hawk01
Active Member
hello all,
as the title suggests, headphone newbie doing homework on first possible DAP purchase... or not!
for starters to familiarize everyone i am mid-50s into 2ch stereo for the longest time with the usual degraded HF acuity but still with a palate for avoiding harsh treble so i may still have some miles to go in this hobby. just a few months ago i got into headphones and IEMs i was immediately fascinated by the wealth of mental information these things can provide. more so IEMs as being the ultimate intravenous consumption of music. what i previously thought as everything sounds the same in 2ch speakers leading me to think i got calloused ears now have discernible, tangible differences. changes between IEMs and cans, more so amongst IEMs become easier to grasp.
my main desktop rig is laptop with Foobar2K + SMSL Sanskrit 10th mkII DAC + Topping L30 + IEM/HP. my portable is spotify connect via my 2yr. old Ipad 6th gen. i must admit the sound quality out of this basic set up is almost end game material for my beer budget taste compared to my laptops default soundcard. i suppose i can vouch for what many advocate apple devices having equal to or better performance compared to lesser DAPs or amps out there.
now for the fun part, i need to make my mostly FLAC music collection portable and the Ipad6 is not going to fit the bill with its inherent storage limitation. not wanting to jump in all fours into the DAP wagon i am considering something decent and affordable in the form of Hidizs offerings in the AP80 and its more potent Pro version.
to better elaborate my inquiry, i will make a Q&A of all my thoughts:
1. i am only using the DAP with IEMs, no headphones. ergo i may not require the added power of balanced output. does it still make sense to consider the Pro version since both versions have the same output in unbalanced connection?
2. is there still a benefit to the Pro version dual DACs running single ended only or must i run them in balanced mode in order to maximize their potential?
3. if i consider getting the Pro version, i would certainly utilize it via balanced connection only in order to maximize its resources. how do i connect to its 2.5mm balanced output port? all of my IEMs come with the stereo unbalanced 3.5 connectors only.
hoping for inputs from the more knowledgeable folks here, better from AP80 owners! the (or not!) decision for the Pro version comes only if a consensus arrives at nothing audibly beneficial to be gained with dual DACs and the extra power of balanced connections. the decision on getting the lower tier AP80 warranted to make my FLAC collection portable. everyone may notice i did not even consider wifi feature coz i am fine with spotify on Ipad only, not to mention lower cost of having a simpler DAP.
as the title suggests, headphone newbie doing homework on first possible DAP purchase... or not!
for starters to familiarize everyone i am mid-50s into 2ch stereo for the longest time with the usual degraded HF acuity but still with a palate for avoiding harsh treble so i may still have some miles to go in this hobby. just a few months ago i got into headphones and IEMs i was immediately fascinated by the wealth of mental information these things can provide. more so IEMs as being the ultimate intravenous consumption of music. what i previously thought as everything sounds the same in 2ch speakers leading me to think i got calloused ears now have discernible, tangible differences. changes between IEMs and cans, more so amongst IEMs become easier to grasp.
my main desktop rig is laptop with Foobar2K + SMSL Sanskrit 10th mkII DAC + Topping L30 + IEM/HP. my portable is spotify connect via my 2yr. old Ipad 6th gen. i must admit the sound quality out of this basic set up is almost end game material for my beer budget taste compared to my laptops default soundcard. i suppose i can vouch for what many advocate apple devices having equal to or better performance compared to lesser DAPs or amps out there.
now for the fun part, i need to make my mostly FLAC music collection portable and the Ipad6 is not going to fit the bill with its inherent storage limitation. not wanting to jump in all fours into the DAP wagon i am considering something decent and affordable in the form of Hidizs offerings in the AP80 and its more potent Pro version.
to better elaborate my inquiry, i will make a Q&A of all my thoughts:
1. i am only using the DAP with IEMs, no headphones. ergo i may not require the added power of balanced output. does it still make sense to consider the Pro version since both versions have the same output in unbalanced connection?
2. is there still a benefit to the Pro version dual DACs running single ended only or must i run them in balanced mode in order to maximize their potential?
3. if i consider getting the Pro version, i would certainly utilize it via balanced connection only in order to maximize its resources. how do i connect to its 2.5mm balanced output port? all of my IEMs come with the stereo unbalanced 3.5 connectors only.
hoping for inputs from the more knowledgeable folks here, better from AP80 owners! the (or not!) decision for the Pro version comes only if a consensus arrives at nothing audibly beneficial to be gained with dual DACs and the extra power of balanced connections. the decision on getting the lower tier AP80 warranted to make my FLAC collection portable. everyone may notice i did not even consider wifi feature coz i am fine with spotify on Ipad only, not to mention lower cost of having a simpler DAP.
