Input on upgrading my headphone setup.

[Pampres]

Hi.

I am looking to upgrade my current setup as i feel there is lacking some oomph and other things (i cannot quite put my finger on what is lacking thou). My current setup consists of a pair of HD660s paired up with what i suspect is a somewhat anemic Dac/amp, the Fiio K3 connected with a balanced cable (on this amp balanced sounded better and had less noise)
I do know some electronics as i have a background in IT and Avionics, but i have realized that i cannot know much about audio gear as i have difficulties discerning what is a cost-effective product and what is up-priced marketing BS.

So here i am, looking for some popper audio-nerds and hoping if on of them don't mind to share some knowledge and help me pick a new dac and amp or dac/amp. will both play games and listen to music with this setup, so tube-amps is probably not a good idea and good imaging is important (if that even can change form amp to amp, idk). Also, i am relatively sensitive to noise/static and this is why i changed the cable on my 660 to a balanced one as i do hear some hissing with the single ended cable. My budget is up to ish 500USD

 

[twsecrest]

Drop + THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA™) 789

Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier | Audiophile Amp

The Drop + THX AAA™ 789 is a linear amplifier. It features THX AAA and feed-forward topology, which reduces distortion by 20 to 40 dB for fatigue-free listening

drop.com

Use the K3 as the DAC.

 

[Pampres]

Use the K3 as the DAC.

So i take it that the K3 is a relatively good DAC even thou it is fairly cheap.

I was actually considering the amp you have linked but was unsure, it kinda seemed "to good". What would be the benefit be with K3 thx combo over something like the schiit stack?

(probbably going to go for the THX, i am just curious and want to learn i guess)

 

[Zensō]

Audio Electronics Review and Measurements Index

Master table and index of all audio equipment reviews and measurements.

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[hitek]

So i take it that the K3 is a relatively good DAC even thou it is fairly cheap.

Well you currently own the FiiO K3 and the DAC will work with an amp like the Drop + THX 789 for now.

Review and Measurements of Fiio K3 DAC & Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of Fiio K3 DAC and portable headphone amplifier. I got talked into buying it earlier this month due to popular demand. Fo you all's sake, it better measure well! :D The Fiio K3 is quite cheap for such a combo product and costs just USD $109...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Pampres]

Well you currently own the FiiO K3 and the DAC will work with an amp like the Drop + THX 789 for now.

Ah, i see. it is a "good enough for now, upgrade later" sort of a thing. As in "not good, but to not bad" and with that trail of thoght it would be better to spend quite a lot on the amp now and save up for a good DAC later. (am i understanding this right?)

If that is the case, what would be a killer DAC to go with this amp? my budget might be strechable....

 

[Zensō]

Ah, i see. it is a "good enough for now, upgrade later" sort of a thing. As in "not good, but not bad" and with that trail of thoght it would be better to spend quite a lot on the amp now and save up for a good DAC later. (am i understanding this right?)

If that is the case, what would be a killer DAC to go with this amp?

Audio Electronics Review and Measurements Index

Master table and index of all audio equipment reviews and measurements.

www.audiosciencereview.com

You don’t need to spend “quite a lot” to drive the 660S. Use the tool linked above and filter by headphone amps/DACs and “recommended” to find the models that meet your requirements. JDS Labs, Topping and others offer a number of separates and all-in-ones that will work perfectly well with your headphones.

Amir has already done the work by testing hundreds of headphone amps and DACs, you don’t really need the opinions of members to determine what will best fit your specific needs.

 

[Pampres]

Audio Electronics Review and Measurements Index

Master table and index of all audio equipment reviews and measurements.

www.audiosciencereview.com

holy hell that's a lot of info to sift thou... thanks.
Amir makes some great reviews. lots of tables and nice explanations, thank you lads for showing me this golden nugget.

I will sift thou all this to see if i can figure out what is right for me.

The main reason why i ask for input is to determine at what point i am just throwing money at something a headphone beginner like me won't notice. I do not have enough experience with audio gear to know where that point starts, but compared to friends and family it does seem like i hear more of the smaller things in games and music and do get distracted by bad soundquality and background hiss etc.
I can clearly hear that something is not right when i use my K3 powered HD660's compared to my ye old PC363d setup. Yes, they do actually sound worse in some ways then a pair of old gaming headset, and i suspect it is the K3 that is the problem. But, unfortunately i have zero reference beyond this.

So i guess my actual question is how much should i spend on Dac/amp for this headset to make it sound as good as it can including some of the "nice to haves"? Design, size and portability is no factor. IO is no factor as long as it has a volume knob, can take USB input, and whatever output plug the amp have does not matter as i need a new cable for the 660's anyway as the original cable is about to fail again.

