[ADVICE] Portable Dac&Amp for ~ € 150/200

[Anto102]

Hi! I'm looking for a Portable Dac&Amp for a budget around € 150/200.

It must have:

• Bluetooth
• Built-in battery

I will pair it with a Beyerdynamic DT880 600Ω.

I already have planned to buy desktop equipment, but i need also a portable one.

Thanks in advance

 

[Cahudson42]

Consider Qudelix 5k. $110, plus Balanced cable - if DT880 can do Balanced..

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/qudelix-5k-bluetooth-dac-headphone-amp.17386/

Suggest you assure you can return the Qudelix if necessary. 600ohm headphones are not really the best run off low voltage portable equipment. Need to listen to see if satisfactory. If you have been thinking of a new set of HP with lower 32-50ohm impedance, this would be the time to get it.

 

[raistlin65]

Hi! I'm looking for a Portable Dac&Amp for a budget around € 150/200.

It must have:

• Bluetooth
• Built-in battery

I will pair it with a Beyerdynamic DT880 600Ω.

Have you purchased the DT880 600 ohm? If not, you are choosing one of the worst headphones for use with a portable setup.

 

[Anto102]

Have you purchased the DT880 600 ohm? If not, you are choosing one of the worst headphones for use with a portable setup.

Yes, I already have them.
I'm not looking for a top of the line one, just something to replace my current Creative Soundblaster e5 on the go

Dunno if i'll be able to find the Qudelix 5k here in Europe

 

[Anto102]

What about the Earstudio ES100 MK2?

I can find it on Amazon, unlike the Qudelix 5K

If you guys have any other option, feel free to tell me more!

 

[ZolaIII]

@Anto102 unfortunately can't say I know any which will really work good with 600 Ohm's can's especially not that meet requirements. You can buy even a nice DAP such as HiBy R3Pro for the price but it's not for the 600 Ohm's can's (not even on balanced out). You must be joking with EarStudio. Buy something which is ment to be portable and easy enough to drive.

 

[wasnotwasnotwas]

You're probably looking at the Xduo 05 (one of the variants) , or a Topping or similar make.

Not sure how good they are in absolute performance terms but should be powerful enough for 600ohm beyer. As others have said, the smaller dongles/ widgets probably dont cut it. Not sure about bluetooth on these though

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linsoul-Po...05&qid=1607520307&sr=8-3&tag=googhydr-21&th=1

 

[raistlin65]

What about the Earstudio ES100 MK2?

I can find it on Amazon, unlike the Qudelix 5K

If you guys have any other option, feel free to tell me more!

Give up the idea that anything small is going to power those headphones.

The xduo x5 that @wasnotwasnotwas recommended should work well. Keep in mind that amp/DAC is a brick. I would call it transportable, not portable. Not something you want to carry around in your pocket.

And maybe you're going about this the wrong way. Maybe it's time to get a second pair of headphones for more portable use.

 

[ZolaIII]

@Anto102 it's possible to make a setup with additional portable amp (flask alike one) which just might have enough power for those headaphones but you would need to consult about that with someone around hire who tried.
Topping NX3S:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...attery-operated-portable-headphone-amps.6312/
Should be around 70$/€ depending where you buy it and in combination with small portable DAC which can deliver 2V out. Still this wouldn't exactly be a very convenient thing to use and carry around.

 

[staticV3]

Hi! I'm looking for a Portable Dac&Amp for a budget around € 150/200.

It must have:

• Bluetooth
• Built-in battery

I will pair it with a Beyerdynamic DT880 600Ω.

I already have planned to buy desktop equipment, but i need also a portable one.

Thanks in advance

For a portable setup there's no choice really other than to modify your 880 for use with balanced sources.
This is pretty easy, as long as your headphone's cable has both ground wires (one for each driver) running all the way down to the 3.5mm plug, as most headphones have.
Just snip off the old plug and solder a new 2.5mm one onto it. And just like that you have a balanced 880.
Once you have done that, you have access to a few bluetooth headphones adapters that can supply about 4.0Vrms. That's enough to get the 880 600Ω to about 110dB. Sufficiently loud.

-Yinlvmei B2: 4.4mm, 3.6Vrms, $290
-Qudelix-5K: 2.5mm, 4.0Vrms, $110
-Shanling UP4: 2.5mm, ??Vrms, $100
-Fiio BTR5: 2.5MM, 3.6Vrms, $116
-Oriolus 1795: 2.5mm, ??Vrms, $250

For more info on and comparisons between these devices, please check out this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...-8-jul-20-qudelix-5k-impression-added.906655/

 

[bobbooo]

What about the Earstudio ES100 MK2?

I can find it on Amazon, unlike the Qudelix 5K

If you guys have any other option, feel free to tell me more!

You can get the Qudelix 5K from amazon.com, with international shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/Qudelix-5K-Bluetooth-Adaptive-Unbalanced-Balanced/dp/B088F7C976/

 

[musicforcities]

Alas the stock beyer dt880 has a three wire cord (shared ground). So one has to replace the entire cord if you want balanced. Still, it’s pretty easy to do AND you can add a trrs socket or a 4 pin mini-xlr socket on the left cup where the fixed cable enters and have a detachable cable if you like. There are many videos and tutorials out there.

I recommend Mogami quad neglex for the new cable. Easy to work with, super supple and good awg. Or there are trrs to trrs or 4pin xlr cables out there for not much. Heck, “cables online” sells fine quality 4 pin mini xlr to mini xlr cables on eBay. Get a long one, 10ft or so. cut it into two length, 36” and 7ft. for the long one solder on whatever plug you need for your desktop set up (balanced or single ended) for the short one what you need for your portable set up (usually 2.5mm trrs…which are a pain to solder granted).

I have done that. It’s worth it if you have a balanced amp due to the extra power; and yeah, you have to go balanced with the 5k or es100. The 5k is slightly better in terms of power balanced into 600ohm. It’s the only option really. I have used the es100 balanced on them fir curiosity. It works. Sort of. With lots of eq. But not ideal. It makes more sense to spend the $100-120 on a different/second set of headphones. Heck, even a preowned 32ohm dt880 if you just have to have that beyer 880 sheen .

 

[musicforcities]

The stock 600ohm dt880 cable, or at least the one that came on mine 10 years ago is not only just three wires, those three wires are i guess 24-26awg and consist of stunningly fine individually enameled strands without any insulating-sleeve around each conductor if my memory is correct. I attached a 4 pin mini xlr to the headphone end to keep using it. It’s rather beautifully made as those things go.

I am not a cable magic dude nor have I measured the stock cable impedance etc. I only did the mod so I could use it with so called “balanced” outputs I happened to have as these are not the easiest cans to power.

ps; they do sound wonderful if driven by an integrated or receiver headphone jack that taps the speaker power and has a high output impedance as a result of 30-80 ohms or so. The 600 ohms were designed for a different age/pro use.