Remember lads, the operative word here is *_NEED_*

@tomas_m

2 жыл бұрын

Do you maybe know what is the sensitivity of Susvara, number AND unit? I see a lot of confusion around it. Hifiman product page has just 83dB without unit, some reviews stated 103dB/V, some headphone power table had 86dB/V and 74dB/mW...

@itsdragoman

2 жыл бұрын

I bought an oldschool FiiO DAC player to have it be my personal music player, so I won't fill my phone with a thousand lossless files. It was more for convenience to order my files rather than the NEED of a dedicated amp for my headphones. It also came with a balance port. I love my FiiO.

@skurd721

2 жыл бұрын

epic

@ThinkingBetter

2 жыл бұрын

Nice video. It doesn't cost many cents on the BOM of electronics to make an excellent headphone/earbud output. This is another area of audio snake oil helping some companies to sell products that serve no actual purpose.

@cadenguizar8360

2 жыл бұрын

complete agree on NEED. but, i bought a budget, convenience amp for my hifiman he5xx (fiio btr5) and it DID help my headphones in a VERY noticable way: but not because of the amp itself. when i first got my he5xx, i was in love with the soundstage and the "size" of the sound in comparison with my moondrop aria, but the tuning was just kinda off. I decided to try eq, because its free, but in order to eq them to the oratory1990 target, i was looking at a -11db preamp gain. i was already near-maxing out my laptop before eq, so in order to get the most out of it i decided to try the btr5, and if i still didn't like it i would return everything. suprise suprise, the btr5 plus a balanced cable was plenty loud enough with the eq, and now i use them as my daily driver while at home. could i have returned them for a pair of hd6xx? yes, but ive listened to the 6xx and i don't like the imaging/staging, especially with as much as i use my headphones for games, and i can't fix that with eq. point in all of this being that if you really like a headphone but the tuning is just a bit off, then eq and an amp might do wonders, but a better headphone will ALSO do wonders, so its worth looking into a little more than just "you totally need an amplifier" or you "totally don't need an amplifier"

I bought an O2 amp years ago. After a lot of testing, I determined that I really like the volume wheel on it more than the slider in Windows.

@chadlejeune9834

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, the clicky volume knob of my topping really elevates my audiophile experience.

@metal571

2 жыл бұрын

You should try the Element III. Best knob ever

@SubjectE57

2 жыл бұрын

@@metal571 That's a nice knob

@metal571

2 жыл бұрын

@@SubjectE57 I like knobs

@Squeaktoymk2

2 жыл бұрын

Same here. Don't have things that are "hard to drive" to get to comfortable listening volume, but I like the convenience of just reaching for the dial and lower the volume when needed. Instead of going to the slider in windows or in games. Although I do like the extra bit of oomph on tap when I want to go loud for a minute or two for that one song that I love. And for IEM's I just dial it down a bit. Bottom line is that most people don't NEED an amp, but simply WANT an amp for the convenience and the extra bit of juice should they want it.

"Save your money" is the greatest piece of advice you could give to any audiophile

@DamnDealDone

Жыл бұрын

An audiophile by definition is someone who wastes money and thinks they can hear the difference. They are no different from Reiki practitioners. It's not about reality, but about how special they are in their abilities.

@greg6162

Жыл бұрын

Awe man… so I should take back my Apple Airpod Max 🎧 ??

@Skrenja

Жыл бұрын

@@DamnDealDone That's BS. Sure, like any in any industry some people are selling snake oil and there _are_ diminishing returns in gear after a certain price point -- but a good pair of headphones or speakers can make a world of difference.

@DamnDealDone

Жыл бұрын

@@Skrenja where do I say good speakers and headphones don't make a difference? How does that equate to being an audiophile? How does your comment in any single way address my point? It doesn't. Damn, what a dumb comment.

@AAa-eg1nl

Жыл бұрын

AUDIO HOMOPHILE

You’re one of those guys whose passion gets others interested about the hobby. I went from looking from a decent pair of headphones to learning so much about audio. Keep pumping out content, it’s contagious.

@notsostrongaman

27 күн бұрын

And I'm homeless

@arekusoo

6 күн бұрын

help

I used to think I could tell a difference with my 6xx plugged into a Q3 with a balanced cable. I then plugged them directly into a Switch Lite out of sheer curiosity and it sounded exactly the same. The placebo effect is real and nobody is above it.

@PinePizza

Жыл бұрын

That's indeed super weird because the Nintendo Switch is the only example where I would say that it actually sounds worse when using the HD6XX. On my PC, surface pro and on my phone it's fine, except for the fact that the volume can't get too high on some of these but the switch really gave me the impression that the sound was garbage :D it was the regular switch though, not the lite. For real, my KZ ZS10 pro sound better on it!

@yumirow7487

Жыл бұрын

Sorry but the switch sound is pretty awful. I need to go through Bluetooth with it otherwise it just spoils any enjoyment out of my session x)

@gitpho

Жыл бұрын

I can’t speak regarding the Lite or the OLED, but my OG Switch has quite possibly the worst sounding headphone jack I’ve ever heard haha. Sounds like they might have fixed it for the Lite (or maybe I just got a dud)!

