Any recommendations for a DAC/AMP for headphone use from PC?

Space Monkey said:
Is that the only reason, as it'll only be on my pc that they are used?

Would it make for better sound with 250s?
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the differences will be minimal between versions.

there is a difference. as to what is better that's like asking is salt and vinegar better than thai sweet chilli.

there's not really a right answer when it comes to sound signature and individuals preferences unless your a purist then the more neutral the headphone and the more accurate the headphone the better it is.

if that's the case buy the HD600 for £200, they are 300ohm
 
Psycho Sonny said:
yeah he's the only one, I know of.

plenty of bad reviews on the headphone out of the NAD D 3020 with other headphones on head fi.

that's what is making me think I would be better off saving £250+ and getting a AUNE T1, then upgrading the valve to one which suits the X1's sound.

I think i'm going to give it 3-6 months, save up some cash and buy both the aune T1 and nad d 3020, test them both and then see if I think the nad is worth the extra £250+, if it is i'll keep it, if it isn't i'll send it back and keep the aune
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I have the D3020 as well. Though I expect you'll be pleasantly surprised by the headphone quality ;)
 
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Space Monkey said:
Genuine noob question, but if the STX can power up to 600ohm headphones, wouldn't the 250Ohm's be a safe middle ground?
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It's really upto you. Both are sensitive and easy to drive. It really doesn't matter. If you plan on adding say a tube amp then I would probably say that the 250 is a better idea.

The 770s no matter the ohm really can be driven off anything with a half decent Dac. The simple answer would be just get what you can drive!
 
Ryanr1987 said:
It's really upto you. Both are sensitive and easy to drive. It really doesn't matter. If you plan on adding say a tube amp then I would probably say that the 250 is a better idea.

The 770s no matter the ohm really can be driven off anything with a half decent Dac. The simple answer would be just get what you can drive!
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That's a good point, I do like the idea later on of upgrading to a better DAC / AMP unit, it's just a limited budget holding me back at the moment, so as long as the 250 Ohm's are not going to suffer on the STX then I may just give them a whirl?
 
The bass should tighten up slightly as the impedance increases but they are not as sensitive to the amp's output impedance as the DT990's, so it's your call really, the STX will drive both very easily.
 
rids57 said:
The bass should tighten up slightly as the impedance increases but they are not as sensitive to the amp's output impedance as the DT990's, so it's your call really, the STX will drive both very easily.
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What effect does the 'not as sensitive to the amps output impedance as the DT990's' have?
 
it means that a lower damping factor won't make as much difference to the sound. At 80ohms they are bang on 8:1 with the 10 ohm STX, which is the recommended minimum. However, this is only important if headphones are adversely affected by damping factor in the first place. The 62ohm AKG 702's for instance can quite happily use an amp with an output impedance of 50ohms, making the ratio not far above unity. The DT770's are not as immune to the effect as the AKG's but they are not as bad as the DT990's and nowhere near the Sennheiser HD598.

AKG K702 (62 ohm) basically stays almost flat (swing of 10)
Beyerdynamic DT770 (250 ohm) rises from 250 to about 300 ohms at 70~80Hz (swing of 50)
Beyerdynamic DT990 (250 ohm) rises from 250 to about 375 ohms at 80~90Hz (swing of 125)
Sennheiser HD 598 (50 ohm) rises from 50 to about 275 ohms at 90~100 ohms (swing of 225)

In a headphone that is sensitive to damping factor, a low ratio means that the speakers tend to continue moving for a fraction of a second due to momentum after the signal has altered or stopped. So the speaker is actually making sound that is not in the original signal, distortion in other words. This tends to occur round about 70Hz to 100Hz and results in a loose sounding bass.
 
yep, though as I said, they are not terribly sensitive to low damping factor so 8:1 would probably be ok. As you have no intention of using them on mobile gear you may as well go for the 250 ohm as they will have a very slightly tighter bass response compared with the 80's.
 
rids57 said:
yep, though as I said, they are not terribly sensitive to low damping factor so 8:1 would probably be ok. As you have no intention of using them on mobile gear you may as well go for the 250 ohm as they will have a very slightly tighter bass response compared with the 80's.
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Great thanks, so I think I've enough information now to order, and as mentioned it'll only be at my PC these are used, with a view to a DAC/AMP upgrade in the future?

Thanks everyone for bearing with me, it's really the first time I've spent this much on music components so I've never needed to look into it before, hence all the questions :p

Unless something changes I'll have a bash at the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro's 250 Ohm's, if they're rubbish, I'll just blame you lot, lol :D
 
Ordered the DT770 Pro 250 Ohm's at a lower price, 10 mins later they went up by £15 :D

Really looking forward to using these with the STX, should be here in a few days (I cheap'd out on the delivery) :)
 
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