 

[ZolaIII]

All you described translate to:

Review and Measurements of Fiio K3 DAC & Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of Fiio K3 DAC and portable headphone amplifier. I got talked into buying it earlier this month due to popular demand. Fo you all's sake, it better measure well! :D The Fiio K3 is quite cheap for such a combo product and costs just USD $109...

www.audiosciencereview.com

And sorry but it's bad even as a DAC (even for power amplifier).
As a relative inexpensive and good for gaming and multimedia take a look at Sound BlasterX G6 (143$ currently on Amazon) or went with something like Tooping EX5 (350$ from China) and get over with it.

Review and Measurements of Sound BlasterX G6

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Sound BlasterX G6. I purchased it last month for USD $150 from Amazon including shipping. Typical of PC audio connectivity devices, the Sound BlasterX G6 is a combo device which includes an audio DAC, ADC, and headphone amplifier. This being...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Shenzhenaudio Topping EX5 Review (DAC and Headphone Amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping EX5 produced exclusively for Shenzhenaudio. The EX5 is slated to cost US $349.99 which it is released. The sample I have is from production run but is awaiting the manual for formal shipments. It was sent to me by Shenzhenaudio. The...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Zensō]

holy hell that's a lot of info to sift thou... thanks.
Amir makes some great reviews. lots of tables and nice explanations, thank you lads for showing me this golden nugget.

I will sift thou all this to se if i can figure out what is right for me.

The main reason why i ask for input is to determine at what point i am just throwing money at something a headphone beginner like me won't notice. I do not have enough experience with audio gear to know where that point starts, but compared to friends and family it does seem like i hear more of the smaller things in games and music and do get distracted by bad soundquality and background hiss etc.
I can clearly hear that something is not right when i use my K3 powered HD660's compared to my ye old PC363d setup. Yes, they do actually sound worse in some ways then a pair of old gaming headset, and i suspect it is the K3 that is the problem. But, unfortunately i have zero reference beyond this.

So i guess my actual question is how much should i spend on Dac/amp for this headset to make it sound as good as it can including some of the "nice to haves"? Design, size and portability is no factor. IO is no factor as long as it has a volume knob, can take USB input, and whatever output plug the amp have does not matter as i need a new cable for the 660's anyway as the original cable is about to fail again.

I agree that the Topping EX5 would be a great choice. Also the JDS Labs Element II. If you‘re interested in adding EQ (and other DSP) to your system and have the budget, the RME ADI-2 DAC fs would be end game. Once your basic power requirements are met, EQ will do far more to improve your headphone listening experience than any amp or DAC.

 

[twsecrest]

So i take it that the K3 is a relatively good DAC even thou it is fairly cheap.

I was actually considering the amp you have linked but was unsure, it kinda seemed "to good". What would be the benefit be with K3 thx combo over something like the schiit stack?

(probbably going to go for the THX, i am just curious and want to learn i guess)

The K3 is a DAC you already have, guessing it's a decent DAC, but for $100+, you could get something like the Schiit Modi or other DAC.

 

[ZolaIII]

The K3 is a DAC you already have, guessing it's a decent DAC, but for $100+, you could get something like the Schiit Modi or other DAC.

It's as good (K3 DAC) as cheap Realtek one with 92 dB SINAD (take a look at review; doesn't have enough power unbalanced and horrible noise and really not enough power even balanced for 300 Ohm's can's even if they are easy to drive).

 

[Pampres]

After a bit of thinking and a lot of reading i have come to a similar conclusion of ether getting the budget friendly Topping EX5 or just going all in on the RME ADI-2 DAC fs.
Unfortunately i can only find the Topping EX5 in China (I am in Norway) for about 436.25 USD (349uds pluss tax)
But the RME ADI-2 DAC fs i can find in country for 1000USD (tax included) and with strict local consumer protection laws basically giving me 5 years stress and hazzle free warranty this is really tempting.

(I did briefly consider the Topping DX7 but it will be almost as expensive to get it into country as the RME so... no)

What do you lads think. I am leaning slightly towards the RME ADI-2.

What pros/cons do you guys see between the two.

 

[Paolo]

The RME is a fantastic choice, a rare breed of electronics that can justify the steep price with powerful functions.

But it’s also way more expensive than what you really need to have clean and powerful sound. You’re the only one who knows your needs, choose the RME if:

• you want to EQ without software, directly from the device
• the prospect of adding a pair of speakers isn’t too remote, the RME will be perfect with a lot of connectivity options, so you may choose between a pair of active speakers and call the day or to use the ADI2 as preamp for an external stereo amplifier with passive speakers
• you want something that last forever and forget about “upgrading”

I have to clarify that the RME is not the most powerful headphone amp around, it has plenty of power, but for the most demanding headphones it may not be enough to make your ears bleed.

 

[Pampres]

I just wanted to update you lads. A bit late, but better then never.
I went for the RME ADI-2. I have using the amp for little over half a year now and it has been a blast. I am happy with the amp, the build quality is superb and the extra functions is what makes it really nice. I have only had a slight bug that introduces pulsing static that keeps coming back. when playing video-games (restarting the unit fixes it). A firmware update helped so it does not happen so frequent now.

Thanks for all the help