Hello,
I've used to have a HD800, now I spend a lot of time away from home and bought a sennheiser hd560s. I quite like it. By far not as confortable as the 800, sound stage is not as good and any other aspect not as good, but, not bad. I enjoy much more than the HD600 what I've only owned for a few weeks. So, this HD560S is my portable headphone, in a dedicated case in my backpack with the notebook and other work related stuff. Now, the problem is, the laptop headphone output makes me tired if I listen to that with the headphone. I do not enjoy that.
I have a nos DAC (AD1865) + tube buffer setup, the tube headphone amp is under construction too, but it will be way too big for my backpack.
On the other hand, I did not made any semiconductor audio circuit for a while now and I need help.
With this post, I would take a step back and ask you, maybe some of you has experience with good semicon amp AND commercial DAC+amp boxes too, and my question would be:
Is it makes sense to DIY a small semiconductor based headphone amp, DAC? (let's put the fun factor of building it away for a moment) Or, I just get for example a Moondrop Moonriver 2 and enjoy?
I do not wnat it to be provocative, that is not my intention. I truly do not know it is makes sense to DIY small semicon audio amp/DAC or now.
I know, in case of tube amp, it absolutely does makes sense - I believe. How about in a backpack compatible size/weight level?
Thanks!!
JG
I've used to have a HD800, now I spend a lot of time away from home and bought a sennheiser hd560s. I quite like it. By far not as confortable as the 800, sound stage is not as good and any other aspect not as good, but, not bad. I enjoy much more than the HD600 what I've only owned for a few weeks. So, this HD560S is my portable headphone, in a dedicated case in my backpack with the notebook and other work related stuff. Now, the problem is, the laptop headphone output makes me tired if I listen to that with the headphone. I do not enjoy that.
I have a nos DAC (AD1865) + tube buffer setup, the tube headphone amp is under construction too, but it will be way too big for my backpack.
On the other hand, I did not made any semiconductor audio circuit for a while now and I need help.
With this post, I would take a step back and ask you, maybe some of you has experience with good semicon amp AND commercial DAC+amp boxes too, and my question would be:
Is it makes sense to DIY a small semiconductor based headphone amp, DAC? (let's put the fun factor of building it away for a moment) Or, I just get for example a Moondrop Moonriver 2 and enjoy?
I do not wnat it to be provocative, that is not my intention. I truly do not know it is makes sense to DIY small semicon audio amp/DAC or now.
I know, in case of tube amp, it absolutely does makes sense - I believe. How about in a backpack compatible size/weight level?
Thanks!!
JG
No it does not make sense to compete against the Apple dongle DAC/hpa for $10. Get a spare.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXJFMG...d=3M1MPYQUVYKXP&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im
And making a DAC-amp combo would need battery charging/power supply design too. Then to make it small needs SMD. For something you drag around everywhere and risk dropping and losing? So it needs to be extra rugged. Seems very ambitious for DIY. Any DIY coming from me can barely be tipped upside-down....
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXJFMG...d=3M1MPYQUVYKXP&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im
And making a DAC-amp combo would need battery charging/power supply design too. Then to make it small needs SMD. For something you drag around everywhere and risk dropping and losing? So it needs to be extra rugged. Seems very ambitious for DIY. Any DIY coming from me can barely be tipped upside-down....
Nooo 🙂
Well, for sure if we look at a function with performance on one axis and cost on another, for sure, the apple dongle is king on cost/performance measure ... but, I do not think it play in the league on this forum. Do not take me wrong, I know it is not bad, I did listened to that. I think I am able to listen to music on moderate equipment and enjoy that. I'm not a guy who listen to the gear and do not enjoy music, but, still, that dongle with a full size headphone, well, kind of thin, artificial, instruments has no body.
I have experience with dragonfly dac+headphone amp dongles, that is already ages better and nowadays the dragonfly is way behind the competition. I had tested this moondrop moonriver 2 and I was really impressed. Of course, far away from a proper dac and amp, but, I was able to enjoy album by album on those days until I had to give it back.
Now I have a dilemma of try to build something, or just buy. I have no problem with surface mount, I try to avoid BGA or LGA packages, but otherwise I'm fine down to 0603 components (0402 occasionally).
A very different direction is this:
It is my desktop one box source (there is a hdd under the RPI) to headphone amp under development with excellent results so far. Of course, this is not the benchmark for the nearly matchbox size dongles, but the apple dongle is too far. Maybe for electronic music it is fine, but for acoustic I did not find that acceptable.
Thanks,
JG
Well, for sure if we look at a function with performance on one axis and cost on another, for sure, the apple dongle is king on cost/performance measure ... but, I do not think it play in the league on this forum. Do not take me wrong, I know it is not bad, I did listened to that. I think I am able to listen to music on moderate equipment and enjoy that. I'm not a guy who listen to the gear and do not enjoy music, but, still, that dongle with a full size headphone, well, kind of thin, artificial, instruments has no body.
I have experience with dragonfly dac+headphone amp dongles, that is already ages better and nowadays the dragonfly is way behind the competition. I had tested this moondrop moonriver 2 and I was really impressed. Of course, far away from a proper dac and amp, but, I was able to enjoy album by album on those days until I had to give it back.
Now I have a dilemma of try to build something, or just buy. I have no problem with surface mount, I try to avoid BGA or LGA packages, but otherwise I'm fine down to 0603 components (0402 occasionally).
A very different direction is this:
It is my desktop one box source (there is a hdd under the RPI) to headphone amp under development with excellent results so far. Of course, this is not the benchmark for the nearly matchbox size dongles, but the apple dongle is too far. Maybe for electronic music it is fine, but for acoustic I did not find that acceptable.
Thanks,
JG
A few years back I DIY'd a USB bus powered DAC-amp using a stack of TDA1387s for that multibit sound. It was definitely worth the effort from the sheer enjoyment factor even though it was a significant drain on my phone's battery - the HPA was classA SE so very inefficient.
True, for driving hungrier loads you would need a boost. It's not as popular anymore, but 15 years ago we could DIY the AMB Mini^3:
https://www.amb.org/audio/mini3/
AMB also has a DAC and lots of other DIY projects.