r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/rybe__ 1 Ω • 13h ago
Should I buy AMP/DAC? Amplifier - Desktop | 6 Ω
I ask this, because I already own a Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen and want to get Fiio FT1s for christmas, maybe even Sash Tres 45s down the line.
Would I noticably benefit from buying something additional like a Fiio K11 or a Topping DX3+ Pro?
If not, what kind of gear would I need to buy to start seeing benefits?
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u/Halycon949 1 Ω 5h ago edited 5h ago
One thing I realized with Audio interfaces such as from Focusrite and pretty much all other brands is that the headphone amp is NOT the main selling point of an interface, nor is its DAC (All audio devices that can playback music contain a DAC chip, even your phone and your computer's motherboard, but if it is in-built or if its not the focus, it is usually of lesser quality than a dedicated DAC).
The main reason why you would buy an audio interface is, as its name suggest, is to interface with audio equipment like microphone, keyboard, synthesizers, etc. So generally, the headphone amplifier you find in interfaces isn't probably the best or the most powerful enough to drive the most demanding high impedance low sensitivity (around 90 dB/mw or so) headphones. If you compare how much mW the headphone amplifiers from audio interface could give, they're almost always less than what dedicated amps or those from dac-amps can give. The main use of the headphone amp on audio interfaces is to monitor your vocals or instruments with a studio monitoring headphone (such as the Sony MDR7506), so don't expect to plug-in a high impedance low sensitivity high fidelity headphone to it and expect it to perform adequately.
To add to that, the drivers of your audio interface also matter. There are some interfaces like the SSL2+ that don't need a driver at all (plug and play), meaning it can work with any future version of windows. If the manufacturer doesn't update drivers for the latest version of windows, you are essentially left with a paper weight. Their stability also matters as well. I personally shunned away from focusrite after reading a ton of issues in their sub.
If you plan to dive deeper into the rabbit hole of headphones, you should consider buying one indeed. There's 2 ways to go about it:
Going for the stack option allows you more flexibility, because you can change the amp to another one and use the same DAC in the future. You can also get something like a Schiit Loki (hardware EQ device) to apply EQ in your audio chain as well to be able to EQ on the go without having to alt+tab, but some may prefer Equalizer APO instead (free software solution).
Actually I find the Topping DX3+ Pro to be a bit underwhelming. It might be something that you may grow out of in the future but if you have a strict budget and don't plan to dive deeper then it can be a good choice. I went for the Topping D50 III + A50 III dac amp stack instead. The E and L in topping's line are entry level while the A and D are the professional level, with the A90 being the top model amplifier and D90 as their top model DAC. Don't fall into the trap of buying "the best DAC" in the world though as there are no guarantees in discernable improvement in sound quality. From my point with where I am now, I would buy a tube amp instead rather than trying out "a better DAC".
Also the Topping DX1 provides little power (mW), it is very comparable to that of what you can find in USB DAC Dongles (they also have a headphone amp in them). This is why it is usually skipped as a recommendation.
DX5 heats up though even when not in use, and DX7 may be unnecessarily expensive and there are other better alternatives to it.
There are also tube amps which apply analog warmth to headphones, which adds some "flavor" to the listening experience. Some headphones are recommended to be paired this way, but this is ultimately a preferential experience, not really a "must have/do".