Headphone AMPs/DACs

I was recently diagnosed with a severe case of GAS. My Sennheiser 560s and 490 Pro headphones being relegated to the ‘I’m not content with what I have pile’. After many hours of YouTube reviews, I’ve decided that a planar magnetic headphone will bring me nirvana. So, I’m about to purchase a Hifiman Arya Organic. But now I’ve hit a snag. After explaining that I wish to run said headphone off my lowly Focusrite 2i2 I was informed that the heaphone amp wattage was laughable something like 32mW into 33 OHMS, and I need at least 2 Watt into 33 OHMS.

So naturally I ask for the solution and was presented with several headphone DAC/AMP combo’s. This is another rabbit hole. Different ways of converting e.g. R2R, different chips e.g. AKM or ESS. Words like transparent, holographic, glare, warm, fast etc etc etc.

Anybody know where to start? Do I just get a cheap device like a FiiO K11 or should I get a FiiO K9-AKM or equivalent from another brand. Or is there a magic device that will perfect my new shiny headphones?

That or I need a cure for GAS.

Welcome and sorry for your illness. You’ll find only commiseration here.

How about the $109 hybrid-tube Apos Gremlin. It’s a fantastic little amp that kicks 1.25W. Oops, looks like it’s now $120. trump did that. I had a bunch of compatible tubes from decades gone by so the lure for me was/is tube rolling but the standard tubes are absolutely serviceable.

You’ll need 2 - 1/4" TRS Balanced male to 3-pin XLR balanced male to connect the two. Like this set: Amazon.com: pegcabac XLR Male to 1/4 TRS Jcak Cable 3ft, 6.35mm TRS Plug to 3-pin XLR Male to Quarter inch TS Male Balanced Interconnect Wire Mic Cord, (2Pack) : Musical Instruments

You’ll also need 4.4mm or XLR balanced headphone cables as the Gremlin is balanced only. I use this one with my Ananda SE and I believe the Arya uses the same 3.5mm connectors. Amazon.com: FAAEAL Replacement Cable for Hifiman SUNDARA Ananda,Upgrade Cable for Hifiman HE4XX/HE-400i/HE560/HE-350/HE1000 Headphones 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm to Dual 3.5mm Jack Male Cord 1.45meters/4.7ft (4.4mm Jack) : Electronics

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While 32mW is not enough to drive an Arya Organic, you do not need a minimum of 2 WPC at 32 ohms to drive it. I drove a bunch of HiFiMan headphones with aplomb through a 1 WPC at 32 ohm JDS Labs Atom+, and I never needed to use high gain.

You can do a LOT worse than a JDS Labs Atom+ stack. Plenty of ample, CLEAN power with no BS. Great engineering. Even better customer service. And made in the USA, which is a big issue now if you want to avoid Cheeto Satan’s tariffs.

Hope you’re feeling better soon!

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That JDS Labs gear is very cool looking too!

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