headphone amp/dac budget 70

remixedcat · Feb 5, 2014

I got some money in amazon with gift codes and I got 70 bucks worth and I want to get an amp/dac (must be in one box due to chaotic desk setup.)

I am currently using a realtek onboard. It's not driving my DT770 Pro 80's as much as I want.

I want one that would be portable to use with my laptop as well as being a desktop one.

BumbleBee · Feb 5, 2014

$70 you're killing me

it's probably going to be Fiio. Leckerton, iBasso and JDS Labs are all going to cost $100-$250.

remixedcat · Feb 5, 2014

How are Fiios?
is at least a decent upgrade from realtek onboard?

Not looking for the absolute best since this is just a portable to hold me over till later.

I want to have both a portable one that's not too pricey for use with the laptop and a nice home one.

BumbleBee · Feb 5, 2014

yeah it will be an upgrade. I guess Fiio is as good as it gets on a budget.

remixedcat · Feb 5, 2014

arrrg scrapping this.... don't think the fiio would work. allready 3 red flags on head fi. (not good for 80Ohm, no support, not good reports for beyer owners)

I would prolly ONLY get a fiio for the phone and that's it but I don't think I want to throw away 75 dollars for that. I've seen deals for the Aune T1 that have it as low as 125 on amazon 3rd party seller. Thing is I still need a portable one.

I'll just wait a bit to see what mom will give me in 2 weeks for the amped wirless router. my lil bro's gonna get her to buy it becuase he is sick of the isp provided crap router.

Kaynar · Feb 5, 2014

Your best bet is the Fiio E7 at this price range. I bought this for my girlfriend for her laptop the sound quality is definately worth the price and it was doing OK driving my own Denon AH-D5000 which are quite demanding. My girlfriend paired this with some high end Klipsh X10 in-ear buds and the combination is very good. You will definately notice the difference from a simple onboard realtech chip and I dont think u can get better unless u spend for a HTR Microstreamer. The only weak thing about the Fiio E7 is that the are not really made for high end cans (ofc at this price) and they dont deliver the punch of a higher end dac\amp, however the quality compared to my Creative X-Fi Titanium HD is similar (but Fiio´s sound is very slightly like its coming out of a tube, while Creative has too high pitch on highs), but a normal HiFi amp has a noticeable difference from any of those.

If I were you I would either get a good PCI-E (the latest Creative without all the gimmicks will be fine at around 70-80 USD) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1I0QYK/?tag=tec06d-20 Its essentially the same as the top end model without the microphone, EMI shield and extra controls. Or I would save money for a HTR microstreamer or similar.

remixedcat · Feb 5, 2014

How many Ohms are those headphones?

BumbleBee · Feb 5, 2014

no sound cards.

the Xonar DG is the only sound card worth recommending because it can be tucked away, it has a better line out (can drive 32 ohm headphones well), Dolby Headphone and it only cost $30.

sound cards are already at a disadvantage because computers can be really noisy inside, computers use switching mode power supplies not linear which are noisy, sound cards only have so much power to work with, PCI card has size and weight restrictions, you have to deal with bad stock drivers (see the Unified drivers changelog).

external Headphone Amplifiers and D/A converters have no limitations.

Fostex/Denon headphones are easy to drive.

like I said a $250 budget will give you more options.

BumbleBee · Feb 5, 2014

also a lot of portable amplifiers and D/A converters volume exist in the digital domain and pushing a button up or down just to change the volume would drive me crazy on a desktop

Fiio E07K will be fine.

Kursah · Feb 5, 2014

Well you could continue to us onboard audio and run an analogue cable from your audio out to a used FiiO E9. Plenty of power...pushes my headphones quite well, a couple of which are harder to drive than your DT770's. If you must have a dac/amp, as someone suggested an E07K might be what you're after, it'll do a decent job I'm sure...though I've never heard it.

remixedcat · Feb 5, 2014

I got the E7 I shall see how it is. If it sucks I'm gonna return it.

I shall see on Friday when it shows up!

BumbleBee · Feb 6, 2014

remixedcat said:
I got the E7 I shall see how it is. If it sucks I'm gonna return it.

I shall see on Friday when it shows up!

I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

remixedcat · Feb 6, 2014

Cool. Can't wait!

remixedcat · Feb 7, 2014

E7 is here and woah! sooo much better then onboard!!! I only have it at 35/100 and finally these DT770s are as loud as they should! Sounds so much better as well!!!!

BumbleBee · Feb 8, 2014

remixedcat said:
E7 is here and woah! sooo much better then onboard!!! I only have it at 35/100 and finally these DT770s are as loud as they should! Sounds so much better as well!!!!

right on

BumbleBee · Feb 8, 2014

you might want to consider buying the Fiio E09K

when you dock it becomes a D/A converter (Fiio E07K) and Headphone Amplifier (Fiio E09K)

remixedcat · Feb 8, 2014

Cool. But I think I'll get that Aune T1 later though.

I love how this E7 is so far though. Not bad for just under 80 bucks.