@Muzikman127

Жыл бұрын

@@PinePizzathey probably have different components in the different models. Maybe the og switch has a crummy dac. Or maybe it's a qc issue - wouldn't be surprised if the cheap dacs in those things have some variability, maybe the one you used just sucks

@Jaxv3r

Жыл бұрын

I just liked my dac because it has a knob on it

I remember years ago, a guy told me that you need Monster cables to be able to produce sound frequencies up to 96kHz. I simply told him that I'm playing music for humans, not fucking dolphins

@kennymccormick8295

2 жыл бұрын

Never happened.

@chrispham6599

2 жыл бұрын

​@@kennymccormick8295 1. "Nothing ever happens". 2. If you're a beginner in the Music Industry, people will feed you all kinds of misinformation. Which is why videos like this one is uploaded.

@SubjectE57

2 жыл бұрын

Why would someone say 96kHz rather than 100? It's so oddly specific.

@Bizarre5165

2 жыл бұрын

for my ears, i don’t want higher frequency. bits is what matter to me.

@chrispham6599

2 жыл бұрын

@@SubjectE57 there's no such thing as 100kHz when dealing with audio file exporting. It's 44.1kHz, 48kHz and even 96kHz. Supposedly when working with audio to video stuff, it's either 48 or 96. Even when mastering shit for CD, people claim that 96 is just better. Sonically, I can't hear the difference. Maybe my ears are bad, I dunno. But people claim that higher sample rate equals win. Maybe I'm too much of a young boy but I think I'll stick to my 44.1kHz.

The best upgrade you get from a dedicated amplifier is the physical volume knob

@JonnyMorgan18

2 жыл бұрын

That's so true, and for portable use my shanling UP4 spoilt me. I can't go back to volume rockers.

@antoinep9733

2 жыл бұрын

…followed by a bass-boost switch (in my case).

@halcyonacoustic7366

2 жыл бұрын

You can get that from a DAC. My presonus one even has separate knobs for headphones and monitors!

@leokuiper2593

2 жыл бұрын

Can think of a few more things, a decent DAC, enough current to play at loud levels.

@chamade166

Жыл бұрын

You open up most of them further with silver cables. The sound stage will improve too.

Actually really glad I found this in my research phase. In the process of buying new studio mixing headphones learning a ton about audio equipment in the process. Your humor and insight is awesome! Thanks man

I wish I could subscribe you a 1000 times 😆 MAN have I fallen for buying an amp to make the headphone quality better 🤣🤣🤣 Thank you so much for sharing what I learned the hard way.

@MattRBX

Жыл бұрын

wait what piximperfect was here?

@LeoAristocrat

7 ай бұрын

Unmesh won't notice this.

@burhanahmed9356

Ай бұрын

You need 1000times for your helpfull photoshops trips

One thing I love about the audio hobby is fanboy-ism isn't very common, like it is in the tech or firearms hobby. However, the snake oil-ism is out of control in the audio hobby. It wouldn't be too hard to convince an audiophile that casting a magic spell on your headphones and rubbing cat hair and onions on them, will make them sound better. I love that we have people like Uncle Crinacle to teach us what's real and what isn't, as the placebo effect can honestly make that difficult sometimes!

@VeSanter

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah "burning" headphones thesis even proves that further.

@fz7788

2 жыл бұрын

OK that's a slight bit of a lie but you are also not completely wrong

@jonathansellers793

2 жыл бұрын

So the $350 a month to my enchantress isn’t making my music sound better?

@TeodorKubena

2 жыл бұрын

Dude you picked some expensive ass hobbies 😂😂🙏

@mfo7611

2 жыл бұрын

Please tell me more about the cat hair and onions method. I need my Koss Porta pros to sound like Sundaras.

Aww man I fell for all of these myths back when I was shopping around.

@blakebrockhaus347

2 жыл бұрын

Love seeing my hobbies overlap like this

@wind016

2 жыл бұрын

Lol after I bought my first hyped portable amp, I knew the hobby was full of snake oil. Don't get me wrong. There's a need for amps with certain high end headphones (like HD800 and planars) but audiophiles are super susceptible to snake oil. It's hilarious that most of Head-fi still believes spending $1k+ on cables make substantial differences. They even ban discussion of cables to avoid interfering with the business of their cable business sponsors.

@RemedieX

2 жыл бұрын

Cool to see the other channel I follow a lot be here

@FartBux

2 жыл бұрын

@@fractera both probably use computers a decent amount

@Lyander25

2 жыл бұрын

@@fractera Okay but how does that explain the fountain pen component of mechanicalheadpens? Haha. Been into audio and pens for ages but just recently (thanks to lockdowns) got into nice keyboards and ended up with a Ducky One 2 SF. It's a love hate relationship (QC on these is... lacking) but it's still much more comfortable than a membrane board. Also Switch and Click was one of my primary resources for researching and makes me wanna build a full custom lmao

You make my day...LOL... as an former audio-addict this is so refreshing. It resonates and saves so much money...... Thank you for your time and effort. Keep on keeping on.. I used to buy expensive stuff, now i have a simple stereo set with reasonable aiwa speakers, enough to get me dancing in the room . That,s what matters to me.

Damn it your totally right. I just tested my iem’s with and without amp and you don’t need it. But I still like it better. Why do you gotta be so real. Thanks for the great content!

As a proud value-based consumer, this speaks to my soul. Diminishing returns hit pretty early in this hobby, and it's important to acknowledge that.

