Warm Amp to drive DT1990 Pro

I think it would tame the treble just fine, it’s a smoother amp so that should help. I think if you wanted to get something later on to really smooth it over you would want to pick up a darkvoice 336se

I think with your options the nano makes the most sense imo, it’s a solid unit, I just didn’t know how loud you wanted to go lol

Another option would be buying a Topping DX3 Pro, that way getting the PreOut, Bluetooth input, good DAC, enough power and a DAC Only mode. And later import the liquid spark, since it has a good price and in the end I would spend 200 dollars on the liquid spark.

And if I don’t get bothered by the highs, I might even stay with just the DX3 Pro

That could work just fine, the dx3 pro leans a bit brighter but that would work pretty nice

Sorry for bothering, but I have one more question…
Can you recommend a PreAmp only to pair with the IFI Nano, and power my Monitors?

Hmmm, I think you would want more of a passive volume control. A good one that comes to mind is the schiit sys, or something like the mackie big knob

You can get cheaper ones on amazon though but I don’t know what’s available to you

Ok, that’s what I meant, sorry. Can I buy just any of those cheap ones? or they will mess with the sound?

It depends, I like these if you wanted to get one cheaper

Thanks man! You’re the best, seriously. How can you answer so many questions everywhere?

I decided on the IFI iDSD Nano With the passive control.

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Nice, hope you enjoy it :+1:

Also IDK I’m bored lol

Not if my soldering iron has anything to say about it. Muahaha. If the 1990 are like T1s in how they’re opened, then balanced could be a relatively quick mod. Not for everyone though since things can be messy if too much heat is applied and something breaks.

Well I was referring without mods lol. I think you would have to change the connector type and rewire them though

True True, also speaking of connectors for the life of me I can’t find a TRRS 3.5mm (not 2.5mm, since I wanted something more rugged) connector anywhere to make a detachable wire. Made my dad’s 770s balanced but had to buy a 4-Pin Plug and Wire and directly solder it to the headphone. Sucks but you could always get a 4-Pin to 6.35mm Adapter.

Hey M0N, I was looking for another option and didn’t want to create another topic.

Do you have any experiences with the Xduoo XD-05 Plus? If so, can you please compare it to the ifi iDSD Nano and Topping DX3 Pro sound and power-wise?

Thanks in advance

The xd05 + has a bunch of power on tap, enough to drive most headphones very well. It’s pretty solid and the battery life is pretty good, would work well with the 1990, I didn’t suggest it though as it’s not really a warm amp, more on the balanced side

So the nano is more smoothed out and relaxed sounding, where the xduoo is a bit more impactful and forward, so different sound signature. I think the xduoo is better in terms of features as well

So personally I would actually prefer the 05 + to the dx3 pro lol, as I think the + just sounds better and is portable with more power. You can also get a wireless module with the xd05 later on too

Not to hijack the thread but I recently got a bunch of trrs 3.5 connectors from aliexpress. I also got one from markertek if you’re in the US.

Funny enough, with you mentioning it, I actually found some on partsconnexion when I called them for one of my orders and happened to ask. Don’t need them atm since I took care of dad’s headphones already and he’s pretty happy with his headphones, especially with the extra power from balanced (He’s quite the Queen fan but a bit hard of hearing now, guess that’s what happens when you’re older).

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Hey M0N, reviving this question again.Sadly, The Xduoo is now out of stock.

So, I’m back to that point between buying the DX3 Pro, and importing a Liquid Spark later in for arround 2p0 dollars. Or buying the K5 Pro for 150 Euros in the UK.

But now I have one more option. I have raised the budget to 350 dollars for DAC and AMP to see if I could find some more alternatives. And I seems like the SNSL SP200 THX AAA 888 is 295 Euros, and available in France. I was thinking of buying it and a cheap DAC (upgrading later). That way I would future proof my setup, and I think it may be a very good (and powerful) AMP for all my future headphones.

I wanted to know what do you think of that SP200 choice, and if you have any other recommendations in that 300-350 dollar budget.

Also, if I go for the Fiio K5 Pro, I would have to wait about 10 days after I get the DT1990 to buy it (because I will go to UK only arround the ending of my trip) and I wanted to know if my Fiio A3 can drive the DT1990 until I get the other amp. Thanks!

This would be pretty good, gives you lots of options but costs more

That amp is bright/analytical leaning FYI if you are still looking for a warmer amp, but it is a solid offering

I think the fiio a3 would work for the time being if you go with that

Ok, thanks!
I know the DX3 is Brighter and the SMSL is also bright/analytical

But how do the Fiio K5 compare?
Also, is the SMSL less bright than the DX3?

I think the k5 pro is a bit more balanced than the dx3.

I think the thx is more aggressive than the dx3 and both are somewhat similar in brightness