Amen, man!
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As someone who rocks the Element 3, I know that IEMs on it are overkill but the volume control, the power and even full balance at lower volumes - I love my IEMs on it. I call it âcontrolled powerâ because youâre getting so much overkill but the technology in it works perfectly with IEMs to my ears and it never feels like the Element 3 isnât controlling itself with the output.
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I guess that is where the confusion comes in for a complete newbie. Especially when you are looking for a dac and they all talk about power and how much power they push. But at the end of the day they are a digital audio converter and that is why some are warm, some are neutral. Etc.
It makes it confusing in all honesty. Especially when you see reviews and they say things like âthis iem requires a powerful dac to shine!â Or âa warm sounding dac will ruin the sound of this iemâ or âyou need a warm sounding dac to get the best out of this iemâ
So when you are new to the hobby you kinda want to hear a little bit of everything to see what you prefer, but usually that is not possible.
That is the thing, they do not have such effects.
Assuming that your source chain (dac + amp) does not have any big deviations in the FR or the output impedance, it has zero effect on the sound you get out of it.
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So that is the key when looking for a portable DAC? To look for one that has decent power and stays true to FR? Neutral?
What would you recommend riku? Guessing the onix may be out since it may be to warm? Powerful but not true to the FR
The only 2 factor I would look at when it comes to the audio specs would be the frequency response (but likeâŚ99.9999% of them are flat soâŚ) and the Output impedance (under 1 ohm is optimal but up to 2 ohm like fiio usually have is fine).
Literally the only thing you need would be something like a jcally ja3 (1vrms) has all the power you need for most of the stuff you drive or if that is not enough then anything with 2vrms will do the job. Fiio JA11 has PEQ in their app/webapp so that is what I would go for unless you want to avoid PEQ.
As for desktop stuffâŚthese recs still apply but if you want something that would LOOK better in your setup, I would just get any entry level source from like jds, schiit, topping, fiio and smsl.
A separate DAC + AMP setup is more flexible and future proof than a combo dac& source, since not only would you easily be able to swap out a single part if that one dies, you also be able to use other stuff like switches, tube preamps (these DO have an effect on sound).
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Appreciate it riku. I guess maybe I need to chill and take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Getting caught up in the chase when maybe what I have is adequate (xduoo link2 bal max). You look at so many reviews and seeing people say this is better than that gets you to overthink it.
Iâll def look into desktop setup for now and try not to overthink about portable DACs. Maybe just jump into a DAP instead.
Unfortunately I usually get to hear most of my stuff away from home.
Stopping and REALLY looking at what you need is always a good decision.
If you spend most of your time away from home and need a good all-in-one, I am a big fan of the Topping G5. When I travel for work, that and my DAP are all I need (I can also get away with my DAP only, but I like having what feels like UNLIMITED PORTABLE POWER on tap and I have a lilâ hard case that comfortably holds them both).
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DACs donât push power. Amps do. Anyone who says a DAC pushes power either is confused, is assuming you know itâs a combo DAC/amp or is just generally clueless.
While I think their effect is minimal and overrated, DACs can slightly color sound due to the type of chip used. Different chip manufacturers have a certain âchillâ or âwarmthâ to their products. I have found Cirrus and Sabre chips to be more on the icy side, AKM to be more neutral and Burr-Brown (used in many iFi products) to be warmer.
I think DAC colorization is a tuning option on about the level of cable swapping with IEMs. Does it change the sound? Yes, it can. But itâs usually minimal, at least for me. The overall tuning of the unit should be your first priority. Then tip rolling can REALLY make a big difference in the sound of an IEM with minimal expense. Then EQ.
After that, youâre splitting fine hairs by tuning with DAC chip type or cable rolling, IMO.
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Do you have a lot of local files, such as FLAC or MP3, or is most of your music listening done via streaming?
If the latter, I find a DAP to be superfluous. A quality mobile phone can stream just fine, especially when used with a solid dongle or better.
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Will def check that out. Would it be possible to post the case? I am at the very begging of the hobby and just use my phone and a dac currently
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I donât stream anymore. I used to, but now I use neutron media player with my link bal max dac on my phone. I noticed a huge difference in sound quality when using hires audio files and neutron media player over streaming.
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As per most things portable, I went with GLCON: Amazon.com: GLCON Portable Protection Hard EVA Case for External Battery,Cell Phone,GPS,Hard Drive,USB Charging Cable,Carrying Bag Mesh Inner Pocket,Zipper Enclosure,Universal Travel Pouch Bag : Electronics
It fits both my G5 (on the bottom under the elastic strap) and my Hiby R6 III (in the top tucked into the mesh) as well as my 3.5 to 3.5 cable to connect them. As @pk500 said, if you already use your phone as a source and donât need a separate device, I wouldnât worry about getting a DAP. I use one because Iâm old-fashioned, I canât always use my phone when listening to music and I canât always get wifi/cell signal (part of my job puts me in plants where I have no reception, AND when Iâm out driving across the countryside to reach said plants). Just your phone and a portable DAC/amp like the G5 would be fine.
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Most likely what you have is good enough for most of the things you may want to try for the lifetime in this hobby.
However, if you can stretch your budget (to buy something 2nd hand and in case you miss it resell) or have opportunity to borrow from fellow hobbyist some of the said âhigh endâ portable dongles that were and are hyped heavily like Questyle M15, BTR7 or even DC Elite I would really recommend that experiment. Then consciously compare to what you have already to see if you hear the difference.
Hell, I hope that you do 
I myself tried couple of those and could not tell shit of a difference volume matched on stuff like HD6xx, MEST, Twilight or Serratus and A/Bing between sources like DX3pro+, M15, Qudelix 5k, Hiby R3 II and FIIO M11S
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Nerd
I feel seen lol. I will admit that I kinda had to swallow my pride once I realized that I have a portable âstackâ, but I only really use it in hotel rooms or on long flights so I donât feel bad. Itâs also mostly for driving Symphonium IEMs and STORM (and yes, Rikubuds), so yeah, âabandon all pretense, ye who entersâŚâ
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haha yeah, DAPs are definitely useful if you are traveling a lot so you do not use up the battery in your phone. But personally just a tws adapter is enough for my outdoor needs, that convenience is unbeatable.
Combine the tws adapter with my own music server and I can walk around with a few TBs worth of music if needed. 
(my library is only around 600gb though)
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I appreciate the input brother. I would love to try it out and see if I can tell the difference and hopefully if I donât at least I would put an end to overthinking.
At one point I was looking at the new Ibasso dx180 and saw that a DAC they sell (DC elite) was only 50 bucks cheaper. I never looked at specs tho to see why.
I also feel somewhat foolish a bit because I would go on YouTube and try to hear sound comparisons on iems⌠Some people would compare two at a time and I couldnât tell the difference and was always confused by this
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Damn it! I am running pretty low on space in my phone, but do you require some type of connection to listen to your music? Sorry if this is a silly question, but was curious because some of us at times have no service