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Bang for your buck king in the budget space?

You can try the L30 II with your motherboard, it will most likely work better feeding line level signal to the L30 than directly driving a very low impedance load as the Edition XS. Then, if you ever feel something is wrong, you can add a cheap dongle as DAC like the Jcally JM20, it will be a fully transparent and powerful configuration.
 
You can try the L30 II with your motherboard, it will most likely work better feeding line level signal to the L30 than directly driving a very low impedance load as the Edition XS. Then, if you ever feel something is wrong, you can add a cheap dongle as DAC like the Jcally JM20, it will be a fully transparent and powerful configuration.
Interesting, is one of these dongles as good as a dedicated dac like the E30?

I noticed people saying the Apple dongle is pretty good as well. Is there a "best" dongle?
 
Interesting, is one of these dongles as good as a dedicated dac like the E30?

I noticed people saying the Apple dongle is pretty good as well. Is there a "best" dongle?
The dongles can be more than good enough. DACs easily exceed our hearing capabilities. If you have troubles because of the self-noise with the audio out of the computer, that is an option.
 
The dongles can be more than good enough. DACs easily exceed our hearing capabilities. If you have troubles because of the self-noise with the audio out of the computer, that is an option.
I'm really picky about my sound these days. I was legally blind and then a couple years ago had an accident that cost me the vision in what was my good eye. Now it's more about the sound than the visuals for me. I tried hooking the headphones up to the onboard sound and it was clear but lacked any definition or granularity. The ALC897 is a really antiquated codec, I don't know why it's still in use. Would one of these dongles have better dac's than the the onboard solution?

I wish I could afford the whole stack but the last couple years, with the eye and other health issues, haven't been super prosperous. I really didn't want to have to buy more gear to run these headphones. I have a decent AVR, I thought it would be as good as any headphone amp out there, boy was I wrong. How they can make a higher end AVR and completely drop the ball on the headphone output is beyond me.

This is why I was thinking a dac/amp combo unit is the way to go. But if a better amp + a dongle would yield better results than a cheaper dac/amp combo then perhaps that's the way to go.
 
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Thank you so much for taking the time to look that up. It seems those are mostly from Europe. After shipping an import fee's I think it would cost me more than just buying something new. I've been looking around for used gear locally and people seem to want darn near full retail price for it, maybe $20-50 less. Doesn't seem worth it, especially given the lack of warranty.
 
Here's a $55 DAC/headphone amp combo that might work for you, the Fosi Audio DS2 Portable DAC & Amp:

 
Here's a $55 DAC/headphone amp combo that might work for you, the Fosi Audio DS2 Portable DAC & Amp:

Wow that actually seems like a really nice option. Would it work well with the Edition XS? They are 18ohm, from what I understand they are harder to drive cleanly.
 
Wow that actually seems like a really nice option. Would it work well with the Edition XS? They are 18ohm, from what I understand they are harder to drive cleanly.
From the review:

" Fosi Audio DS2 Listening Tests
I started with the Sennheiser HD650 high impedance headphone. The DS2 drove it with no difficultly, producing excellent fidelity and bass impact. Higher power desktop amps push it a notch higher but what was there was plenty enough with some headroom left to play with. I then plugged in my difficult to drive Dan Clark E3 headphone and was very surprised when the DS2 drove it with no hint of distortion. It was perfectly usable on the DS2 -- something I rarely say for a portable product."

Mind you, when I got the E30/L30 combo I had a little more money than usual and also wanted something I could use to connect to my AVR. So, my needs are different than yours. In any case, I'll take Amirm's word for it.
 
From the review:

" Fosi Audio DS2 Listening Tests
I started with the Sennheiser HD650 high impedance headphone. The DS2 drove it with no difficultly, producing excellent fidelity and bass impact. Higher power desktop amps push it a notch higher but what was there was plenty enough with some headroom left to play with. I then plugged in my difficult to drive Dan Clark E3 headphone and was very surprised when the DS2 drove it with no hint of distortion. It was perfectly usable on the DS2 -- something I rarely say for a portable product."

