Looking for an Amp for my dt880 250 ohm

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Headphone Amps
1

Hi all,

I bought a DT880 chrome edition 250 ohm used the other day, and I’m driving it off an E10K at the moment. I’ve heard the headphones can sound better when paired with a good Amp. My idea is to keep using the e10k as a DAC and add a different Amp. I had my mind set on the monoprice liquid spark, but it hasn’t been available for a long time. I was thinking of waiting until the end of the month and to order something else if it doesn’t become available then. The amps that I (think) are available at the moment for under $150 are (sorted by price):

  • Smsl sap-1
  • Xduoo ta-02
  • Xduoo ta-05
  • Schiit magni 3+
  • Schiit magni heresy
  • Topping A30
  • Topping L30

Which one of these would be recommended if I can’t get a Liquid Spark, or is there one that would be preferred above the LS for my headphones?

Thanks :slight_smile:

2

I’ve liked the magni 3+ with the 880, pretty solid pick imo. If the l30 is similar to the a90 then imo that’s also a solid pick for what they sell for

3

Would you say more solid than the liquid spark? For some reason that one stands out to me but I’m not sure why. I’ve never heard any other amp than the e10k so I know absolutely nothing.

4

I would say easily on the same tier quality wise, but a different sound signature. The spark is going to be a bit warmer, wider, thicker sounding, the 3+ would be a bit more forward and impactful in comparison, also more headroom. The l30 would be the most neutral, a bit dry sounding but also smoother (but this is a guess based off the a90)

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5

I tend to prefer more bright and detailed over warmth I guess. My favourite IEMs are the T2 and FA1 that I prefer over the Starfield, and the kph30i are my least favourite Koss headphones. I guess the l30 or magni3+ would better suit me then. Those are 135 (M30+) and 139 (l30) so that’s doable. I’ll wait a bit to hear more reviews about the L30 before choosing I guess.

6

Sounds like a plan, I would mention the heresy but imo the 880 can get too sharp with that amp for my tastes, but the 3+ is solid and the l30 seems solid, curious to see what you go with

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7

the e30 l30 stack would seem awesome with the 880. if im led to believe the stack is overall linear but smooth therfore helping with the treble but keeping the nice neutral sound sig.

8

I kinda didn’t like the 880 600 ohm with the a90 in some aspects, but I would say that smoothness was pretty nice in calming treble on worse recordings imo, and it was somewhat neutral for sure

9

The liquid spark was back in stock so i grabbed that. It will be a while before I can listen to it, but it was significantly cheaper than all the other options. Just need to grab a 3.5mm to RCA cable and something to connect it to my EU wall outlet…

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10

You can either grab a us to euro plug converter (not like a cable, something that just plugs into the us plug to go into a euro plug), or replace the figure 8 side of the psu with one with a euro plug to figure 8

11

Yeah I already started a thread for the cables, I think I found a good one for the power already.

It turned out the magni3+, heresy and L30 were not available at the retailer I was looking at after all, though I heard the L30 will be available soon. L30 is still €35 more expensive though. Can’t wait to try the LS!

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