I recently bought the Sennheiser 58x, and at the moment I have connected it directly to the PC’s motherboard (B450 with ALC892 codec). From what I’ve researched the 58x are not very dependent on an AMP but I would like to have one. I have a budget of approximately 100EUR. I have been looking at a JDS Labs Atom that seems to be a good option but I would have to connect it directly to the PC via RCA, other options that I have seen are the new Fiio K3s 2021, Dragonfly Black, Fiio e10k etc. I live in Europe so Schiit is hard to buy here.
What’s your opinion? Will the Atom be a good option in this case or should I go for an AMP/Dac from fiio for example?
Thanks, for the price it seems to be the best option so far. Is it possible to connect only via USB? Will I notice a significant difference if I also buy the 5V 2.5A transformer? Thanks
yes and no. yes, it will work 100% usb. and no, it doesnt need the brick at all. i got the brick for mine and don’t use it lol. you can’t turn it off. so with the brick, its always on. on top of that, i heard 0 difference with or w/o it. so i went w/o.
Also think the zen DAC air is a good choice for non American buyers
The 5v input for the zen DAC is only optional and most say it improves sound a bit but imo probably not worth it in that price range, but if you get noise from USB power from the PC it can help eliminate that
So a generic 5v power brick could also help in that case because I don’t think a 100€ DAC amp should get a 60€ power supply