Mind you, when I got the E30/L30 combo I had a little more money than usual and also wanted something I could use to connect to my AVR. So, my needs are different than yours. In any case, I'll take Amirm's word for it.
You know, I'm really tempted to give it a try. Maybe save up for the Topping stack. In find it hard to imagine how a little thing like this could drive headphones as well as that nicely built Toppings amp. I mean, it shouldn't even be close based on the hardware.
 
You know, I'm really tempted to give it a try. Maybe save up for the Topping stack. In find it hard to imagine how a little thing like this could drive headphones as well as that nicely built Toppings amp. I mean, it shouldn't even be close based on the hardware.
This sector of technological advance is quite remarkable. The portable amp/DAC has around 200 milliwatts around 32 ohms compared to the 1 watt of the Topping stack, but that might be enough anyway. Depends on how loud you play the planar 'phones. There shouldn't be any problem with the 650s, I've successfully driven those with portable devices with a lot less juice than the Fosi DS2.
 
From the review:

" Fosi Audio DS2 Listening Tests
I started with the Sennheiser HD650 high impedance headphone. The DS2 drove it with no difficultly, producing excellent fidelity and bass impact. Higher power desktop amps push it a notch higher but what was there was plenty enough with some headroom left to play with. I then plugged in my difficult to drive Dan Clark E3 headphone and was very surprised when the DS2 drove it with no hint of distortion. It was perfectly usable on the DS2 -- something I rarely say for a portable product."

Mind you, when I got the E30/L30 combo I had a little more money than usual and also wanted something I could use to connect to my AVR. So, my needs are different than yours. In any case, I'll take Amirm's word for it.
As for what reported at Diyaudioheaven review of the Edition XS, DS2, as other similar dongles, could still be enough via their balanced output, that will require buying a balanced cable, but could fall short in case one want to experiment with EQ.
Another budget all in one alternative could then be Topping DX1, non need for balanced cable and proven to full transparently drive 16 ohm at 300mW

1663622326-THDN-Ratio-vs-Measured-Level.jpg
 
As for what reported at Diyaudioheaven review of the Edition XS, DS2, as other similar dongles, could still be enough via their balanced output, that will require buying a balanced cable, but could fall short in case one want to experiment with EQ.
Another budget all in one alternative could then be Topping DX1, non need for balanced cable and proven to full transparently drive 16 ohm at 300mW

1663622326-THDN-Ratio-vs-Measured-Level.jpg
The DX1 has also been very tempting at it's price. I would like to be able to play with EQ a little as I enjoy more Bass than I think these headphones offer without EQ. Having to spend at least $30 on a balanced cable takes away from some of the cost savings I guess.
 
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Hi all,

I'm looking for a cheap but descent dac/amp. I just got a pair of Hifiman Edition XS's. I was hoping that my AVR would be ok to run them. It sounds way better than my motherboard audio or something like a game controller but it still seems a bit distorted and almost glitchy. Plus I don't feel like it's getting the most out of them.

Can't afford a ton right now, maybe up to $200cad. Is there that would work well with these at this price? In the future I'll get something better but I'd like to get the most I can out of these until then.

Something that pairs well with a PC would be nice also.

Trying to put together a short list but it keeps getting longer.
SMSL D12
Quadelix 5k if I can find one but does it really have much more going for it other than the parametric eq?
Fiio K11 (Is R2R worth the extra?)
SMSL C100
Fosi SK02
ifi Zen Dac Air
Dac-X6
It's a little over your budget and probably has the best price/performance ratio in this price range. The SMSL SU-1 DAC and the Sabaj A20h headphone amplifier, both available from Amazon.ca. Alternatively, to stay within budget for now, you could also run the A20h with the Apple dongle.
The A20h is an true balanced HPA, including relay-based volume control with absolute channel equality, remote control, display, balanced input and true balanced output with a maximum of 4.7 watts at 32 ohms. Plus a good and powerful switching power supply and not just a cheap transformer.
Amirm tested it and confirmed its good performance.
Sabaj A20h Balanced Headphone Amp Review
 