@Snoop_Dugg

2 жыл бұрын

And the longer you’re a fan, the more your hearing degrades

@aravindpallippara1577

2 жыл бұрын

@@Snoop_Dugg unless you like closed backs and very low volumes so as to still be aware of the outside

@marte6839

Жыл бұрын

What do you think about DACs?

@LoneSkag

Жыл бұрын

@@aravindpallippara1577 my TV goes above 15? What has my life been up to this points?

@bradhuskers

Жыл бұрын

@@Snoop_Dugg What if you don't listen at very loud volume?

I do like having a fiio e10k simply for the "volume knob" separate from windows volume, and because it allows me to use shorter cables on my headphones. I got it used maybe 6 years ago for $50 so it feels worth it to me.

Really enjoying learning from you. Thanks for all the great info you put out for us.

I fell in this myth when bought my second chifi IEM: BGVP DS1 Pro. People told me repeatedlly that my phone DAC and AMP was garbage and this was the reason the IEM didn't sounded well. So I bought a Topping DAC/AMP combo and the IEM was the same shit.

@KelvinKamsg

2 жыл бұрын

Yup, there's lots of "amp make your iem" sound better people out there. I have an amp only to power...well, power hungry planar headphones, that's it. Out of curiousity, what did you not like about the BGVP DS1 Pro?

@devote

2 жыл бұрын

Shit in - shit out. A saying we had in the music studio I worked at. If it's recorded badly no amount of mixing and mastering will make it good. If your headphones suck an amp is only going to amplify the suckage.

@asplmn

2 жыл бұрын

@@devote exactly. Don't get me wrong, a proper amp can lower noise floor on IEMs, but not necessary to drive them. Now, for higher-end, insensitive cans and loudspeakers, the benefits of a better amp become more apparent.

@gilangax

2 жыл бұрын

🤭

@NiSHAN256

2 жыл бұрын

Because Topping is shit.

The U.S. dongle puts out 1 Volt - but the European dongle only puts out ½ a Volt.

@vsevolodalipov4375

2 жыл бұрын

What? Why?

@ryanhostudio

2 жыл бұрын

@@vsevolodalipov4375 i think they limited it so people wouldnt blast there headphones leading to hearing damage lol

@CCebeci

2 жыл бұрын

You can bypass this limitation by UAPP.

@falcodarkzz

2 жыл бұрын

@@CCebeci is there an ios app that will do it?

@ngayon

2 жыл бұрын

@@CCebeci If you use the 1V US dongle in a location where there is a software limit for volume, then you can bypass it. But, the 0.5 V EU dongle has different hardware and will max out at 0.5 V no matter what you do.

I think it falls into the "limit cases" box but something that can happen quite often with very sensitive IEM and internal DACs (PC or phone) or cheap dongle is the white noise/hissing/distortion noise level is audible and make the experience from somewhat to a lot less enjoyable. In those case finding the dongle which works can indeed make a difference but clearly you don't need a beefy AMP, just something that works and there are plenty of option sub 50$ (even sub 20$ for most case scenarios).

I think what people may like from an amp vs not having it is analog control. Not saying analog control is better, but turning a dial is satisfying. That bit of satisfaction they get vs moving a slider in EQ colors their experience positively.

Crin, you're honestly the guy I go to for rankings, reviews and opinions. I trust your judgement and I love your content. You're authentic and entertaining. I have made several purchases because of you and I was never let down. Thank you, really. You make things easy to understand and I can't start to imagine how much work goes into testing, ranking, explaining, making the videos etc. You will get back to 100k in no time and surely surpass it. This channel is gold. Love you brother, you're the best!

@snerttt

2 жыл бұрын

Absolute shill

@Judgement_Kazzy

2 жыл бұрын

I bought a pair of those "secret stash" AKG buds he talked about in a recent video. Genuinely the best headphones I've ever heard. (But to be fair, I am an audio scrub, so don't think I'm comparing them to the cream of the audiophile crop)

@3ngan498

2 жыл бұрын

Eww stop, crin is not a god

@devaraft

2 жыл бұрын

Crin is pretty credible for his testing but not everything he said is right. Never completely trust someone's rank unless you have tested it yourself

@ecalz2100

2 жыл бұрын

@@3ngan498 he's not a god, but he's a good advisor if I can say so

I agree. As an HE-1 owner, I don't use the amp that comes with it. Sounds good on its own plugged to a phone.

@selcukemre

2 жыл бұрын

i know this is an obvious joke but I won't be able to sleep tonight unless I say it: HE-1 is an electrostatic headphone and as such, you can't plug it in to your phone even if you tried. You *have to* (like it won't work otherwise) get an energizer.

@sug8056

2 жыл бұрын

I thought the tubes looked kinda wierd so i took them off

@triangle9254

2 жыл бұрын

@@sug8056 I took out the mechanism of the tube elevating. Gets kinda boring after a while

@sug8056

2 жыл бұрын

@@triangle9254 Works well as a space heater too

@eskamobob8662

2 жыл бұрын

@@selcukemre better yet, he1 is hard wired into the amp. You can't use it with a different amp

My eventual introduction to audiophile gear ended up being the Apple 3.5mm adapter and Samson SR850, loving the experience so far.

@mahmoud1737

2 жыл бұрын

I've just bought superlux hd668b aswell , it is fun new experience .

