Awesome! That is good to know, perhaps the L50 will suit my needs just fine then. I have a pre-amp gain of -12dB or so, this is another reason for the concern. But it will be getting 2Vrms from an E30, but good to know the 1.5Vrms from the FiiO D03K in the living room might be enough if I decide to use it out there and get something more powerful for the office.This is my setup with L50 and HD6XX. My DAC is set to 4dBu (1.2V) and the volume knob barely passes 2 o'clock on low gain.
Please, give us your feedback after putting the L50 to its paces with your headphones.Thank you, seems like it may be sufficient. It's arriving today and we'll see how it goes!
The E50 is pretty good DAC wise, not tried the D10 balanced but that should do the job, I've moved on to the A30 pro for my sennheisers after the L50 was a bit of a let down and so far I'm liking it. Doesn't seem to have any issue with any of the gain settings, and the XLR/RCA in and pass through are nice, along with a ground lift switch (handy if you're using a USB DAC from a computer and RCA input to the amp).So the L50 arrived. I love the feel, that volume pot is awesome. Great form factor and fit and finish.
However, there is only a bit more headroom than the original L30 (which I've decided that I will be returning soon enough). I connected them using an RCA splitter out of my E30 DAC and then a 3.5mm passive switcher to A/B back and forth. Both at high gain and maxed, the L50 got a bit louder, but not nearly as much as I was hoping for. Interesting as I believe the L30 v1 hit 117mW in Amir's testing with 2Vrms in. I was expecting the volume (or available loudness, I suppose) of the L50 with 2Vrms in to be quite a bit higher than the L30 v1. It is louder, and that small bit extra is nice. But I need moooooore
Now I'm stuck between getting a D10 balanced for this with a pair of 6.35mm cables, or returning the L50 and getting a D10S + L30 II. My plan is to run either D10 off of USB, obviously, from a dedicated laptop that will have EQ applied to it for my HD6XX (and other headphones eventually, gonna set up a remote hotkey switch somehow but that's for a different time and thread). The D10B or D10S analog out will directly feed my main listening amp (either L50 or L30 II, respectively) in the office. The optical out will feed the E30 DAC in the living room (which also has coax from the AVR to grab the feed from whatever active input the TV is on, so this is borrowed right now in the office but will end up back in the living room).
With that setup, assuming no ground loop issues, I'm not sure there is much benefit to the D10B + L50 over the D10S + L30 II. The cost difference (about CAD$50 with cables all in for me) is not a big issue, just don't want to "waste" it.
I'm also wondering if I'm being too luxurious trying to have EQ'd signal available at my couch for headphones just in case. I could just leave the E30 in the office and use an old FiiO D03K in the living room connected to the AVR. Without EQ needed, the L30 v1 is good enough for gaming and "non-music" needs.
I'd love to be able to reliably test the output power using my E30 as the input for a fairly standard and reliable 2Vrms control. Just not sure it's worth sourcing the required equipment for it. Though not very scientific, I can use a sound meter on my phone to compare levels and get a rough idea. I'll try that tonight between L30 and L50 just for fun.
Thanks for the notes about your experience there. Did you find the L50 lacking even when the E50 was feeding it? Were you using balanced connections? I ask because the D10 balanced should output a similar ~4Vrms as the E50 does with balanced connections and with over 600 milliwatts as tested, it seems like it would be very sufficient. But of course everyone uses different levels of EQ and listens at different volumes.The E50 is pretty good DAC wise, not tried the D10 balanced but that should do the job, I've moved on to the A30 pro for my sennheisers after the L50 was a bit of a let down and so far I'm liking it. Doesn't seem to have any issue with any of the gain settings, and the XLR/RCA in and pass through are nice, along with a ground lift switch (handy if you're using a USB DAC from a computer and RCA input to the amp).
What DAC? And what pads are those? Looking awesome! Maybe I need to get used to lower levels then haha. With 2Vrms RCA in and -9.5dB preamp for EQ, I can max out the L50 in high gain (not for all tracks but some) and still sometimes want a bit more.This is my setup with L50 and HD6XX. My DAC is set to 4dBu (1.2V) and the volume knob barely passes 2 o'clock on low gain.
The DAC is RME Fireface UCX II Audio Interface, output switchable at 4dBu, 13dBu, and 19dBu. I use the 4dBu for headphone amp and 19dBu for subwoofers, and AES out for speakers.What DAC? And what pads are those? Looking awesome! Maybe I need to get used to lower levels then haha. With 2Vrms RCA in and -9.5dB preamp for EQ, I can max out the L50 in high gain (not for all tracks but some) and still sometimes want a bit more.
Granted, there are some tracks there blast though but I feel like those aren't as well mixed or more common in certain genres like metal or dubstep. But it may just be poorly mixed/mastered tracks generally, even within those genres. Sadly there are several of those types on both Spotify and TIDAL, and even some on published CDs lmao.
Thanks for that info. I wanted to try the suede ones, mine are beginning to show some wear.The DAC is RME Fireface UCX II Audio Interface, output switchable at 4dBu, 13dBu, and 19dBu. I use the 4dBu for headphone amp and 19dBu for subwoofers, and AES out for speakers.
The pads are ZMF perforated lambskin. I also have the ZMF perforated suede. I chose them over the Dekoni pads because they are angled. Both ZMF pads are good and I prefer the lambskin because it sounds more solid and doesn't have the "dirtiness" in sound that velour and suede pads usually have. Suede is more skin friendly though.
It is normal that both deliver the same output power at medium gain setting as this means 0 dB attenuation. At 0 dB gain the amplification factor is 1 and, therefore, 2 Vrms input level multiplied by 1 equals 2 Vrms output level.But I found it interesting that they're the same at the middle setting
Ah of course that takes sense! So it's really all about how much gain over and above unity gain the amp provides.It is normal that both deliver the same output power at medium gain setting as this means 0 dB attenuation. At 0 dB gain the amplification factor is 1 and, therefore, 2 Vrms input level multiplied by 1 equals 2 Vrms output level.
No matter which amplifier you use, if you set the gain to 0 dB, the output level equals the input level.
Yes, the amplification factor (gain) determine the final power output capability and gain could be both positive or negative.So it's really all about how much gain over and above unity gain the amp provides.
Topping D10 Balanced is the designer-approved budget option. But I would rather go for the matching look. I have a second L50 paired with E50 at office.Thanks for that info. I wanted to try the suede ones, mine are beginning to show some wear.
That is an awesome DAC! I wonder if there are any budget DACs that have variable RCA output (or fixed at 3-4Vrms). Balanced ones (should) be able to fish 4Vrms but to get 3-4 through RCA would be awesome in something more like the E30 footprint (or a bit larger if necessary).