that be enough power to run as a DAC?
Or sell the E07K and buy something like the Schiit
D) Modi & Magni as these get good reviews and are reasonably price.Thanks for your explanation. Does it matter how powerful the DAC is then?
The power deficiency is in the E07K's amplifier not the DAC. The DAC in the EO7K feeds the desktop amplifier in the EO9K which is a lot more powerful than the mobile amp in the E07K.
The E09K has an output impedance of 10ohms so isn't really suited to any headphones under 80ohms. It has plenty of power for mid-high impedance cans but with low impedance cans it may sound a little loose and imprecise at low frequencies. With the 250ohm Beyers the pairing will work fine so no worries there.
The Magni/Modi setup has a low impedance and plenty of power so will be good across the whole range.
The E09K has an output impedance of 10ohms so isn't really suited to any headphones under 80ohms. It has plenty of power for mid-high impedance cans but with low impedance cans it may sound a little loose and imprecise at low frequencies. With the 250ohm Beyers the pairing will work fine so no worries there.
The Magni/Modi setup has a low impedance and plenty of power so will be good across the whole range.
DAC is unpowered, it just converts digital to analogue (hence the name). Better DAC just means 'more lossless' to put it at its most basic.
Thanks for the explanations
so my E07K would be suitable as a DAC when paired with the E09K. Plus point of staying with FiiO is my E07K would have a use and it would be more than enough power. Could also un-dock it and use it with mobile phone or ipod etc as an amp when on the move. Would need to make sure I have space for the DAC to be docked in it as not much space on desk or on top of computer case where my current amp is. Would also need to bare in mind if I changed headset they might not perform well.
Magi & Modi are stackable and would provide enough power too. They are compatible with more headphones than the FiiO range but would cost me around £200 to buy excluding cables. Not sure how easy they would be to get repaired if needed as only one UK supplier which I've not heard of or used before.
Just can't decide.
I am swaying more towards the E09K as I doubt I'll go below 100ohms again for a headset.
Back again!
Well still no further forward. Having to buy a new front bumper for the car hasn't helped as it meant putting buying an amp on hold.
Anyway... been reading a lot on head-fi forums as the Schiit products come highly recommend on there. Was all set to get the Modi & Magni combo until someone on there suggested I get the Vali amp instead as it's more suited to my cans as it uses tubes to get more out of them rather than the Magni which simply just amplifies the output (solid state). Does anyone have any experience with tube maps?
Since my last post I also came across the EHP-O2Di but couldn't really find any information in the specs to confirm if it would be powerful enough. An e-mail to the manufacturer said it would be more than enough but then they would say that to get the sale. Can anyone confirm if this is the case? I need an amp that does 250ohm as a minimum.
I was speaking to a work colleague who's really into his music and sets up gigs etc and they said that because I'm using onboard sound with a relatively modern mobo, I have no need for a DAC. Is this right? As DACs seem to come recommend alongside an amp. I am contemplating selling this computer and getting a tablet instead as I don't use it to play computer games any more. Would this change whether I'd need just an amp or both?
If I do just need an amp I might be tempted to splash more on just buying a more powerful amp.
Well still no further forward. Having to buy a new front bumper for the car hasn't helped as it meant putting buying an amp on hold.
Anyway... been reading a lot on head-fi forums as the Schiit products come highly recommend on there. Was all set to get the Modi & Magni combo until someone on there suggested I get the Vali amp instead as it's more suited to my cans as it uses tubes to get more out of them rather than the Magni which simply just amplifies the output (solid state). Does anyone have any experience with tube maps?
Since my last post I also came across the EHP-O2Di but couldn't really find any information in the specs to confirm if it would be powerful enough. An e-mail to the manufacturer said it would be more than enough but then they would say that to get the sale. Can anyone confirm if this is the case? I need an amp that does 250ohm as a minimum.
I was speaking to a work colleague who's really into his music and sets up gigs etc and they said that because I'm using onboard sound with a relatively modern mobo, I have no need for a DAC. Is this right? As DACs seem to come recommend alongside an amp. I am contemplating selling this computer and getting a tablet instead as I don't use it to play computer games any more. Would this change whether I'd need just an amp or both?
If I do just need an amp I might be tempted to splash more on just buying a more powerful amp.
It's taking up quite a bit of room and I only use it for browsing the web and listening to music. Could always downgrade I guess and get a small factor one.
Couldn't get the sound card I bought to work unfortunately. I have a link to the thread I created at the time I was having trouble on the first page and just gave up on it in the end.
Wouldn't need to mess around finding a suitable amp if it worked. Like headphones, there's just so much choice.
So do you still have the STX?
If so give it another try and this time ensure that you plug a molex connector into the front as it needs this to power it correctly.
The STX should be set to medium gain (64~300ohms) and will drive the headphones very, very easily.
If so give it another try and this time ensure that you plug a molex connector into the front as it needs this to power it correctly.
The STX should be set to medium gain (64~300ohms) and will drive the headphones very, very easily.
Yeah still have it stored away. It wasn't the STX I bought, was the DGX.
I will give it another try tomorrow. Will it still drive the headphones compared to the STX?
Appreciate all the help and suggestions so far.
edit: looking at the specs of the card even if I get it working it only supports up to 150ohm.
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No, the STX is an altogether different beast. I did have a DGX and it wasn't up to driving my 250 ohm DT990 pros to anything like acceptable levels. Maybe Ryan has bat ears or something but the DGX and the Soundblaster Z both came up short in the volume stakes.
As you already have an E07K then the obvious solution is to get the E09K to go with it. You then slot the E07K into the top slot of the E09K and you have a complete DAC and Amp setup that will drive the headphones very well.
As you already have an E07K then the obvious solution is to get the E09K to go with it. You then slot the E07K into the top slot of the E09K and you have a complete DAC and Amp setup that will drive the headphones very well.