BumbleBee · Feb 8, 2014

lol alright

Frederik S · Feb 9, 2014

You are much better off getting a better pair of headphones than upgrading the DAC/Amp. The E07 is a very well designed unit despite its low price: http://nwavguy.blogspot.dk/2011/05/fiio-e9-headphone-amp.html

It has near zero output impedance, very low distortion, can drive most dynamic headphones.

Just checkout the measurement summary on NwAvGuy's site.

Frederik S · Feb 9, 2014

Here is the original article about the E7: http://nwavguy.blogspot.dk/2011/05/fiio-e7-usb-dac-amp.html

remixedcat · Feb 9, 2014

I have already. Beyerdynamic DT770 pro 80

Frederik S · Feb 9, 2014

And the E9 is contrary to what the price suggests and inferior design which performs worse than the E7. You made the perfect choice in under $70 DAC/amp I must say

remixedcat · Feb 9, 2014

Wow. Thanks.

newconroer · Feb 9, 2014

remixedcat said:
arrrg scrapping this.... don't think the fiio would work. allready 3 red flags on head fi. (not good for 80Ohm, no support, not good reports for beyer owners)

I would prolly ONLY get a fiio for the phone and that's it but I don't think I want to throw away 75 dollars for that. I've seen deals for the Aune T1 that have it as low as 125 on amazon 3rd party seller. Thing is I still need a portable one.

I'll just wait a bit to see what mom will give me in 2 weeks for the amped wirless router. my lil bro's gonna get her to buy it becuase he is sick of the isp provided crap router.

You'd be looking for the E12 or E17 I believe. Both have the same amp capabilities as an E11 if I am correct - which will drive up to 300 ohms.
Or you could get a decent sound card with a built in amp.

valtopps · Feb 26, 2014

I like the nuforce udac2 its a amp/dac, if your not looking to spend a lot of money they sell around $60-$80 used.

System Name	RemixedBeast-NX
Processor	Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard	Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling	Dell Standard
Memory	24GB ECC
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage	2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case	Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s)	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply	630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse	Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard	Logitech K740
Software	Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores	Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P

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Memory	8GB Mushkin Blackline DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 670
Storage	Intel 520 60GB, Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB
Display(s)	BenQ 24" XL2420T
Case	Corsair 550D
Audio Device(s)	Sennheiser HD600, Audeze LCD-3F, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD, La Figaro 339, Burson HA-160, Geek Pulse X
Power Supply	Corsair AX650
Mouse	steelseries Sensei MLG edition
Keyboard	Cooler Master QuickFire Pro
Software	Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium

System Name	RemixedBeast-NX
Processor	Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard	Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling	Dell Standard
Memory	24GB ECC
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage	2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case	Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s)	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply	630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse	Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard	Logitech K740
Software	Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores	Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P

Processor	Intel Core i5-3570K
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V Pro
Cooling	Noctua NH-D14
Memory	8GB Mushkin Blackline DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 670
Storage	Intel 520 60GB, Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB
Display(s)	BenQ 24" XL2420T
Case	Corsair 550D
Audio Device(s)	Sennheiser HD600, Audeze LCD-3F, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD, La Figaro 339, Burson HA-160, Geek Pulse X
Power Supply	Corsair AX650
Mouse	steelseries Sensei MLG edition
Keyboard	Cooler Master QuickFire Pro
Software	Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium

System Name	RemixedBeast-NX
Processor	Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard	Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling	Dell Standard
Memory	24GB ECC
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage	2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case	Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s)	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply	630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse	Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard	Logitech K740
Software	Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores	Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P

System Name	My PC
Processor	i7 4790k @4.4ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte z97m-d3h
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Video Card(s)	GTX970 Stric oc
Storage	Samsung 840Pro 512GB
Display(s)	Asus ROG SWIFT
Case	Lian Li 359
Audio Device(s)	Denon DA-300USB / Denon AH-D5000
Power Supply	Corsair AX860
Mouse	Roccat Kone Pure Optical
Keyboard	Corsair K70
Software	Win10 64-bit home

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case	Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low \| Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

System Name	Widow
Processor	Ryzen 7600x
Motherboard	AsRock B650 HDVM.2
Cooling	CPU : Corsair Hydro XC7 }{ GPU: EK FC 1080 via Magicool 360 III PRO > Photon 170 (D5)
Memory	32GB Gskill Flare X5
Video Card(s)	GTX 1080 TI
Storage	Samsung 9series NVM 2TB and Rust
Display(s)	Predator X34P/Tempest X270OC @ 120hz / LG W3000h
Case	Fractal Define S [Antec Skeleton hanging in hall of fame]
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar Xense with AKG K612 cans on Monacor SA-100
Power Supply	Seasonic X-850
Mouse	Razer Naga 2014
Software	Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores	FFXIV ARR Benchmark 12,883 on i7 2600k 15,098 on AM5 7600x

System Name	buckwheat
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Cooling	h60
Memory	G.SKILL 2x4gb
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Power Supply	PC POWER & COOLING 750w
Software	windows 7 x64

headphone amp/dac budget 70

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