@liam-bz6mq

Жыл бұрын

identical to my experience. i love my sr850s so much

@MiguelY22

Жыл бұрын

@@mahmoud1737 i have some of those superlux headphones. Great for $30 i paid. But sometimes the treble is too high

@mahmoud1737

Жыл бұрын

@@MiguelY22 i turn down the volume when this happens but overall it's amazing i keep listening to it and enjoy it

@teste-yh5df

5 ай бұрын

its garbage@@mahmoud1737

I was wondering about that amp question for long time and was thinking the same!Thank you for clearing something so basic that other tubers won't do!

I fell down the same rabbit hole, thinking i needed to spend more and more for "clean power" and "clarity". The placebo was in full effect, and now I've downgraded back to my original setup and fully happy with all my headphones. And that little dongle really is magical. Also yes DON'T fall for that shit, an amp wont fix a shit iem/headphone. if you dont like it you just dont like it

@michakrzyzanowski8554

Жыл бұрын

Of course if you have high impedance headphones the sound will be distorted at medium volumes, or it won't get that loud

@handlemonium

Жыл бұрын

Yep totally and there are dozens of sub-$50 IEMs that thrash more "premium" models all the way up to $150. Only from $200-$400 is where the perfected diminishing improvements in technicalities-tuning-comfort-build-etc. may well be worth splurging for your "dream setup". And with the exception of a few in-ear models I wholeheartedly recommend getting some high-end over ears once you're willing to start paying that much.

I found the noise floor of the headphone jack on my PC was waaay too high, and when I searched online for advice people always said you need at least a 100$+ "entry-level" AMP/DAC to have a good source. But I've read some articles pointing out that the Apple dongle measures very well so I decided to give it a try. For me, it works perfectly fine (well, I'll admit that all I care is noise floor)

@barbudoru

2 жыл бұрын

Same, through the headphone jack off my laptop I can literally tell you the CPU load, but the type C apple dongle is pretty damn quiet and it has more than adequate sound quality.

@TheAprilChicken

2 жыл бұрын

Noise floor is the only real difference anyway. That is why it is often good to use an external dac/amp of some sort because at least it is guaranteed to be isolated pretty well.

@HenryT

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheAprilChicken Noise indeed matters more than distortion!

@komi1834

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheAprilChicken some cheap stuff have awfull noise floors tho, like FX Audio X6 MKII have great DAC but if you use it as DAC only to a separate AMP, it's $60 tho and comes with bluetooth reciever with even aptx support for android folks, I personaly use FiiO M3 Pro DAP in USB DAC mode as DAC and a Topping NX1s AMP for which I traded my old FiiO M3K DAP with a friend

@SubjectE57

2 жыл бұрын

For me it would be worth paying the $100+ just to have a nice volume knob on an AMP/DAC, that's why I like the zen dac, great knob-feel.

This was delightful. Like watching a stand up comedian talking about audiophiles. I crawled down the rabbit hole years ago, and everything you say here is true. Thanks for a fun video.

Laughed and learned a lot. Your abrupt music stopping when making a point caused me to snicker and laughter amid teaching helps us to REMEMBER. Many thanks! Big thumbs up and subscribed👏

But Crin, you didn't address the fact that knobs improve the sound.

@Shya8

2 жыл бұрын

The Lord Super*Review has spoken

@curvingfyre6810

2 жыл бұрын

knobs and dials and CRT oscilloscopes all dramatically improve sound quality. You can hear bandits saying it was just the wind from the other end of hte map in skyrim if you have a few of those thigns kicking around

Great vid as usual, Crin'. Thanks so much for your hard work and dedication. What audiophiles really need, mythbusters.👋

i was browsing amps all day and i really needed to hear you tell me to chill

Just found your channel and I super appreciate your no-nonsense style and knowledgeability. Also your accent makes me nostalgic for sg ✌🏼

Yeah, you got everything just about right Crinacle. The only reason I have an amp (to be more specific, a receiver) is because of the equipment that I have. For my set up, I have a Pioneer vsx-32 and connected to it is a turntable; an RCA switcher in which I have a tower, a laptop and a aux cable adapter; a roku; and for speakers I have a pair of Sony speakers. I grew up with this kind of set up thanks to my parents and my love for listening to vinyl; later down the road I intend on getting a tape deck. In terms of putting headphones through it, well…I just put a pair of Sony WM-1000XM4 and even then it's just to make sure that no one else hears it; mostly for night time.

When the video starts with "save your money" you know its a honest and good video

Love you bro, this review is amazing. The jokes you make and your personality overall is amazing and makes me smile.

I have a rHead headphone amplifier. It doesn’t have an especially low noise floor (or high SINAD), but because it was designed by a proper audio engineer, he designed it to have a class A resistor-ladder volume pot for extremely good channel matching no matter the volume. This actually improves audible sound quality.

@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz__

8 ай бұрын

Agreed. The stereo image stability and quality is what I think amps are useful for. I don’t think expensive ones really make sense, but the difference between plugging in a pair of AT-M50x into my Steinberg audio interface and plugging them into my Magni, the sound is way less claustrophobic.

i needed this video a month ago. i literally was having a meltdown over this very topic and everything everywhere said you NEED an amp and couldn't find what i wanted. i finally settled but i wish i had this sooner. it really put a damper on me wanting to go further in this hobby

@adnaannamazee9763

2 жыл бұрын

What did you get?

