My two current audio sources that i use right now are the on-board audio on my motherboard to game. I think that’s the Realtek ALC1150 115dB. I also use my HTC One m7 allot to listen to music. My current headphones are the sennheiser momentum in ears, and the akg k553 pro’s. I plan on purchasing the hifiman he-400s headphones very soon as well. I would really like something that would work with my phone but would also be fine with something that only worked on my PC as well. I am mostly concerned with getting a good sound to the he-400s’s on my PC.
I have considered the smsl m2 because of the ZeosPantera review on youtube. I also like the price allot. But I do not know if this is a practical purchase, or if it will even work with my phone.]
Any suggestions or insight are appreciated. Also I am not sure if the he-400s needs any amplification. I have heard a few reviews by random people saying they benefit from an amp.
IF you want something that is useable as a dac/amp and a portable amp for your phone, then the Fiio E07k might be for you. I would suggest it over the SMSL M2 becuase it can easily be paired with the E09k. You might find that you need the extra power of the E09k for the HE400s. Planar take a lot of power.
EDIT: Given the headphones that you have and that you are planning on getting the HE400s, I would definitely suggest getting at least an amp, preferably a dac as well. The E07k has a pretty good amp and a good dac as well. But the E09k is an easy addition if you find the amplification lacking. Alternatively, you could go with a Schiit stack on an O2 or something, but I think that you might find the E07k to be enough and not bother with the E09k which is why I am suggesting you go that route. Cheap first option with easy updatability for later on.
Yeah I think that the E07k might be a great option. I will definitely look into it more. From what I can tell E07k's amp should be plenty fine for the he-400s. Also what do you think about the E10k in comparison the the E07k?
Also would it be worth it to save up a bit for the e17k?
The E07K and E10K have the same dac chip, but the E10K has a more powerful amp. Though, the E10K is purely a desktop amp and needs usb power. So it can't be used as a portable amp like the E07K can. If you need portable, E07K is the way to go between the two.
Not necessarily, with USB OTG you can have have the E10K setup on your Android phone and not worry too much. The battery drain will be tough, but that's about it.
@shable Make sure you know what sound sig you are going to get out of a DAC and/or amp. The FiiO options will be slightly warmer, while others may be something else.
Well, of course it's possible (just as you can use the e07K's dac on android over usb), but it's not exactly advisable. It'd be murder on your battery. Which is a deal killer for most people. Especially considering that for his purposes, he'd not only be draining his DAP, but his phone as well. Also the form factor isn't exactly conducive to being portable either, which you wouldn't expect it to be since it's a desktop amp.
Best to stick with portable amps for use with a phone.