Are headphone amps a meme? I'm heavily sceptical of anything "audiophile" because of all the bullshit snake oil, and I can't find anything conclusive to justify how amps "improve bass" or "add depth to soundstage" or whatever feelz I see on forums... But I can't find anything disproving it either.
I've never used one, and having mid-range IEMs that people of Head-fi claim "sound better amped", I've never noticed any deficiencies with my source (iPhone 7). But would an amp improve it?
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If you use high imedence headphones, you need an amp. But your source has to not use a built in amp.
There are kits that you need to solder to your ipod to bypass that so you get a straight audio out only.
they work well.
the onboard audio on my mobo is dull as fuck. I was looking at a $30 internal sound card solution but everyone started shouting at how much better a dac/amp would be. they look like they are $100 tho.
is sound card better option? or should I just get HDMI cable and use the audion on my GPU?
Depending on your audio source you may want a portable DAC for your smartphone. Chances are, if you bought an expensive phone, then your smartphone's DAC is actually really fucking good.
As this guy said if you choose to carry around high impedance headphones, then an amp is a requirement, otherwise you won't be able to hear jack shit. Taking out autism, metrics to compare amps essentially boil down to how distorted they are in certain scenarios (i.e. high volume vs ``normal listening levels'') audioholics.com
Order of importance regarding audio quality:
Waveform source (file) > DAC > AMP > Speaker
The farther away you are from the audio source, electrically speaking, the less the original waveform is modified, but at the same time the quality of your speakers do have a dramatic effect on the quality of the sound (below the $200 level this is mostly distortion) you experience. If your preference is toward a speaker with higher impedance then an amp is a requirement regardless of what you think of amps.
I can drive HD600's just fine with my onboard Realtek HD. It's a fucking scam
Your GPU doesn't have a DAC. When you use an HDMI cable, you send a digital signal over to the device on the other end, which has a DAC.
You're technically using the audio setup built into your TV or monitor, which may or may not be total shit.
You need to drop several hundred bucks before you need an audio converter, let alone an amp.
dont fall for the memes
...
An amp greatly improved my sound, desu.
Depends on the headphones and your source.
For example
High impedance headphones generally need additional power but a good rule of thumb is - do you feel like they don't get as high volume as you like - then get an amp.
Some phones don't need additional amplifying like the htc one m8 because the output power is so high.
DAC would only be necessary if you hear static in the background or no music is being played but you still hear faint sounds.
Onboard sound is almost always complete garbage these days. DAC+Amp is the way to go.
Don't have an iPhone but last I heard the quality of Apple gear has gone down since they stopped using those Wolfson chips.
A friend gave me a pair of panasonic SC PM20 Bookshelf speakers. Can anyone recommend me a ok cheap amp so i can hook them up to my pc?
I don't understand what a portable amp is supposed to do. People generally use IEMs or something if not meant for, at least acceptable for portable use when using a portable device, so why does one need an amp for a DAP or phone?
Do they """improve sound""" somehow? Thought they were literally for power amplification only.
You don't need to solder anything, the 30-pin provides line-out.
if it sounds fine to you now, maybe don't bother. i'd been stressing about getting an amp for a vintage pair with high impedance, but also high sensitivity. i realized they already sounded fine off my laptop, just not overly loud. loud enough
People say it improves sound (on some headphones/IEMs) when you use an amp, not just the volume. I guess you have to try it yourself because you must absolutely not believe "audiophiles".
Not all amps are the same, using a higher quality one will result in better sound quality.
What anime is this from?
Just buy an Xperia Z2. It has the best DAC of any audio player or phone.
Those are some reputable sources you've got there