Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus - to much power for headphones?

[dman777]

I listen to music with my Sennheiser HD1 Headphones on low volume, otherwise my ears will ring.

I am looking for a DAC to impove the sound quality when I listen to music at work on my Samsung S7.

I was looking at the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus because it has a Wolfson audio chip in it. I used have a Galaxy S that had a wolfson chip and it sounds warm which I loved.


Would the 12 watt Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus be to power for my headphones/ears?

My other option as the Topping DX3 Pro...which would have a warmer sound between the two?

 

[Nationalizer]

Even if they have the same chip, DacMagic won't sound like your phone at all. Sound will be more controlled and will have more dynamic range.
I have 2 dacs, one's 6 years old with a burr brown chip (Music Fidelity V90) and the other is an iFi Micro iDSD BL (burr brown but newer). V90 is brighter, ifi is warmer (maybe closer to AKM chips).
Also, it won't have too much power, that's what the volume knob is for. And the headphones are not overly sensitive like some IEMs.

 

[JJB70]

If you like low volume do you need a separate DAC and amp? My Sony Xperia XZ premium is fine at lower volumes and some of the cheap USB dongles out there are audibly transparent and have enough power to listen at quite high volumes.

Manufacturers and magazines have done a great job creating a market for DACs but the reality is that audio DACs were commoditised years ago unless you want or need certain functionality such as balanced outputs. If you want to use a smartphone with headphones at low volume then the headphone output of the phone or a decent dongle is probably all you need unless you are unlucky and have one of the badly implemented outliers.

 

[Julf]

Manufacturers and magazines have done a great job creating a market for DACs but the reality is that audio DACs were commoditised years ago unless you want or need certain functionality such as balanced outputs.

Not only that, but many of the DAC chipsets used in "high end" DACs were developed specifically for smartphones.

 

[garbulky]

I listen to music with my Sennheiser HD1 Headphones on low volume, otherwise my ears will ring.

I am looking for a DAC to impove the sound quality when I listen to music at work on my Samsung S7.

I was looking at the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus because it has a Wolfson audio chip in it. I used have a Galaxy S that had a wolfson chip and it sounds warm which I loved.


Would the 12 watt Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus be to power for my headphones/ears?

My other option as the Topping DX3 Pro...which would have a warmer sound between the two?

It doesn't put out 12 watts of power if that's what you're thinking. It only consumes 12 watts of power.

 

[VintageFlanker]

I used have a Galaxy S that had a wolfson chip and it sounds warm which I loved.

Your Senn HD1 (Momentum 2.0?) is warm, not the Wolfson chip.

Would the 12 watt Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus be to power for my headphones/ears?

What @garbulky said. It's the power consumption, not the power output. 12W is INSANELY powerful and I know NONE headphone amp able to deliver that much.

My other option as the Topping DX3 Pro...which would have a warmer sound between the two?

None is supposed to sound warmer than the other. Still, the DX3 Pro measures better, especially the headphone amp which you're looking for. The CA Magic+ has a much higher output impedance, that may alter frequency response of your HD1.

DX3 Pro has known issues, but I encountered serious issues with Cambridge as well.

I would go for the Topping.

 

[garbulky]

Your Senn HD1 (Momentum 2.0?) is warm, not the Wolfson chip.

What @garbulky said. It's the power consumption, not the power output. 12W is INSANELY powerful and I know NONE headphone amp able to deliver that much.

I do happen to have a headphone amp on my shelf that is able to do so on 30 ohm headphones!
https://emotiva.com/collections/amps/products/a-100 One of the best purchases I have made. My Sennheiser HD700's and HD-600 sound great connected to them!
It's the Emotiva Bas-x A-100 ($250). I would not reccomend them for the 28 ohm Senn HD1 of the user.
"
Power Output (headphone output; direct drive mode)
(requires internal jumper; USE WITH CAUTION):
8 Ohms: 50 watts / channel
33 Ohms: 12 watts / channel
47 Ohms: 8.5 watts / channel
150 Ohms: 2.6 watts / channel
300 Ohms: 1.3 watts / channel
600 Ohms: 0.6 watts / channel "

And also the Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 ($1500)
https://www.schiit.com/products/ragnarok-5
"
Power Output, Balanced Headphone Output:
32 Ohms: 24W RMS per channel
50 Ohms: 15W RMS per channel
300 Ohms: 3W RMS per channel
600 Ohms: 1.5W RMS per channel
"

 

[THW]

why people would think they even want, need or even use literal watts of power in headphones, I don’t know...

 

[solderdude]

Raal SR1A may be the only exception. Perhaps the HE-6 and K1000 (120 Ohm) could benefit from a higher output voltage as well.

I would not dare to connect a sensitive low impedance IEM directly to a 50W speaker amp output though (which basically is what these amps are)
Nor would I connect any other headphone to it... just one 'error' with the volume turned up by accident and you can buy a new headphone.

One could easily connect 300 and 600 Ohm headphones to such amps though but still would be careful not to blow them up accidentally.
When clipping this amp there could be well over 20V over its terminals.

Most of the sensitive low impedance, intended for portable usage, headphones are between 20mW (0.02W) and 50mW (0.05W) rated and play well on low power output devices (phones, tablets, laptops etc)

 

[Jnn]

Hi!

What kind headphones you recommended with Cambridge audio dacmagic plus? At this moment i have Sennheiser HD598. Is there better choice?

 

[solderdude]

What kind headphones you recommended with Cambridge audio dacmagic plus? At this moment i have Sennheiser HD598. Is there better choice?

I would recommend high impedance headphones ( > 150 Ohm) unless the connected low impedance headphones have a 'flat' impedance like planar headphones for instance.

The rather high output resistance (33 Ohm) is a bit too high for the HD598.
Bass might become a bit 'bloated' with the DacMagic Plus.

see measurements here

 

[Jnn]

I would recommend high impedance headphones ( > 150 Ohm) unless the connected low impedance headphones have a 'flat' impedance like planar headphones for instance.

The rather high output resistance (33 Ohm) is a bit too high for the HD598.
Bass might become a bit 'bloated' with the DacMagic Plus.

see measurements here

Thank you.

I was thinking Sennheiser HD 600 or Sennheiser HD 660 S headphones.

 

[solderdude]

Yes, suited for HD600 (70mW may be a tad on the low side when you want impressively loud))
HD660S will have about 1dB more midbass and 140mW of power.

 

[WHQL]

Or, for about the same price as the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus, you could pick up an LG V30 or V40 Android phone. I have both and the sound quality of either will blow you away. And you only need one device. I believe the V30 uses a quad ESS 9218P DAC. I do not know whether the V40 uses the same DAC or not.

 

[A Surfer]

I listen to music with my Sennheiser HD1 Headphones on low volume, otherwise my ears will ring.

I am looking for a DAC to impove the sound quality when I listen to music at work on my Samsung S7.

I was looking at the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus because it has a Wolfson audio chip in it. I used have a Galaxy S that had a wolfson chip and it sounds warm which I loved.


Would the 12 watt Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus be to power for my headphones/ears?

My other option as the Topping DX3 Pro...which would have a warmer sound between the two?

It is because you listen at low volume that you gravitate to a warm sound. Anything adequate will do, all you need is some equalization to add warmth which is very easy to do.