@Lockheed7

Жыл бұрын

I just got myself into it without even trying but now I have purchased the classic Sennheiser HD6XX and a simple Topping DX3 Pro+ for which I will use a god damn aux extension cable straight from AliExpress and I will not by tube pre-amp or LPS or anything else I can promise

@AhDollar

11 ай бұрын

@@adnaannamazee9763 top 80 questions that will never be answered

This is one of the best educational video regarding DACs and headphones amps that I have ever seen. I arrived to the same conclusions after years of painstaking learning, reading reviews, watching youtubers, spending thousand and thousand of dollars in the hobby. Slowly you start to realize most KZread reviewers are just plain fake, when you learn what they are claiming to hear is beyond human ears capability regarding DACs and Amps. I love ASR, they measure DACs and Amps, but nowadays almost all of them are completely transparent to human ears, still I want and enjoy to know which one is the king of the hill in specifications, even knowing that I will not hear the difference. Also exposing companies which claim to be the best and charging premium when in reality there are very lousy in the technical part, taking to you audioquest.

@LoneSkag

Жыл бұрын

My past headphones were all turned beaches and steel series and looking to get out of the purely “gaming headset” market. Does something like a BTR5 fall into the waste category?(currently looking at a pair of HD560S). Want to be able to listen on computer, iPad, iPhone at home.

@badgermcbadger1968

Жыл бұрын

@@LoneSkag hd560s is easy to drive and apple products tend to have really good dac/amp sections. The quedlix 5k is better than the btr5 though as it has eq

Glad I found your channel. I'm not a super audiophile, but I seem to care about nice audio more than your average person. Enjoying the content and your presentation.

Thanks for your honest review and opinion... If DAC /AMP is to increase the sound stage but it does depend on various another factors as well.. But if your phone does not have a headphone jack then you can go for one... Nice work 👍

Guy is very direct , honest and technically accurate. Thanks for addressing some myth issues.

@qinyima5693

Жыл бұрын

And that sincere outro, love it

I’m honestly glad I got my Ifi amps a XCan portable and a zen stack but I also got planars that don’t sound the same without one and inevitably use them to listen for everything movies music gaming with a multitude of ccheadphones I’m super happy with the setup and eq with peace gui and apo it’s all pretty amazing

bro, couldn't agree more....thanks for the video. I bought a AKG K612 Pro recently, apparently a "very hard to drive" headphone....works just fine without any amp on both my macbook and iphone. So glad I landed on this video and saved my self some money, not to mention the headache of figuring out which amp to buy

Great info glad I found this channel, I bought a headphone amp for my PC mainly because I wanted a physical volume knob instead of having to adjust via software, was only $29 on Amazon at the time but it also made my headphones sound at least louder, before getting the amp I had to run them at max volume on my PC and sometimes it didnt seem like enough, Sony MDR XB500 headphones.

Preference for rotary volume control is my only reason for having a discrete portable amplifier. XDuoo XQ-10 was the most affordable way I could find to accomplish that goal.

I have a LG V60 with its own DAC. Now I realize that it's not the best but it seems to drive most of my headphones just fine for me. Great video Sir

I like how honest crinacle is with headphones and amps! I never got any problem in "getting enough volume" from connecting my 300 ohm and

first vid of yours i've watched and you touched on some really good points, thanks for the video!

I was considering buying an amp to drive my SSP. I ended up plugging it into an ordinary UGreen soundcard and it actually got amped to the level I needed it to. Talk about Cables next lol

For me personally, the simpler, the better when it comes to audio. Also, more gain stages usually means more noise.

@kennmossman8701

7 ай бұрын

yes well that has been a mantra for many decades

Subscribed after watching one of your videos the other day. This is the 2nd video I’ve watched and it’s just as good as the 1st one. Clear and concise and no B.S. Thanks.

This is a really great video. Man, You deliver great info in a funny way. It's addictive! Thanks for the info.

Thanks for this video. The audio world needs it.

Crin, can't you just show the measurements of a headphone like HD800S plugged on apple dongle vs on your Topping A90? I think this really shows if high-end phones doesn't benefit at all if the measurements shows the same exact graph. Isn't it a good test? Thanks man.

@davidcho6145

2 жыл бұрын

You should watch his video on graphs. My expectation is that the difference you get from amps or dacs will not change a moderately smoothed FR graph to any significant degree. The other graphs, maybe???

@emilnordgard5228

2 жыл бұрын

Remember if ur eu it’s half the power

@BrotherSisterHi

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidcho6145 That’s basically his point. Having (the lack of) differences shown as a graph will be a lot more convincing than the same verbal arguments repeated all over the place

@ishanjoshi5957

2 жыл бұрын

@@BrotherSisterHi nah but you're not getting what David said. If the the differences really do exist they'd be minor, which will not show in smoothened frequency graphs.

@BrotherSisterHi

2 жыл бұрын

@@ishanjoshi5957 If the differences are so minor that they wouldn’t show up on a smoothed frequency response graph, then it would be enough to swing many arguments about amps “fixing” bass response, soundstage, treble extension, etc.

