Total newbie taking the plunge, help with portable solutions?

[BandwidthBandit]

Just ordered my first true headphones, the hd560s. Up till this point the best I’ve had is the Sony mh755 IEMs and a Fiio uBTR.

My crap 30 dollar Logitech gaming headset I had for years finally broke, and I started shopping. Found audiophile forums denouncing headsets. Which led me to the hyper x cloud II as a set which doesn’t suck, which led me to the cooler master mh752, then the pc38x, and then i fell down the rabbit hole. Eventually found this site and have been consuming every thread I can find. I also appreciate that people here seem much more realistic about the realities of the technology, and minimal differences across price points as far as SQ when it comes to gear.

I do 999% of my listening in places where a dedicated setup doesn’t make sense. Hammock, couch, car, bed, patio chair. With that I’m looking for something that can truly show me what a great set of cans can provide, while allowing me to be mobile, and still within a reasonable budget that isn’t throwing 1000s into the laws of diminish returns.

Currently I have the ifi hip Dac, BTR5, and tempotec sonata hd pro all sitting in a cart. I’m leaning towards the first two, especially the BTR5 for it’s Bluetooth and microphones for mobile use.

For those that have used these, which do you suggest to get the best SQ and soundstage in my 560s when it arrives? Can either provide these with enough juice (I’ve heard can be power hungry)

I also an thinking of gifting a pair of hd6xx to my wife, will the ifi hip Dac or btr 5 be a better choice as far as power?

Lastly, I found a great deal on a schiit hel. It seems to have the same DAC as the mobi, and at full price is basically the same as a schiit stack. Am I looking at the same SQ out of the hel as I would the stack? I find the headphone jack appealing as it will pair nicely with the pc38x, but also want to be sure it has the juice for the 560s or 6xx.
Long winded and hopefully not too much, I really appreciate any guidance, and am so excited to get into higher quality listening!

 

[Helicopter]

I am currently using a Hel with HD6XX for work, and am very happy with the combination. No lack of power. No audible difference from my Modius/Heresy combo. The potentiometer on the Hel crackles when you adjust it, which is a little annoying, but I got used to that.

 

[maxxevv]

I would say a handphone and a NX4 DSD from Topping would be suffice for the vast majority of the popular headphones out there.
The E1DA's 9038S / D usb stick dongles are exceptional too. But are more suited for laptops than handphones due to their high power draw.
There are a few decent dongle style DAC's tested so far, you could take a look in the reviews listing.

 

[BandwidthBandit]

Thank you! Great to hear about the Hel.

Well I only just realized that iPhone 11 Pro doesn’t support any HiFi Bluetooth codecs, so the only option is wired into something like the hip Dac or the suggested Nx4 DSD.

It seems the consensus is the hip Dac produces a warmer sound, how would you classify the nx4 sound wise?