Recommendation for DAC/amp for AKG K701s

[ceedee]

Hello,

It's been a while since I've been on the forum but nice to see how technology has developed in the last few years. I used to do a lot of headphone listening in the 2000s but kind of stopped, until I came across my K701s and HeadRoom Micro Stack in storage the other day (purchased in 2006). I love the way this equipment sounds but the micro stack is quite unwieldly for home use (no dedicated desk to set it up on). It's mostly the two brick power supplies that I have to lug around that I find so annoying. I plan to keep the HeadRoom stack on my desk at work until it craps out. I want something else to connect to my MacBook Pro at home on the kitchen table, etc.

Anyway, after looking at reviews on the forum, so far I like the Schiit Magni Unity ($189) and the JDS Atom 2 stack ($289). The Schiit seems to fit the bill since it's a combined unit with one power supply. I also purchased the Qudelix-5K based on reviews here but it can't drive the K701s on quieter material. I think I need something with external power for these cans. Am I missing anything? I've seen the Topping products measure well but I'm concerned about quality and reliability. Any help deciding, especially from someone who has the K701s, would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Nick

 

[staticV3]

The Topping DX1 is a very minimalistic device and as a result appears a lot more reliable with hardly any complaints online (no error codes, power supply issues etc).

In High gain, it'll play 50% louder than the 5K's 3.5mm output.

Fantastic measurements: https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/topping-dx1/

Available for as low as $60 during sales.

 

[ceedee]

Thanks, I hadn’t seen that one.

 

[ceedee]

I will miss the crossfeed control since it looks like that was a special feature of the HeadRoom amps.

 

[staticV3]

I will miss the crossfeed control since it looks like that was a special feature of the HeadRoom amps.

iFi has non-configurable crossfeed boost built into many of their products (called "XSpace"), though I can't say that I endorse that brand personally.

 

[ceedee]

Interesting. I’m not sure what the HeadRoom circuit is doing but it sounds like it’s adding some low-end warmth and probably boosting the volume a bit, so it always seems to sound better on the K701s.

The Qudelix-5K has a parameter called crossfeed but I haven’t looked into how it works. I’ll be returning it anyway since it doesn’t have enough power.

 

[ceedee]

So, I decided to keep the Qudelix-5K for a while to play a little more with it, and I really like the PEQ feature and how it works with my Westone AM Pro 30 IEMs.

I also ordered the Fosi SK02 because it seemed to measure pretty well here. It's also USB bus powered and has plenty of power to drive the K701s so far. Is there a reason the Qudelix can't do the same thing?

I need to find a primer so I can understand how the measured specs translate to the ability to drive my headphones.

 

[staticV3]

Is there a reason the Qudelix can't do the same thing?

No reason.

I need to find a primer so I can understand how the measured specs translate to the ability to drive my headphones.

Amir measured the K701 at 59Ω and 295mV/94dB SPL:

AKG K701 Headphone Reviews (China and Austrian Made)

This is a review and detailed measurements of two versions of AKG K701 headphones: one made in Austria and one in China. They are on kind loan from a member and cost US $249. Let's start with the China version. It is lightweight and doesn't impart feeling of a premium product. The large cups...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Qudelix have measured their 5K under various loads and published the results here: https://www.qudelix.com/blogs/5k-dac-amp/power-budget

With your K701 plugged into the 3.5mm output, you can max out the 5K without clipping, resulting in 2.0Vrms output voltage and 94+20*log10(2.0/0.295)=110.6dB SPL Peak.

That is really loud. About ten times as loud as my usual listening volume.

Plugged into the 5K's 2.5mm output, it can output a maximum of 3.9Vrms before clipping occurs, ergo 94+20*log10(3.9/0.295)=116dB SPL Peak.

A further 50% increase in loudness over the already loud 3.5mm output.

Here's a website with many useful formulas: https://sengpielaudio.com/calculator-levelchange.htm

 

[ceedee]

Interesting, I will have to try it again; I must have done something incorrect with the configuration. I definitely don't listed at ear-bleeding levels.

I actually just tried my M3 Macbook Pro headphone out for the first time, and it sounds pretty good I have to say. Didn't expect that! Apparently Apple put in a higher quality amp/dac compared to the last Macbook I had.

 

[ceedee]

The MacBook Pro headphone output sounds good but does not get loud enough with some music that's mastered on the quieter side.

I think I figured out why the Qudelix-5K doesn't seem to have enough power to drive the K701s: the PEQ is reducing the power by half because of the preamp gain. If I disable it, it gets a lot louder, but the sound isn't as good. I will still keep it for my IEMs, though.

I purchased the Schiit Magni Unity which I like so far, though it would be great if it were bus powered. I returned the Fosi SK02 to Amazon thinking I would just use the Schitt, but now I'm torn. The Fosi worked pretty well and I don't need the wall wart. I have no reason to believe I could distinguish one from the other, and both require external EQ. I guess I just need to pick one of these and then maybe turn my attention toward a pair of HD650s or something.

 

[ceedee]

What are the current contenders for bus powered DAC/amps with decent power? I'm going to use the Schiit Magni for a desktop unit but I'd like to get something I can plug into my MacBook that can drive my headphones. Any suggestions? PEQ would be great for my iOS devices but I have SoundSource on my Mac so I can get by without it.

 

[staticV3]

What are the current contenders for bus powered DAC/amps with decent power? I'm going to use the Schiit Magni for a desktop unit but I'd like to get something I can plug into my MacBook that can drive my headphones. Any suggestions? PEQ would be great for my iOS devices but I have SoundSource on my Mac so I can get by without it.

Topping DX1 is nice.

If you want hardware EQ: Neutron Hifi DAC V1, Qudelix 5K/T71.

 

[jkim]

If you want a (relatively) low-cost, bus-powered yet powerful DAC/HP amp device with hardware PEQ support, the Fiio KA15 may fit the bill.

It also supports web-based PEQ control.

 

[ceedee]

Qudelix 5K

I have this one and I love the interface. It's great for my IEMs but doesn't quite get loud enough with my K701s on some more quietly mastered stuff with the speaker correction curve enabled.

If you want a (relatively) low-cost, bus-powered yet powerful DAC/HP amp device with hardware PEQ support, the Fiio KA15 may fit the bill.

It also supports web-based PEQ control.

Thanks, I might check this out.

 

[NgtFlyer]

The Topping DX1 is a very minimalistic device and as a result appears a lot more reliable with hardly any complaints online (no error codes, power supply issues etc).

In High gain, it'll play 50% louder than the 5K's 3.5mm output.

Fantastic measurements: https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/topping-dx1/

Available for as low as $60 during sales.

I'll confirm, I just recently purchased a DX1 and it's a great little device. Simple USB dac/amp that sounds great.

 

[ceedee]

I recently purchased a pair of HD 6XX to check out the 650 sound, and I like them. They have the additional benefit of being able to use a balanced cable which gives me double the power out of these bus-powered devices.

2V is really enough power to drive the headphones, but the oratory1990 EQ curve really reduces the perceived volume, so on some quietly-mastered tracks I have to crank it all the way up and would like a little more headroom.