Ananda Nano budget amp, do i even need one ?

[ShiroPL]

Hello there. I just picked up used ananda nanos for 200€. They do sound great, but not what i would epect from 200€ headphones to sound like after purchasing my letshuoer s12 iems for 100€ last year. I use my s12 plugged directly to phone and the nanos stationary on the desktop via cx 31993 dac.

I always heard that planars like more power, they need the headroom to clear up, reach their full potential, yadda yadda.
By applying oratory EQ preset i feel like the spaciousness decreased just a little bit. Although it still feels good in games, it also feels like something is a bit lacking.

Speaking of that cx31993, it's as generic as it gets, not even the maxamp version. On pc i barely use 20-25% volume, maybe 30-40 on discord, on mobile 40-50%. So in terms of volume i'm good there.

I could buy douk u3 amp for 20€, rca-jack male cables and pair it with the dongle dac like it was intended to and get 2.39Vrms/400mW of power out of such s*it stack.

Would it help the headphones with some extra quality or it won't help at all because i already have enough power to make them go loud or they won't synergize and i need something 100-200€ to even hear a difference.

There is also a refurb of ifi hip dac, (but only 1st gen) for 64€ which i could buy in the future, but douk u3 is by far the cheapest option for more power. Even cheaper than TRN black pearl which i was also looking into.
Both douk and ifi are already 5 year old constructions, so maybe i should go for something newer, more adequate like a mid tier 250mW dongle/desktop dac with balanced output it should be 4-5 times the needed power for headroom.

 

[staticV3]

Would it help the headphones with some extra quality or it won't help at all because i already have enough power to make them go loud or they won't synergize and i need something 100-200€ to even hear a difference.

Synergy is a myth.

Nothing will change, unless the headphone Amp is built to change things (e.g. non-linear frequency response, tube-based etc.)

 

[oleg87]

I always heard that planars like more power

I'm not sure there's a topic of online discourse more chock-full of misinformation and superstition and useless generalizations than headphone amplifier requirements.
Unless you are planning to listen at volumes over 110dB SPL peak, something like the FiiO KA11 is already overkill.

 

[Whatsthephuss]

If the cx31993 DAC has enough power (sounds like it does) and a low enough impedance (it should), than @staticV3 is correct that you won’t hear a difference spending more on an amplifier unless you choose an amplifier that intentionally changes the sound.

Using EQ can have a greater impact on the desired sound than changing amps imo. But if you do use EQ and boost the bass (or high shelf cut everything above the bass), chances are you will run into higher power requirements that will require a more powerful amplifier.