Definitely ifi zen dac in my opinion if you want warmerā¦ also has the bass button. zen CAN the later upgrade can be bought later and stacked with the zen dac(which actually completes this stack combo as the zen can is the stronger amp and zen dac is rather good as the dac of the combo). The drop version of the zen can had a 6xx button evenā¦ they are quite good for those neutral headphones you want a bit more warmth for. as mentioned above me from sun_dyes the k5 pro is another option.
Be sure to keep an eye on used markets for your audio equipment, I say this alot but it can save you a lot in the long runā¦ you can find absolute mint or even sometimes brand new equipment for much less than full price. Zen dac is usually $120 brand new and k5 pro is $150. The zen dac and can also have a balanced portā¦ so you can grab some balanced cables on the 58x jubilee and run it balanced if you wantā¦ gives it a bit of a better sound of the zenās nothing major but definitely more power
So my Sennheiser HD58X still on the way to my home, Iām thinking the zen dac a little bit pricier considering that hd58x doesnāt scale as much as the 6xx with better amp, do you think the fiio e10k is enough to power my hd58x?
But I wouldnāt mind to spend more if its have a huge difference between e10k and zen dac? Do you think I found that difference in hd58x? Otherwise I save the money buy e10k and buy a bookshelf speakers instead
58x doesnāt scale anywhere near as much and isnāt very picky so the differences are a bit debateableā¦ itās hard for me to say for certain as I know some people who canāt hear any differences between amps unless you go between price brackets. Personally, I definitely like the ifi zen dac a lot more for itās warmer smoother sound over the E10k. To me, personally I see the E10k as more of a throw away unit while zen dac is a start to a nice stack since you can grab the zen can later for more power and even better sound qualities.
Oh, is that so? Then I might consider the fiio k5 pro for future proof without spending again, because fiio k5 pro a bit more pricier than ifi zen dac, whatās the better option? fiio k5 pro or ifi zen dac with balanced cable for my currently hd58x?
The Fiio K5 Pro is apparently solid if you want a simple, all-in-one desktop dac+amp combo. This can even power planars like T50RPs, if youāre interested by that.
Remeber you can get āstacksā for pretty much the same price too (JDS Atom Dac + Amp, Liquid Spark Dac + Amp, Topping A30 + D30ā¦)
Random question. Anyone here every pair the 58x with the IFI Zen Can or the IFI Zen Can Signature from Drop? If so what did you think? Did you play with the 6xx and 3-D buttons?
I did try it a couple of times at a Audio store to audition the normal Zen Stack, the non drop versions.
When using the 3D, this just adds a little more width to the overall sound as the name implies. X-bass is not as extreme as the TrueBass on the regular Zen DAC but more like just makes it crisper. TrueBass is just bonkers and absolutely love it. When I actually auditioned the stack for the 1st time I was a bit disappointed to be honest, most likely due to pairing it with the 58x. I would imagine it would pair well with Bright headphones, since the stack will add warmth, width and keep the amazing detail.
Value Proposition wise, the Zen DAC itself is really one of the best if not the best DAC/AMP combo in itās particular price range. As a stack itās only worth it in my opinion if you have higher Impedance Headphones with a brighter sound signature.
I am a bit stingy so even a $5 discount is huge and I donāt know if Iām even going to make use of the warranty since Iāll be buying these through a freight forwarding service so getting them sent back is actually more troublesome (and costly) on my part.
