MacBook Pro -> AMP -> Edition XS

[aneesbutt]

Greetings everybody! Audio noob here

The subject summaries my predicament; I’m planning to buy Edition XS and it appears I’ll be needing an amp to go with that.

I’ve heard good things about MacBook’s internal DAC so I’m trying to save money by directly hooking it up to a budget amp.

Questions:

3V output for AMP — Will line out on my MacBook be able to provide 3V to amp? Considering input impedance of amp is going to be at least 1k ohm, it should put the dac in high impedance mode that churns out 3V. Need confirmation here

AMP Recommendations — I’ve done some research and apparently Topping is very transparent and thin whereas I’m looking for a bit warmer sound, so I’ve narrowed down my choices to:

1. SMSL HO100
2. FiiO K5 Pro ESS
3. Sabaj A20h

I’ve heard a lot of praise on sound dynamics of FiiO, but it lacks the power other 2 have. Also, can’t really find a lot of reviews on the A20h.

My overall budget is ~$500, getting EDXS for $370 so it gives me almost $150 to select a decent amp.

Any help is highly appreciated!

 

[staticV3]

3V output for AMP — Will line out on my MacBook be able to provide 3V to amp?

Unclear. We have some measurements of the new MacBooks, but they don't match each other very well: Link1 Link2
For these problems, I always recommend people get a cheap multimeter to check the actual, in situ voltage themselves.

AMP Recommendations — I’ve done some research and apparently Topping is very transparent and thin whereas I’m looking for a bit warmer sound

"Transparent" in this context means true to the original master, without sound signature.
An Amp sounding "thin" would be the opposite of transparent.
A Topping Amp will sound identical to your choices above.

 

[aneesbutt]

Unclear. We have some measurements of the new MacBooks, but they don't match each other very well: Link1 Link2

Yes, I’ve seen these before and they are claiming 3V when connected to a 300ohm load and logic dictates it should remain the same for anything > 300ohm but can’t be sure. I’ll just get the amp and measure voltage on terminals to confirm myself

A Topping Amp will sound identical to your choices above.

In between HO100 and A20h, which one would you recommend for Edition XS? I might skip FiiO as getting just the amp will give me freedom to get a dedicated DAC in case Mac’s own output is subpar.

…and thank you so much for the advice

 

[RoA]

I am driving a Sundara from my Macbook Pro 14 (2021). These have updated Headphone amplifier sections.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT212856

It seems to do so without breaking a sweat. Loud enough for me and bass is solid.