Sennheiser 490 pro Gaming / music Dac/amp recommendations?

[kephrentv]

Hello, I'm looking for a DAC/amp to get the best possible sound for gaming and music. I currently use Sennheiser 490 Pro headphones and a Fiio K3. Any recommendations?

 

[staticV3]

FiiO K3

 

[Berwhale]

Hello, I'm looking for a DAC/amp to get the best possible sound for gaming and music. I currently use Sennheiser 490 Pro headphones and a Fiio K3. Any recommendations?

Welcome to ASR!

Firstly, is there something wrong with the K3? Is it the new model or the old one (that I have).

Secondly, once a device is audibly transparent, improving it's performance will not make it sound any better or different. These days, you do not need to spend much money to get a DAC or Amp or DAC/Amp that surpasses the threshold of audible transparency. You can read about audibility and how it relates to the measurements on this site here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-thresholds-of-amp-and-dac-measurements.5734/

Lastly, do you have a budget? Do you want to use the DAC/Amp with other headphones? To output to speakers? Do you want a remote/nice display/etc.

 

[kephrentv]

I think I have the new model. It's just for my headphones, but I want to make sure it's scalable if I upgrade to better ones. I don't need anything fancy—just a solid DAC/amp with a nice knob.

 

[staticV3]

I think I have the new model. It's just for my headphones, but I want to make sure it's scalable if I upgrade to better ones. I don't need anything fancy—just a solid DAC/amp with a nice knob.

I'd keep the K3 until you have an actual issue that needs fixing.

Upgrading for the sake of it is a poor use of your money.

 

[Dunring]

I've gamed seriously with an Apple 3.5mm adapter. You can buy a USB volume wheel and it's pretty cool compared to keyboard shortcut keys. I'm currently using an SMSL D400 combo and it's really nice, but I don't score higher using it.