Lurker here. Thanks to all of you (especially Amir) for all the amazing info!!
I pulled the trigger on this DAC/amp even though there are no meaningful reviews on Amazon because of the specs and the price. Thought I'd post a short review.
The equipment: Sennheiser 599SE cans (50 ohms), iPhone 8 and McBook Pro 2019 running Tidal and Qoboz as sources, and my 54 year old ears for measurement.
I like the output from the iPhone into those cans using the Apple dongle. As expected, the HD3 provides a lot more dynamism to the music, especially in the lower frequencies. It just makes the music sound more engaging and enjoyable. Imperceptible noise floor during quiet passages (on both). Maybe slightly wider soundstage with the HD3, but not a big difference.
The HD3 is larger than I expected, and slightly heavier, but of exquisite quality and solidity. Somewhat slippery though – I may have to use a rubber band to attach it to the iPhone. It has a balanced output, which I can’t test. The volume switches and on/off seem solid, though the steps for volume are weird – I find I have to adjust both the HD3 and iPhone to get the right volume for each track. Each alone seems to be too coarse.
I don’t really have a reference for comparison (though I’m not new to hi-fi audio, I am new to headphones with external DACs and amps -I usually listen to speakers). But I did order a TempoTec Sonata HD Pro to compare it to, which should arrive in 5 days or so. Similar price range, and much more portable, but not powered.
Overall I think $70 is very much worth it for the HD3 even though I don't need it. No remorse here.
Nick
I pulled the trigger on this DAC/amp even though there are no meaningful reviews on Amazon because of the specs and the price. Thought I'd post a short review.
The equipment: Sennheiser 599SE cans (50 ohms), iPhone 8 and McBook Pro 2019 running Tidal and Qoboz as sources, and my 54 year old ears for measurement.
I like the output from the iPhone into those cans using the Apple dongle. As expected, the HD3 provides a lot more dynamism to the music, especially in the lower frequencies. It just makes the music sound more engaging and enjoyable. Imperceptible noise floor during quiet passages (on both). Maybe slightly wider soundstage with the HD3, but not a big difference.
The HD3 is larger than I expected, and slightly heavier, but of exquisite quality and solidity. Somewhat slippery though – I may have to use a rubber band to attach it to the iPhone. It has a balanced output, which I can’t test. The volume switches and on/off seem solid, though the steps for volume are weird – I find I have to adjust both the HD3 and iPhone to get the right volume for each track. Each alone seems to be too coarse.
I don’t really have a reference for comparison (though I’m not new to hi-fi audio, I am new to headphones with external DACs and amps -I usually listen to speakers). But I did order a TempoTec Sonata HD Pro to compare it to, which should arrive in 5 days or so. Similar price range, and much more portable, but not powered.
Overall I think $70 is very much worth it for the HD3 even though I don't need it. No remorse here.
Nick
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