mvnchies
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2019
- Messages
- 105
- Likes
- 51
Hi,
my iFi iDSD Black Label just died on me, so I am using it as an excuse to try something else
I have a pair of HD800 (with "SDR mod"), 300 Ohm around 100dB / mW sensitivity.
They will be used single-ended as I ordered a custom cable with 3.5mm, don't feel like replacing it since I am super happy with it and they cost so darn much.
However, I need something that is USB-powered - would prefer no battery, since I only use it with a plugged-in laptop.
Don't want to be lugging around a power brick/cable, hence the USB-power.
All that said, I really don't know to choose a product like this... I see a lot of well-measuring products, but very few are available to buy here in Europe.
It also feels a little bit like a waste to buy something meant for Balanced use, when I only have a single-ended cable... not sure if this is a bad way of thinking though.
Do I want a volume control on the DAC itself? Does it control the OS (Windows 10) volume with its buttons, or is there usually some kind of indicator on the product itself? I didn't see much information about this, but it would be nice to have a consistent volume setting to fall back to.
As for volume, I don't listen very loudly, but it would be nice to have headroom of course.
Is using Windows volume control good enough? Or is it recommended to use 100% + hardware volume control?
Low noise floor? How much power do I need...? Crosstalk, is this ever an issue? Do amplifiers affect imaging/soundstage - as I prioritize this a lot with headphones at least...? really not sure what I'm looking for here.
I also don't really want to support MQA, but... it's just a vague moral point of view thing...
Size not super important, but as I understand it, most USB-powered devices are very small.
Budget is not suuuper important... but I don't think I'd like to spend over €1000.
Would prefer to buy within EU, or at least not pay too much for shipping.
Thank you very much!
my iFi iDSD Black Label just died on me, so I am using it as an excuse to try something else
I have a pair of HD800 (with "SDR mod"), 300 Ohm around 100dB / mW sensitivity.
They will be used single-ended as I ordered a custom cable with 3.5mm, don't feel like replacing it since I am super happy with it and they cost so darn much.
However, I need something that is USB-powered - would prefer no battery, since I only use it with a plugged-in laptop.
Don't want to be lugging around a power brick/cable, hence the USB-power.
All that said, I really don't know to choose a product like this... I see a lot of well-measuring products, but very few are available to buy here in Europe.
It also feels a little bit like a waste to buy something meant for Balanced use, when I only have a single-ended cable... not sure if this is a bad way of thinking though.
Do I want a volume control on the DAC itself? Does it control the OS (Windows 10) volume with its buttons, or is there usually some kind of indicator on the product itself? I didn't see much information about this, but it would be nice to have a consistent volume setting to fall back to.
As for volume, I don't listen very loudly, but it would be nice to have headroom of course.
Is using Windows volume control good enough? Or is it recommended to use 100% + hardware volume control?
Low noise floor? How much power do I need...? Crosstalk, is this ever an issue? Do amplifiers affect imaging/soundstage - as I prioritize this a lot with headphones at least...? really not sure what I'm looking for here.
I also don't really want to support MQA, but... it's just a vague moral point of view thing...
Size not super important, but as I understand it, most USB-powered devices are very small.
Budget is not suuuper important... but I don't think I'd like to spend over €1000.
Would prefer to buy within EU, or at least not pay too much for shipping.
Thank you very much!