Not the most knowledgeable when it comes to this, more information in the comments.
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Hi all,
I’m not too knowledgeable when it comes to AMPs & DACs but I have received some suggestions from a reputable person at the Podcastage Discord who knows about this stuff. I’m looking to get some more opinions from a broader audience here. I should mention that I have a Rodecaster Duo and was considering running the Focals through them since they’re very easy to drive, but some told me I wouldn’t get the full experience/as good of a sound when compared to a properly paired AMP/DAC.
I wouldn’t know because I haven’t got any side by side so what I’m going to do is pick up the most suggested unit(s), the one that makes the most sense for the Focals and if I don’t notice a significant improvement during A/B tests I’ll return it.
I should mention the Focals will be the only headphones I’ll be using and my budget is $700 USD and below, if that’s overkill.
Some suggestions I’ve received thus far were:
Garage1217 Project SUNRISE 3.1 - Schiit Asgard - AKM DAC “(the modern Velvet Sound^TM).” He wasn’t too clear on that one.
dx7 pro. all you will ever need unless you susvara
What it is your current setup?
Don’t overthink it. The Clears are very easy to drive. Test them on your Rodecaster Duo and if they sounds good, save the money.
If you really want a dedicated DAC/Amp something on the cheaper end like the JDS Atom stack, Topping DX3+ or JDS Element will be more than enough for this and the vast majority of headphones in the market. IMO it’s only worth going more expensive if you’d like additional features like a RME ADI-2.
You’re going to get a bunch of “amp/DAC don’t matter!!!” replies here. I’d suggest going to an actual headphone forum like head-fi or SBAF and using the search feature there.
Furthermore, you really need to post a budget. Are you looking to spend $200 or $20,000?
Yes , exactly. I wonder how people come up with that nonsense… I have owned 15 pairs of headphones, and they certainly come alive from Decent amplification and DACs, owned a few of different values. Yet on here you will find someone buying a 2 k headphone and trying to get the most out of it from a £200 amp… Normally asking if the cheap product will be enough to power the expensive one. Then you get these clowns that say there is plenty of volume 😂 it’s night and day a good dac/ amp over a cheap one. Everything opens up, bass quality and separation greatly improves. You could almost be listening to a different headphone in some cases Example I had a beyerdynamic t-90, didn’t sound good on meridian explorer, Cambridge dac magic, sounded ok off fostex hpa8, but stunning from icon audio hp8 valve amp through the fostex dac. Synergy is everything.
Chord mojo2. Don’t overthink it.
I use JDS Labs Element II with mine but I have clipping issues at slightly high volumes. According to my research its normal for Focals.
Annoying that $1500 pairs of headphones has that issue, is it frequent whenever you get to a specific volume level or does it happen randomly?
Depends on the unit. Some people say they have no issues while others have to return theirs because it’s so bad.
The driver is basically moving so much that it hits the end stops. It’s only a problem at ear-destroying volumes, so unless you want to cause yourself permanent harm, it’s pretty much a non-issue.