I mostly agree with this. The only thing I would draw attention to is damping factor when using lower impedance headphones. You want the output impedance of your source to be "an order of magnitude" (at least 8-10 times) lower than the impedance of your headphones so that the source can effectively control the speakers. Having too high output impedance in relation to your headphones impedance can do wonky things to the bass response. Luckily, the Apple dongle's output impedance is quite low so you don't need an expensive amplifier to get low output impedance. However, it can be a concern when driving headphones straight off of a laptop, phone, or motherboard, for example, because the output impedance of these devices is rarely a concern or even stated anywhere by the manufacturer so you don't typically know what it is. Even most non-Apple dongles have fairly high output impedance (there are exceptions, I know Samsung makes a decent dongle with fairly low output impedance) which can be frustrating with Apple's dongle not playing well with Android. The only way to figure it out would be to either measure it yourself or find someone else who has (which is unlikely). As for devices with headphone jacks, it really is a crapshoot. Some of them have very low output impedance and some of them have insanely high output impedance. The best thing to do would be to get a decent cheap dongle with low output impedance and compare it to the headphone jack in question. Pay particular attention to the bass as that's where the effect of impedance is greatest. If they sound similar than the headphone jack's output impedance is probably fine. If not then it's probably a bit too high for the headphones in question. This is also obviously less of a concern the higher impedance headphones you're using.

Just wanted to say, really enjoy your style! And of course great content too

There are people in audiophile community who are spending more time to compare gears, and pay all the attention to the 1% difference which requires listeners to fully focus on those minor details instead of the music itself in order to even notice that difference. Then, those people will start to publish their finding with very colorful langage with the intention to let you believe that your muisc listening experience totally depends on those 1% of tiny difference. Spending your hard earned money on headphones or IEMs, don't try to spend more to turn your existing headphones/IEMs into something much better.

@ianbannister8404

2 жыл бұрын

So so true

@bismarckluna

Жыл бұрын

It's funny that it's actually kinda difficult to find audiophile musicians, no wonder why.

@TheHulksMistress

Жыл бұрын

I can understand the technical aspect of it. I guess it’s similar with the PC community. It is an engrossing hobby - getting into the weeds of all the complexities and impressive tech. But you’re right - at the end of the day the user gets the exact same experience. Even if there might be different things happening behind the scenes

@garygarlucialuciani9794

Жыл бұрын

Wenge zhu: sometimes it's 0%..

I find myself using your video as a sleeping comfort. I like your relaxing style and informative atst.

i love this channel lol, the way you explain things is so funny, keep the content coming

Just bought myself a second DAC/AMP (needed a different form factor) and even though I do not have very expensive headphones, I can hear difference in what I have. Would I recommend getting a DAC/AMP to someone who can spend 200$ on a set up? Definitely would not, as long as they have something half decent to power the headphone of their choice. Subscribed.

Thanks for posting this. I got a pair of Sennheiser 599s recently, and was wondering if I was missing their full potential. It's refreshing to see a perspective that's reasonable, and not hyperbolic. I'm now a subscriber:)

@seriousstan11111987

Жыл бұрын

It depends. If you have at least apple dongle, then you're good. Same would not be true for HD600.

I just recently discovered your content and loving them more and more.

Thank you for keeping it real - glad I found your channel.

Back in September, I was getting into the audiophile game and picked up a desktop amp thinking I needed it for everything. Now I only use it on the solemn occasion I want to use my 250 ohm 990s

@ile_klikow

Жыл бұрын

Hey man, I want to buy the 990 250 ohm and use it with an aux Samsung dongle 🙃 ane people online say it's not having problems with loudness, and the audiophiles respond with WELL BUT THE QUALITY'S SHIT and the bass is low and the trebles are harsh and wonky and idk, something. Can I buy the dt990 250ohm and enjoy Spotify, or will it really change the way they perform in a quality sense and/or be quiet enough to cause frustration? Edit - I'm in the EU and supposedly the dongle here is half the power of the US version?

@yeti4269

Жыл бұрын

@@ile_klikow So I would say to get the full range out of them you do need an amplifier. You can still get a great sound out of them, but if you are going to mainly use them without an amp, I'd go with the 80ohm model

@ile_klikow

Жыл бұрын

@@yeti4269 thanks for answering :) as I'm a noob now can I also ask if there's going to be a big quality difference with 80 and 250 assuming best possible conditions for both?

Headphones > Amplifiers

@crin

2 жыл бұрын

what a controversial opinion

@ryanhostudio

2 жыл бұрын

well said

@curvingfyre6810

2 жыл бұрын

Headphoness > dacs > audio file > software > amplifiers

@leonjun9401

Жыл бұрын

audio file( I mean not shitty file ) > headphone > dac /amp > player

I got 2 different headphones, they sounded great with my phone, iPad, and PC but they weren’t as loud as I’d like, so I got an amp, now they’re loud enough, and there’s the option to go too loud, however bad it is. I find the Apple usb c dongle more likeable than the lightning one, but both are indeed fine.

Thank you! Very much of the stuff you can buy is either complete voodoo or can very well be measured, but not heard. A close friend of mine who has all the voodoo equipment you can think of (silver cables - no, not silver-plated, but completely silver, 2000 Euro AMP DAC, Sennheiser HD 800S etc...) was very annoyed when we did a hearing comparison between FLAC and 320 kbit/s MP3s. He couldn't spot the difference. Neither can I. Years ago, I ended up selling my Sennheiser HD800 and am a very happy man with my Beyerdynamic DT 880 and a SoundblasterX G5 amp. For a fraction of the cost of the HD800 alone. To me, the most important thing about head/earphones is the frequency response curve to be as neutral as possible. For a different experience, I can always use a good EQ. Spend the money you saved on one pair of headphones for each scenario that you come across (noise cancelling or IEM for when you're on the go, closed when you don't want to disturb anybody at home and open when you want to enjoy a more "spacious" feel). Maybe even buy a pair of good speakers if you want to feel the bass. You can cover ALL those scenarios (and cover them well!) for less than 2.000 Euros if you don't want to worship the voodoo-gods of audio. That all being said, if you just WANT those gorgeous HD800 S or Hifiman Aryasusavanada-whatever together with a 4.000 Euro-DAC and you can afford it, go for it. It's not about what you NEED, but what makes you happy. Just like cars.

