Agree, I would say for ADI-2 DAC FS avoid any headphones with impedance below 32 OHM. IMO, after several tests with multiple headphones DAC FS can't deliver current with necessary precision in that impedance region. The result is weak (or lack of) bass slam and flat and shallow soundstage.
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RME ADI-2 DAC FS or the new Fiio K19
- Thread starter jkim
- Start date
"Hifiman HE1000se (easy to drive planar, RME low power, vol. -26 ~ -29 / Fiio high gain, vol. 66 ~ 71)I came across a subjective comparison here
FIIO K19, the flagship desktop DAC and headphone amplifier
Hi, A little disappointed in the mixed reviews about the K19. I do not own it, but I was giving it a thought... I am really surprised with comments that says that it does nto sound super preicse and detailed. I own the Shanling EH-3 that sports the same DAC chip. And... my oh my... It can...www.head-fi.org
DCA Expanse (hard to drive planar, RME high power, vol. -27 ~ -29 / Fiio super high gain, vol. 57 ~ 62)"
Does Fiio have this different gain and volume settings? Seems a bit odd. But then again, no matter, both work well.
Based on what? Cannot say anything about <32 Ohm, but Focal Clear/Celestee and HifiMan 1000 are driven effortlessly. All these are below 40 Ohms.
Based on the OHMs law. The lower the impedance the higher is the current delivery requirement. Even worse, demand for power (current delivery) grows exponentially with declining frequences. That is why the first victim for low impedance headphones when connected to and amp with power limitations is bass impact. RME on page 12 of it’s DAC FS manual clearly describes that the unit switches to “Extreme Power” mode for loads below 32 Ohms and able to deliver 1.5 Watts @ 32 Ohm. While I salute RME for advanced features like DC protection, automatic volume control for different loads, and current protection circuit, low impedance still puts an extra requirements and maintaining great SINAD results in that region is difficult. And few headphones - Dan Clark for example go down to 12 or 14 Ohms for Noire and Expanse respectively. On the other hand, there are plenty of very good headphones to choose from with impedance that put amps in their optimal power delivery regions. You have mentioned few great headphones (Focal Clear/Celestee and HifiMan 1000) - all are above 32 Ohms. Also, the fact that they can be driven "effortlessly" does not mean that you are getting the best out of them.
To each his own. Go get something that suits you.
I wouldn't buy a headphone that cannot be driven by a decent amp.
Anyway, I read the RME handles the DCs pretty well. I would not buy these, because there aural quality is dearly paid for with limitations in other areas like loe efficiency.
JeremyFife
Major Contributor
Lot's of noise and discussion on multiple threads here about reliability and service. It's a worry with all new products and buyers are taking a bit of a leap of faith.
There are no (none, nothing, nada, nichts) concerns about RME's service or reliability.
I'd go RME every day if I was spending that much.
There are no (none, nothing, nada, nichts) concerns about RME's service or reliability.
I'd go RME every day if I was spending that much.
Apologies as this will likely not align with your views.. as reality is imo, the reverse of your statement.
The purpose of a headphone amp is to drive headphones. If it cannot drive certain headphones then it is limited in performance.
No worries. There are headphones, and then there are headphones.
I am fine with an amp that drives 99.9 percent of what ist available effortlessly and without distortion. I simply do not care for headphones with absurd power requirements, as I believe these are not designed properly.
Why bother with a HE-6 when I enjoy my HE-1000?
But, as pointed out before: To each his own.
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