Need advice on pairing first "good" headphones(HD6xx) with a Dac/AMP

[RandAlThor]

Recently bought my first pair of "good" headphones - having come from Skullcandy Hesh2 -> Sennheiser hd4.40 bt (never even used the bluetooth functionallity) and jabra Elite Actives 65t
Finally bought some hd6xx following recomendations from friends however im wondering what AMP/ DAC combo would work well
I have lurked for a while but my understanding of the data in reviews and what to look out for totally lacking.

I tend to listen to music and do gaming on the quieter side and saw reports that the K3 would be sufficient and having USB C made it seem ideal.
However i see here it wasnt as strongly recomended
I also saw the K5 Pro however this is at the top of my budget and doesnt have USB C

Just after some advice on DAC/Amp combos that would pair well for under £150 - Im based in the UK so picking seem to be a bit more expensive than US
Amazon would be ideal

TLDR: Been looking for a headphone DAC/AMP combo for my hd6xx's and been looking at the K3, K5 and E10K would any of these work - i tend to listen on quieter sound levels. Would any of these be enough to power the hd6xx's or do i need to spend more than the £150 i have budgeted

 

[Kouioui]

I've been using a K5 Pro along with 6XXs since Oct last year and the combo works very well for my application, which includes driving active monitors with a sub. I EQ the 6XXs to the Harman curve so I'm using the middle level of gain, seldom turn the volume knob past 12 o'clock, and have no noise issues from the unit itself. I had an E10K before that and feel the upgrade was worth it. FiiO is coming out with a K7/K7 Pro soon but will be in another price class once available.

 

[RandAlThor]

I've been using a K5 Pro along with 6XXs since Oct last year and the combo works very well for my application, which includes driving active monitors with a sub. I EQ the 6XXs to the Harman curve so I'm using the middle level of gain, seldom turn the volume knob past 12 o'clock, and have no noise issues from the unit itself. I had an E10K before that and feel the upgrade was worth it. FiiO is coming out with a K7/K7 Pro soon but will be in another price class once available.

Thanks for the input, nice to know the upgrade from E10K was worth it and it gives more food for thought with the K7. But the fact that the K5Pro works well is good news.

 

[Jimbob54]

Recently bought my first pair of "good" headphones - having come from Skullcandy Hesh2 -> Sennheiser hd4.40 bt (never even used the bluetooth functionallity) and jabra Elite Actives 65t
Finally bought some hd6xx following recomendations from friends however im wondering what AMP/ DAC combo would work well
I have lurked for a while but my understanding of the data in reviews and what to look out for totally lacking.

I tend to listen to music and do gaming on the quieter side and saw reports that the K3 would be sufficient and having USB C made it seem ideal.
However i see here it wasnt as strongly recomended
I also saw the K5 Pro however this is at the top of my budget and doesnt have USB C

Just after some advice on DAC/Amp combos that would pair well for under £150 - Im based in the UK so picking seem to be a bit more expensive than US
Amazon would be ideal

TLDR: Been looking for a headphone DAC/AMP combo for my hd6xx's and been looking at the K3, K5 and E10K would any of these work - i tend to listen on quieter sound levels. Would any of these be enough to power the hd6xx's or do i need to spend more than the £150 i have budgeted

Do a quick search for "DAC AMP" and there are extensive threads asking just that question with the same headphones

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?search/2276768/&q=DAC+AMP&o=relevance

 

[twsecrest]

With the 300-Ohm HD6XX headphones, the more powerful the headphone amplifier, there better they do.

 

[DChenery]

Just slightly out of your price range is the Topping DX3Pro (currently $219 approx £180 on Amazon & AliExpress). I bought a DX3Pro V1 in December of 2018, to pair with HiFiman HE-400i and Sennheiser 660S over ears, and numerous IEMS (KZ's, TFZ, Sennheiser and 1More). Generally use it several hours per day and have had no trouble with mine, as opposed to the angnst expressed on the unbelievely long (239 pages) discussion thread here. Note that the DX3Prov V2 has a higher output impedance (10 Ohm versus 1 Ohm IIRC).

 

[KeithPhantom]

I use the Schiit Asgard 3 with the AK4490 card, and I know the position of this forum against Schiit, but the thing measures well (assuming there is nothing wrong in the measurements) and has lots of power for its price range (300 mW at 600 ohms). The price is the problem: $299 ($199 without the card), but it also will let you upgrade your HP and have lots of headroom. But any of the other options previously proposed are great as well.