I'll stick to my Fiio BTR5, and even before finishing the video, I can agree no one NEEDS to spend that much

@certifiedpossum1638

2 жыл бұрын

Ive seen someone stick a UTS5 upside down on a HD600 with an adapter as well

@just__khang

2 жыл бұрын

Yea I got a HD6XX and people keep saying my current interface doesn't put out enough juice for comfortably loud experience. Welp, I got a BTR5. It is sure louder but my interface works just fine. But BTR5 itself is really good for many other purposes so I still have it. Imagine watching TV at night with superb audio without disrupting anyone.

@Tyfuzzle

2 жыл бұрын

@@just__khang Honestly, the 6XX is pretty easy to drive. I have a Schiit Magnius and I find I'm always turning it down for my 6XXs. I have a BTR3 which can also drive it comfortably.

@JohnClarkW

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed ... I bought the BTR5 for the Bluetooth features, but with the exception of a pair of HE400se, I don't think I ever really felt like I needed the power from it. It was a well spent $110 and I use it on two PCs plus my phone. I own a pair of Apple dongles for when I am on the road.

@pisderata

2 жыл бұрын

bro that's not cheap

I was scared for a second that i fell for these myths too, but then i remembered that the first "hifi "headphone that i bought was the Beyerdynamic Dt 770 pro 250 ohm version. And yeah those fall into those fringe cases.

@amrevrednekol5616

Жыл бұрын

@@YouMystMe I think they do "work" but on really low volumes?? Idk for sure

Love this. Been searching, bumping my price range up, thinking i NEED a great amp/DAC. Got my sub for the honesty

I have a dedicated custom build DAC for with my phone, the main reason I use it is because A) the volume wheel is very convenient and much more precise then my phones buttons B) It has APTx bt connectivity which allows me to listen on my HE400i's which is incredible

i recently got into audio more seriously and this channel has been so fucking helpful

Wish more youtubers would explain things easier like this guy. Over-explaining tech DONT make you sound smart. Subscribed.

My issue with the dongle is that most are made cheap and within a month the two I bought quit working, with any slight movement the dongles cut out.

I bought fiio E10k amp dac to drive my Dt 990 pro. My old pc couldn't drive those properly and the sound was miserable even at full volume so I'd to get the amp dac. It's relatively cheap and works perfectly. Happy with that.

100% agree with this, I had one of those USB-C dongles for my Motorola when I first got my DT770s and the difference between that and the headphone jack was amazing. I would've probably stuck solely to it if my PC could actually run my DTs as well, but even then a £60 BTR3 should give 'em more than enough punch. No need to buy a diablo just because I want to crash cars into walls with DT770s on.

@profound369

11 ай бұрын

Im using a usbc dongle but it always causes a crackle in my left earbud or headphone. Have any idea why?

03:30 Most important point, this guy knows audio. Most people are looking for a certain sound signature, and that depends on the headphones themselves. An amp just improves what you have, you will change nothing.

What about damping, current vs voltage, and power delivery swings in the time domain (not for IEMs)? Also tubes and hybrid make significant difference. I agree that all of this is usually relatively minor.

I only wanted to have a small, cheap, standalone amp. So I bought a Fiio A1. Been very happy with it so far. And it drives my Sennheiser HD 280 Pros.

Thanks for a very informative video. I used to be one of those who believed in all of the audiophile lore out there but have over the years taken a no-bullshit stance on audio. My Sennheiser IE-8 IEMs sound just as good out of my Musical Fidelity X-Can and my HTC usb-dongle. And I can drive my HD650s just fine out of a FiiO portable player =)

To your point, an amp isn't ALWAYS necessary. HOWEVER, the Qudelix 5k (with all your presets 🤭) is a good EQ for various equipment, like my car stereo, 7hz Timeless that req more drive, etc. Beyond that, you're absolutely right

Thank you for an actual good explanation with some signal to noise ratio and talking about human hearing cases

Thank you crinacle! I just spent an hour looking at dac/amps trying to convince myself that 200$ was ok to spend. I watched this and decided a 20$ usb c to 3.5mm dongle is fine.

The real reasons to get a separate amplifier: -Physical volume knob. Way better than clicking and dragging a slider in software, IMO. -Some amps have multiple inputs. If you listen to two or more sources, an amp can consolidate them into one headphone output. -Aesthetics. Some amps just look cool. -Balanced output. I don't know if balanced is any better than unbalanced (last I checked, it usually isn't), but you definitely won't be able to use a 2.5 mm balanced cable without a 2.5 mm jack.

@ArielGonzalez1

2 жыл бұрын

The connection doesn't matter when you are under the 10 meters margin

@unliving_ball_of_gas

2 жыл бұрын

What about the floor noise?

@UmbraWeiss

Жыл бұрын

And if you have 250ohm headphones, even 80 ohm is big enough for some things to not make enought juice to power them.

