Portable Headphone Amp - HiFi Headphones Forum - online headphone & earphone community forums

Mr.P. · 02-02-2011, 05:48 PM

Hello, I am looking for a Portable Headphone Amplifier. I currently use a Nano and Jays in ear's but I want to buy some on ear's Portable Headphones.Any suggestions to start me on my way would be appreciated.

ShaunG · 02-03-2011, 10:07 AM

At the budget end there is the FiiO headphone amp range. Excellent value for money, but not the last word in sound quality.

At the high end you have the iBasso headphone amps and DACs. Very good sound quality, high quality construction and lots of good reviews. DACs are a great way to upgrade PC/MAC headphone outputs to Hi-Fi spec.

And a new one that comes somewhere in between price wise is the SoundMAGIC A10. We've just received initial stock and it sounds and looks great.

TheNameIsJambo · 02-07-2011, 11:36 AM

Hey Mr.P.

As ShaunG mentioned:

The FiiO series is a budget line, although one of their latest iterations, the E7 is a good entry level amp.

It literally boosts the volume (and bass) of any set of cans or IEMs, a good all rounder. The main bonus with the FiiO E7 is that it has a built in DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter), allowing you to use it as a USB soundcard.

For being a 'budget' line they do use reliable manufacturers: Analog Devices - AD8692 as a pre-amp and Texas Instruments - TPA6130A as a power-amp. It also uses the same DAC as the iBasso D10/12: Wolfson WM8740.

The closest thing you can get to a 'cheap' Amp+DAC is the iBasso D4 Which racks in at over £200. But my guess is that the sound quality of the D4 > E7.

But hey, for £60, you can't go wrong. Especially if you're on the move and it's liable to damage!

There are a lot of other options out there by, tried, tested and trusted manufacturers:

Such as the expertly made iBasso T4. [The D4's cheaper little brother and the E7's direct competitor.]

Or the award winning Graham Slee Voyager. Offering a high-end portable solution to your audio-fidelity requirements.

I'm pretty sure after a bit of reading around and some research you'll be able to come to your own decision. Essentially, it's all down to your ears & how much you're willing to spend!

Thanks,
Jamie.

02-02-2011, 05:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mr.P. Headphone Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Stamford Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Portable Headphone Amp Hello, I am looking for a Portable Headphone Amplifier. I currently use a Nano and Jays in ear's but I want to buy some on ear's Portable Headphones.Any suggestions to start me on my way would be appreciated.

02-03-2011, 10:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
ShaunG Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 416 Thanks: 2 Thanked 78 Times in 60 Posts	Portable headphone amp At the budget end there is the FiiO headphone amp range. Excellent value for money, but not the last word in sound quality. At the high end you have the iBasso headphone amps and DACs. Very good sound quality, high quality construction and lots of good reviews. DACs are a great way to upgrade PC/MAC headphone outputs to Hi-Fi spec. And a new one that comes somewhere in between price wise is the SoundMAGIC A10. We've just received initial stock and it sounds and looks great. __________________ Shaun @ HiFi Headphones HiFi Headphones - the UK Headphone & Earphone Store That's Serious About Headphones Ultimate Ears, Grado, Phonak Audéo, Klipsch, Shure, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and many other high quality brands - visit our store. Join us on FaceBook

02-07-2011, 11:36 AM	#3 (permalink)
TheNameIsJambo Headphone Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Kirkcaldy Posts: 20 Thanks: 8 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Hey Mr.P. As ShaunG mentioned: The FiiO series is a budget line, although one of their latest iterations, the E7 is a good entry level amp. It literally boosts the volume (and bass) of any set of cans or IEMs, a good all rounder. The main bonus with the FiiO E7 is that it has a built in DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter), allowing you to use it as a USB soundcard. For being a 'budget' line they do use reliable manufacturers: Analog Devices - AD8692 as a pre-amp and Texas Instruments - TPA6130A as a power-amp. It also uses the same DAC as the iBasso D10/12: Wolfson WM8740. The closest thing you can get to a 'cheap' Amp+DAC is the iBasso D4 Which racks in at over £200. But my guess is that the sound quality of the D4 > E7. But hey, for £60, you can't go wrong. Especially if you're on the move and it's liable to damage! There are a lot of other options out there by, tried, tested and trusted manufacturers: Such as the expertly made iBasso T4. [The D4's cheaper little brother and the E7's direct competitor.] Or the award winning Graham Slee Voyager. Offering a high-end portable solution to your audio-fidelity requirements. I'm pretty sure after a bit of reading around and some research you'll be able to come to your own decision. Essentially, it's all down to your ears & how much you're willing to spend! Thanks, Jamie. Last edited by TheNameIsJambo; 02-07-2011 at 01:00 PM.

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