It's a little over your budget and probably has the best price/performance ratio in this price range. The SMSL SU-1 DAC and the Sabaj A20h headphone amplifier, both available from Amazon.ca. Alternatively, to stay within budget for now, you could also run the A20h with the Apple dongle.
The A20h is an true balanced HPA, including relay-based volume control with absolute channel equality, remote control, display, balanced input and true balanced output with a maximum of 4.7 watts at 32 ohms. Plus a good and powerful switching power supply and not just a cheap transformer.
Amirm tested it and confirmed its good performance.
Sabaj A20h Balanced Headphone Amp Review
That amp looks great, definitely don't think I could afford both it and the dac right now. Are there any other dongle dacs that are as good or better than the apple dongle? I sue Windows, I can't imagine it will be a great experience with an apple device. Really torn if I get a cheaper all in one like the DX1, the portable DS2 + a balanced cable or get a nice amp + a dongle for now. I'm not sure I have the understanding to make the best decision.
 
That amp looks great, definitely don't think I could afford both it and the dac right now. Are there any other dongle dacs that are as good or better than the apple dongle? I sue Windows, I can't imagine it will be a great experience with an apple device. Really torn if I get a cheaper all in one like the DX1, the portable DS2 + a balanced cable or get a nice amp + a dongle for now. I'm not sure I have the understanding to make the best decision.
As already said, a Jcally JM20 dongle will be a cheap and perfect dongle dac but you want to prefer it to Apple dongle only for peace of mind of having a better measuring device, Apple dongle will sound equally transparent and will work equally nice with Windows. JM20 outputs 2 Vrms while Apple is 1 Vrms, so the amplifier will be able to reach higher final voltage, and JM20 has ASIO drivers if you ever need it.
Anyway all the possible choice presented will be sonically transparent and equivalent, the difference will be only in available power and usability (volume pot vs buttons, less or more cables, ecc...) so it's just to you, how loud you usually listen and how much you wan to to be able to eq.
 
That amp looks great, definitely don't think I could afford both it and the dac right now. Are there any other dongle dacs that are as good or better than the apple dongle? I sue Windows, I can't imagine it will be a great experience with an apple device. Really torn if I get a cheaper all in one like the DX1, the portable DS2 + a balanced cable or get a nice amp + a dongle for now. I'm not sure I have the understanding to make the best decision.
The A20h is in the same class as other balanced HPAs, it is only so cheap because it is being sold off. It is also very powerful at 4.7 watts. But like the SE version A10h, it will no longer be available at some point.

The Hifiman XS does not need as much power, but with EQ you always need some headroom.
If the XS is not your last pair of headphones, I would also go for a more universal device with more power.

The Apple dongle works perfectly on a Windows PC/notebook. Amir also tested it on a Windows system.
If you plan on replacing it later anyway, it is the cheapest choice.
But the difference as a DAC between the JCALLY JM20 and the SMSL SU-1 is actually not that big and probably not even audible. In addition, the CS43131 is a well-known good DAC chip. So a good alternative to stay within budget, even with the 3.5 to RCA cable.
 
So Amp + dongle is the way then. Does a balanced cable make a noticeable difference? Are the cheap ones any good or best avoided? That JCALLY JM20 seems tough to find.
 
So Amp + dongle is the way then. Does a balanced cable make a noticeable difference? Are the cheap ones any good or best avoided?
Balanced makes no difference in sound quality, it will be needed only if you go with the DS2 dongle to get max power it can output.
L30 II is only single ended so you can't use balanced with it.
Sabaj A20h single ended output will more than enough for Edition XS so not strictly needed to go balanced, you can leve it as a future option to have much more headroom.
 
So Amp + dongle is the way then. Does a balanced cable make a noticeable difference? Are the cheap ones any good or best avoided? That JCALLY JM20 seems tough to find.
Since the dongle is not symmetrical, you only need an RCA to 3.5mm cable.
You don't need a symmetrical cable for the headphones either. Only if you need more power, I think that's extremely unlikely with the A20h and XS. Otherwise it makes no difference.
 
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