Will this unit allow sufficiently loud &amp; non-distorted monitoring with TWO 300-ohm top-notch pro headphones? How good ARE the headphone amps?
88506
I use Grado and AT pro phones. The amps are sufficient. About the same quality of sound as running direct to the mixing board from the 6i6.
1441054
I don't use the DAC for headphone listening, I have the HA-501 amplifier for that. I did test the DAC for you and, Yes it can drive 600 ohms headphones. I have the Beyer DT990 (600 ohms), for normal listening I did set the volume between the -17dB and -15dB and, For my HD700 (150 0hms) I did set it between -31dB and -26dB based on the music.
1986016
I'm probably not the best person to answer your question because I drive my headphones with one of two tube driven amps, but I'll help. The Emotiva headphone amp/DAC will drive almost any headphone easily. The Fiio E7 may or may not be adequate for the 300ohm HD600s. Check the Fiio website for specs and look for a suitable range of headphone impedances (if listed) for this amp/DAC. Also, check head-fi.org or innerfidelity.com for more info on headphones amps/DACs where you can find reviews. Sometimes an amp/DAC will recommend a headphone impedance range and a reviewer will have a very positive review of headphones NOT within that range - YMMV. Good Luck.
2192196
Thats exactly what i use it for and it works great. The only thing you have to remember is that it will turn. your stereo signal into a mono signal, which most would find unacceptable for headphone monitoring in a studio scenario but if you just want to rock out in your headphones it will work in reverse alot more comfy than the bulky adapters you would get elsewhere.
1295930
It's an active amp which is why it plugs into a wall outlet. It amplifies the signal from the input and splits it into each output, and it has plenty of cojones to drive my over-ear phones into heavy distortion. I assume that's what you mean by "drive." Not sure what you mean by "how many Ohms can it handle". Headphones are generally low watt, high impedance--like 40+ ohm. I personally wouldn't try to drive a low impedance load like a speaker with it.
417556
I own these headphones and i hook them up to my mac laptop and computer all the time and the sound quality is fantastic. I also have a fiio e5 and that really doesn't do much. These headphones are very sensitive and only 50 ohm so therefor you will not need an amplifier. People say you need a headphone amp for high end headphones, but that is only if you have 300 ohm headphones. Most high end headphones are much higher than these. SO you should be fine hooking them up to your pc speakers or just directly into your pc.
2255457
I use a small pair of 6 ohm Eltax stuido monitors and they work fine. The sound improvement is dramatic.
728833
Nope. I have a hifonics 1000rms and its jist perfect. So beat bet, get one good amp or 2 decent ones for those subs. But i omly have one and people hear me a few blocks out.
1390453
I'm not sure I fully understand your question. This is a mono preamp that is used to boost the signal from an instrument before going into an amplifier or a mixing board. It is not meant to be used with headphones and if you plugged headphones into the output you would only hear it on one side since the output is signal is not stereo. I'm not sure what you want to use this for but you might be looking for a headphone amp not a preamp booster or something else..
2231695
The Valhalla does drive 32-ohm headphones well. I have the sr60i and it sounds great, particularly for guitar-driven rock music.If the sr80i is your only headphone, you might want to consider the Schiit Magni, which I have, or for a tube sound, the newer Vali, which I do not.
171049
The bass output is much better than expected. My headphones are AKG and they require a large amount of power to create the correct 'bass' that was created from a master recording. The PHA-1 creates MORE than enough bass for these headphones. so depending on your type of headphones or equipment you should have no problems from this Sony DAC. I have the PHA-1 as well as the PHA-2. The PHA-2 is for SACD or hi-def music recordings. I have even hooked the PHA-1 AND the PHA-2 together to create a pre-amp and amp combination. The sound was fantastic !
141280
Not really. I purchased this along with my pair of ATH-M50s, and was disappointed. Headphone amplifiers are more designers to provide higher power to run the drivers on studio headsets, as opposed to delivering better sound quality. If you were to plug your new set of ear cans into a regular headphone jack, (like a cellphone) you would notice an appreciable amount of decreased max volume. That is what headphone amps remedy, although there are much better options than this one. I returned mine.
115865
It says right in the description for the unit "Headphones impedance between 16 ohm to 300 ohm are suitable for use with Icon uDAC-2".
24384
I can just say from experience with my Grado SR80i (32 ohm impedance). I have the TP30 connected to my MacPro via USB and I use it to output sound to 4 ohm bookshelf Mission speakers. It sounds great and has enough power for my needs in the office - casual movie watching and listening to some flac encoded music. Obviously it is not a home theater grade, but it sounds clear and loud enough when needed. Same with the headphones - I listen at 50 % of the volume level and haven't noticed distortion or noise in the frequency's range. So far it has been exceeding my expectations considering build quality and performance for the price paid. No regrets, I would recommend it. I can just say from experience with my Grado SR80i (32 ohm impedance). I have the TP30 connected to my MacPro via USB and I use it to output sound to 4 ohm bookshelf Mission speakers. It sounds great and has enough power for my needs in the office - casual movie watching and listening to some flac encoded music. Obviously it is not a home theater grade, but it sounds clear and loud enough when needed. Same with the headphones - I listen at 50 % of the volume level and haven't noticed distortion or noise in the frequency's range. So far it has been exceeding my expectations considering build... » Read More I can just say from experience with my Grado SR80i (32 ohm impedance). I have the TP30 connected to my MacPro via USB and I use it to output sound to 4 ohm bookshelf Mission speakers. It sounds great and has enough power for my needs in the office - casual movie watching and listening to some flac encoded music. Obviously it is not a home theater grade, but it sounds clear and loud enough when needed. Same with the headphones - I listen at 50 % of the volume level and haven't noticed distortion or noise in the frequency's range. So far it has been exceeding my expectations considering build quality and performance for the price paid. No regrets, I would recommend it. « Show Less
1603431
Thanks for the replies. Will keep it in mind when I am ready to buy a headphone amp.
2063460
I am using a 250ohm DT770Pro right now using only onboard audio from my desktop and the sound is incredible. I can not vouch for its effectiveness with mobile devices or sources with lower power than my desktop.
1322899
Yep, it has a headphone amp that can power even 600ohm headphones! So you'll be set with a 250ohm. That's part of what makes these so cool..the ability to power higher-end headphones.