Yes there has been an ongoing measurement race for awhile now (in budget to midfi audio in general tbh), the problem is that you also need quality power, I could care less how much power or how something looks on paper if it doesn’t sound the part. I do think the trend of daps that can also drive headphones is a good one, but I would prefer it doesn’t lean too far into making things that have great power output but poor quality power (not saying this is the case with the kann and the m15)
I know for myself the most impressive dap I’ve heard in a while is the luxury and precision p6 which has really kinda set the bar for me sound wise so far at least, even though it’s not really that impressive on paper compared to more measurement based options (would like to get my hands on the lp6 ti or platinum for better driving of full size headphones eventually), also the questyle qpm actually drives headphones surprisingly well even with it’s minimal power output in comparison to other amps too (I know someone that got one recently and really likes the sound with their verite too lol)
I think if you are in the market for a dap around the 1k mark, it might be wise to wait for the kann alpha to come out and see how it stacks up to the m15, then make your decision
This is why some still go for Sp2000 over the m15 at half the price, which is understandable, since what we’re here for is audio.
I agree. Especially with thinking this is a good thing. We’re honestly so lucky to be alive for these technological advances. I’m sure that the DAP Market won’t die anytime soon and may actually be thoroughly invigorated when desktop amps start to become obsolete.
The question I have is this: at what point does better sound processing become more valuable than getting more power? Obviously when it’s comparing the M15 to the SP2000 that have essentially the same power capacity the SP2000 wins because it has both, but what if it’s a case where you can choose between a properly powered headphone with decent processing and an improperly powered headphone with non-existent noise etc etc?
Up to the point of properly powering the headphones isn’t power the most valuable stat to go for?
Lol the desktop market isn’t dying anytime soon, but the portable scene continues to improve for sure, to be honest I haven’t really heard a dap that can really rival an equivalent priced desktop setup at all, but there are plenty of very impressive portables out there now that can replace a desktop setup for some (but prepare to pay 2x the price for the same quality as a cheaper desktop setup)
It really depends on the headphone, with the vertie, I think as long as you get quality power it can sound very good. I mentioned someone I know using the qpm with a verite, and at 300 ohms the qpm only outputs around 50mw but apparently can drive them very well (but the amp of the questyle is class a high bias and the high bias aspect plays a larger role here). I haven’t heard the vertie with the qpm, but the qpm does drive some of my other headphones very well for being such a low power device, the utopia sounds pretty great on there, along with an adx5000, but sounds lackluster with something like an aeon 2 closed for example
So I would value quality of power over quantity of power with a vertie, but if you were trying to drive a hungry hifiman more raw power might be more important (the aeon 2 closed falls under hungry lol)
As long as it’s not super low, I don’t think power is always worth looking at depending on the headphone. For iems it really isn’t something I consider often at all
I mean that’s a bit of a confusing question, if the headphone sounds good I would say it’s properly powered, if it doesn’t sound as good it’s not properly powered lol, but I get what you are saying kinda, I think I may have answered some of the question above
To be clear here my goal wasn’t to try and tell you to keep the verite lol, but just try a nicer way of powering it before letting it go, since for really anything in the price range you are looking for is going to need quality amplification anyways
Yes I would say so, the mojo isn’t a slouch, but the benefits from moving up to better quality source gear can give a significant difference
Maybe go Arya? Something different… I know you had the Clears, as that would be my other suggestion. I like the Stellia but it’s closed. It’s easy to drive tho.
At this range he could go with a he1000se which would be more in the performance bracket of the verite, and actually can be somewhat driven portable with a strong enough player, would be very different from the verite. I would mention a diana v2 but that can sound boring af if you cheap out on your source gear
It’s going to be a brighter more treble and midrange focused headphone, but still great bass extension and impact (more bright neutral tbh), very interesting hifiman presentation that’s very grand with an exaggerated sense of verticality which can be really fun, great technicalities as well
I lowered my asking price on ebay for the Mojo-Poly by $100 as soon as I read this.
I REALLY want to try Arya and other hifiman stuff. Also for whatever reason I still like the Elex more than the clears. I just liked the fun signature. Could hear what was worthy of respect in the clears, but I’d take a Elex and a Sennheiser over a clear for the same price honestly.
Btw I had heard Stellia and it’s GREAT!!!
Would you say it’s the hifiman that does this big sound the best? Or does Arya do it bigger?
I’m intrigued by this because my overall favorites to this day are the Elex, Verite and a properly set up HD800S.
The Verite seems too headphone-y to me a lot of the times which is why I’m getting bored with it. Elex was so open and vastly spacious.
Imo it outperforms the arya in most all respects, but you pay for that lol
Gotcha, then it would be worth trying the hifiman for sure. Just keep in mind that really any of these headphones might sound boring or meh without very high quality amplification (regarding the higher end ones)
I do think the Verite needs a good tube or really well paired ss to be more enjoyable. I understand where you’re coming from. Hopefully the Hifiman and dap upgrade suits your needs.
I’ll definitely start looking into all the comparisons in the hifiman line and where the diminishing returns come in. It could also end up being like a Focal situation where I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the clear, but prefer the more fun nature of the Elex.
It might be worth noting that I’m thinking of having to headphones. One for pure electronic fun - rap, rock, digital stuff, soundscape, and another for jazz, classical, pink floyd, etc.
Right now nothing beats the Verite for that classical category for sure, but just how close the 58x came to meeting that makes me uncomfortable with the price difference.
The he1000se is actually more colored and imo fun than the arya, the arya is actually more bright neutral where the he1000se has a more unique signature imo
If that’s the case, you could consider some mysphere 3.1 if you don’t mind looks, absolutely not headphone-y lol. They actually can be run of some daps with decent success but I have a feeling there might be some drawbacks you won’t want to make from the music you listen to
