source, amp which to upgrade first?

[mrhobbit 0]

after visitng j****, and talking to the shop owner, which kindly allowed me to test the crossroads amp and an Xtra amp, i have begun to realise the limited capabilities of my source.

 

therefore this question, is it advisable to get an amp, before upgrading my source? or the other way around first? after trying out the amps, found out that it made a slight, but noticable difference.

 

 

also other than the bit rate, any other factors that affect a player's sound quality? read some about output and such, but dont really understand!

 

 

so any pros can help me here? i am quite confused about the player thing, output power and such!

[dle4e_2005 0]

Change the source follow by headphone/earphone then an amp.

Would be recommended to get a DAP which could use Line-Out if you wanna use it with amp.

And why you write j**** instead of Jaben?(Its not a banned word. hahaz)

[tassardar_ 0]

Hmm for me the phones and the source are both equally important then comes the amp. If the source is bad, any phones will sound bad. If the the phones are bad the music will just sound weird. However with amp and decent source+phones, it will improve the enjoyment of the music.

 

Source is very important but theres usually multiple factor to it. Technically what format you are playing, the source DAC and the built in Amp. A source with lineout are generally better as Lineout signals tend to be cleaner due to the fact they dont go through the low grade amp found in most source. Do note however most DAP lineout are usually not true line outs. Im not an expert in source so I dont know which is the best out there

[mrhobbit 0]

And why you write j**** instead of Jaben?(Its not a banned word. hahaz)

 

its better to be safe than sorry, haha i just dont like quarrelling and flaming in the forums, keep the peace!

 

 

 

hahaha i went for the headphones first, now dunno whether to get an entry level amp(which i can get immediatly) or go for source upgrade(have to wait till chinese new year)

 

anyone to help concerning the output and such in a DAP player?

 

[theory_87 0]

what is your source?

 

if starting from scratch, i'll go dap => IEM/Headphone => amps

 

I'll always make sure i got a proper Source and IEM/Heaphone before i go for an amp. I wouldn't want to pair a iBud with a Amp...

[mrhobbit 0]

source:sont nw-507(1 gb)

 

hummmm, if i get an amp i am currently looking at, it will be:

 

DAP--->LDM+(normal gain)--->akg 81dj

 

not so sure about the IC yet, any suggestions on which one to get?

[theory_87 0]

i won go for LDM+ since Xtra and Xenos and pa2v2 is ard...

[heady 0]

i won go for LDM+ since Xtra and Xenos and pa2v2 is ard...

 

What is "ard.."? Sorry, I am old and not trendy, so don't understand your post. If you can, explain a bit more please, theory_87.

 

I think you need to understand whether your current source is ok or not. If it is one of those cheaper China made DAP, if you amp it, you will hear a horrible hiss, especially with more sensitive phones.

 

This is what I would do, get a good source and a good pair of iem phones. This will enable me to really enjoy the music. Then if my Chinese New Year angpows are good, can get an amp, if it makes the music better. Of course, at my age, I have to give angpows and don't receive them.

 

[mrhobbit 0]

ard= around

 

hahaha i think my source is already one of the better ones for the flash memory(thats if you go by branding ) so a sony player should be able to do it? sound quality wise, i cant really say how good it is, cause i rely on my ears and from what i can hear, it sounds almost the same as my friend's first gen shuffle. however that is MY ears, so i am not sure it can be validated

 

well for phones wise, i just got my akg 81's, so i am surely gonna use that, unless i pick up a thousand on the street or something!

 

 

humm looks like i need to do more research on amps, any here has ever tried a LDM with akg 81's? do they synergise well?

 

 

[metrablue 0]

hmm...

amps benefit more from a line-out... I don't remember NW-501 has one... thou you can amp out from the headphone jack..

You're driving cans... thus an amp will definitely have significant improvement...

 

Why don't you go jaben/ SE and audition the amps...

as what many has said... different ears hear differently...

 

remember to give X-tra, PA2v2, crossroad 2 if you're considering LDM+...