A key element re the XD05-Plus is for me the BT option. It gives me just the right amount of extra freedom with the phone/dap not physical connected to my XD05-Plus. It makes it a bit more expensive, but for me it make all the difference.
i dont really need SPIDIF or line out, im exclusively using USB
i’m mostly trying to figure it out because i am finding the monolith USB Dac to be kinda lacking, there isn’t enough pop or energy in the sound and i dont notice much of an improvement beyond cleaner cymbals, i kinda like a warmer sound so i was thinking about the hipdac
Can you remind me what headphones you’re using?
Also, what do you mean by “pop or energy”? Bass? Speed?
The Monolith USB dongle dac doesn’t have much power. Increasing the power in the Hip or the XD-05 alone will probably make a difference. If you’re headphones lean bright, either because they’re V-sig or bright, then the Hip-Dac may be helpful.
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sennheiser 58X… i am using them at a reasonable volume but it still feels like the mid bass and bass aren’t strong enough, and i dunno what the speed would be because it feels overall just a little bare bones when i prefer a sound that, the dynamics dont feel as strong and i just dont feel there isn’t much a difference that would make a song truly feel powerful
senns aren’t really known for speed or dynamics but either amp has sufficient power for the 58x and the bass boost on the hip will help the bass as well as give you a fuller overall sound and has a warmer sound sig compared to the xd-05+
can you explains what speed is… its not like the music feels too slow or imprecise… what headphones should i replace with because i love the feeling of quiet going to loud and volume but i also love the sound of the sennheisers for mids and a lack of sibbilence
The ability of a device to reproduce the impact of a sound.
Analogue devices don’t immediately transition so there is an inherent lag in changes in volume level. Mechanical devices (and electronic to a lesser extent) also ring at the transitions that also impacts the sound.
This is sort of captured in impulse response graphs, or waterfall plots.
Stereophile’s audio terms glossary says this:
speed The apparent rapidity with which a reproducing system responds to steep wavefronts and overall musical pace. See “fast,” “slow.”
I think this translates into a transducer’s ability to control the portion of the driver, the diaphragm, that is vibrating back and forth to create the soundwave. A “fast” driver has lots of control over its diaphragm meaning that it will get it moving in and out with higher acceleration. This can translate into an audibly “quicker” sound that can pull out finer details and such. That’s my stab at putting it in everyday langauge, anyway.
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at first it sounded like complete nonsense but i guess i might prefer a faster headphone so i can get a lot more texture and detail out of something though responding to wavefronts seems to mostly just imply “you can do very high frequencies”, its just kinda confusing and i just dunno what id replace them with and if id do an xduoo XD05+ or a hip dac
And a more powerful amp can improve the responsiveness and ‘speed’ inherent in the driver, often resulting in tighter, more controlled, and more impactful bass response
So, even though the 58x isn’t that hard to drive, an increase in power could still improve the driver’s performance in that regard
To a point, but the best electronics in the world can’t make an inherently slow driver fast.
Control isn’t really about power unless you are very close to the edge of what an amp can provide, Damping Factor does have an impact though.
yeah, not saying the 58x driver is fast, and there are a wide range of factors in optimizing driver performance. Just generally going from a dongle DAC to a more dedicated amp tends to yield results closer to the driver’s potential, assuming those factors don’t move the wrong direction.
but what should i get if i like the senns sound but want more speed… because i like a lot of textures and details
What kind of overall budget are you working with? Headphone speed and detail generally come with a higher price tag, especially if an amp is more of a requirement than a nice to have.
so what you’re describing is dynamics… the only standout in my collection is the focal elegia (focals in general are known to be great for dynamics)… they are also very fast and pair well with the hip dac… jus sayin
i think i have figured out my amp/dac situation… the real situation for me is between 2 portables (the topping NX4 and the hipdac), or if i should just not go with either and just use a BTR5 for everything because i probably will get one of those for if i ever get a samsung or and other phone with no headphone jack
I’m in a similar situation to OP, already have the 58X and looking for a portable DAC/Amp to use as a desktop one half the time and move around the house.
I’m a bit overwhelmed with the offer, Xduoo XD-05, Xduoo XP-2 Pro, Fiio BTR5, Ifi Hip Dac, Ifi NANO iDSD BL, Fiio Q3, etc.
As sexy as it looks, I’m starting to disregard the Hip DAC after reading this thread since I find the headphones to be more than bassy enough on every cheap integrated DAC I’ve tried. I don’t mind going towards the analytical side of sound signatures. I considered getting the HD600 but ended up with the 100€ cheaper option; they still are in the back of my mind after a year and a half.
I’m considering waiting for reviews on the balanced version of the XD-05.
Does the Xduoo XP-2 Pro have a line-out or is it pre-amped? Since it’s going to sit on a desk half the time, I’m checking extra features. However the price-point of the BTR5 makes it difficult!
i think the ifi NANO idsd black label is kinda pointless now that the hip dac is here (maybe it has SLIGHTLY better single ended performance but i’d need someone to confirm that), do you want Bluetooth? what streaming service do you use?
i think the XD-05 might be a little too powerful seeing as 58X are relatively easy to power (though i later decided on going with something different to pair with hipdac/dragonfly/zorloo, etc), so unless you want to get more powerful hungry headphones down the line like hifimans (which probably might be in your future since you want an analytical side and the sundaras would work) or fostex.
probably should go with the Xduoo or FiiO products and the major debate points would probably be if you want THX (then fiio Q3) or Bluetooth (built in like the XP-2 or BTR5 or an add on like the XD-05)
also no it seems like the XP-2 does not do line out or preamp but i could just not know the details
what streaming service do you use?
Mostly CDs ripped to FLAC from my NAS.
if you want THX
Any amp design is ok, if it does its job well. I guess this rules the Fiio Q3 out, in favor of the ones with bluetooth.
Considering the features of the XP-2, it seems I can close down the options to either the BTR5 for the most mobile friendly option, or the XD-05 for a more desktop oriented setup with line-out.
Thanks a lot, it’s been very helpfull already.
so in theory any DAC can work since 16/44.1 is easy to do
the BTR5 is really good if you like Bluetooth, you may need to buy balanced cables for more difficult headphones (because the BTR5 isn’t INCREDIBLY powerful, if you ever find a headphone or sound you might like more), the Xduoo is much better single ended and has a lot more power and line out… BUT it might be also useful to think about how much bulk you want because the xduoo is BIG and bulky