@LC-hd5dc

Жыл бұрын

​@@UmbraWeiss spoken like someone who didn't watch the video

@badgermcbadger1968

Жыл бұрын

No headphone is balanced. They either come with 3.5mm or 6.3mm. The only exception is electrostats and some very rare models

Please let this be the comment that keeps you going. Do not stop making videos. I enjoy this even though I have no knowledge about sound or whatever you call the topic. DO NOT STOP!

So much honesty combined with wonderful humor. I loved this video

Bought the Dioko and listened (spotify) to it through apple lightning dongle, the sound was detailed but very very thin (mid-midhigh volume). I would describe it has no 'body' across the range. Pluged directly it into my macbook pro and straight away a huge difference (matching similar volume output to the phone), full 'bodied' sound with crisp details. listened back and forth with my iphone to confirm the sound. Just by listening to it, having more 'power' turned me from returning the iem to listening to music for half an hour straight....maybe just me...

Dude you were right. The little Apple dongle works great with HD 58X. Convenient. Cheap. And sounds good. I’m usually just using YT Music so it not like I’m missing out.

I have the Hifiman Arya and when I upgraded from the topping A30 to the burson soloist I thought the difference was day and night

If you notice your headphones sound different on your computer/phone from the sound from a dedicated setup, you probably would want a DAC/Amp for the lesser system. Budget computer onboard audio can be really lacking for some listeners.

I use an aux to type c by Apple it's lasted longer than all my other adapters. The cable is thin but it's lasted 8hr work days for 5 months so far. I haven't needed a dedicated DAC or AMP at all for simple devices like IEMs on mobile. Maybe if my work environment was quieter I could enjoy the extra quality from a dedicated DAC but since it's already pretty noisy I just don't worry about it. I have finally picked up a DAP. Main reason is because my music was taking up way too much storage on my phone so I decided to treat myself with a mid range DAP. (The ibasso dx170). Now I got power on tap and IO for balanced output. The adapter was fine for a solid year. The boost in quality is definitely noticeable.

Phenomenal audiophile knowledge / wisdom packaged into an easy to understand, and wry delivery. Much appreciated / subscribed.

Everyone knows the only reason to have an amplifier is the analog volume knob.

@tkpenalty

2 жыл бұрын

This. It's just quality of life stuff.

@denzel101able

2 жыл бұрын

also super clutch when your pc is not close to you.

@curvingfyre6810

2 жыл бұрын

truuuuuuee

@FLYBOY-eh5th

2 жыл бұрын

Best combo to have in your car...volume knob and subwoofer bass knob.

@taliosnz

2 жыл бұрын

...and even then I rarely change it once set - since I'm usually pausing music via keyboard shortcuts and shifting volume up/down also by shortcuts depending on song or if I need to talk to someone briefly.

This is my favourite crinacle video, you have just verified what I already believed. Thanks!

I'm far from an extremist. But the DAC is by far the most important factor in my experience. I ran my DT770s 80ohm headphones on 1: the 192khz dac from my computer. 2: the 192khz dac from my Blue Yeti. 3: The dac from my 384khz Onkyo Receiver. I definitely noticed a difference. (Not massive by any means). "More detail" is what I would describe it as. Wider sound stage and all that, but detail was the most outstanding feature, and reproduceable between different songs, scenarios and people. I don't know if the increased resolution is actually the contributing factor, or if there is something else behind this. The dac in the Onkyo receiver is god tier, even for a pretty cheap unit. Between the Sony STR-DN1080 with 192khz, and the Onkyo TX-NR696, there was a major difference in quality between the two, and that eliminated the "amp" part where the sony amp was very dynamic and had lots of "power".

I had mediocre but efficient headphones that broke. Bought better ones with 80 Ohms impedance and they were significatly less loud. BUT they are so much better that I tend to listen at a lower volume than before. My old ones were loud and bassy, but as I got used to the new headphones I am amazed about how much more details I can hear with these. Also my kids love the headphones for gaming.

@takeuchi5760

3 ай бұрын

the name of the two headphones?

@DoSeOst

3 ай бұрын

@@takeuchi5760 The loud ones that broke were Teufel Aureol Massive. The transducers still work but the plastic joints got brittle. They first made noise when moving my head and later broke. I liked the sound as it was better than what I had before. Now I have Beyerdynamic Custom Studio with 80 Ohms impedance. The model is not available anymore but is essentially a DT 770 Pro with modified earcups and a detachable cable. The DT 770 Pro is available with 32 Ohms, 80 Ohms and 250 Ohms impedance as far as I know.

Very practical topic. Thanks buddy for killing my thought of getting new/more powerful amp 😂

@edmaster3147

2 жыл бұрын

amplifying a poor source, like a phone or computer, is amplifying a poor signal.

I was running sony professional headphones first from regular headphone out then making up a lead to run them off speaker output of a hifi amp. The difference was absolutely amazing even at a reasonable volume. It's all about having the headroom to run the bass properly and not clipping any transient peaks. So ok you don't need an amp but you don't need to hear things sound punchy and clean i guess erm

Autoeq for windows very good, same as wavelet on android aswell, I've no idea about apple products though, but they come with saved profiles for thousands of headphones. With good headphones though, you can definitely notice a slight difference with a decent dac, the Fiio amps are very good for the price and don't really break the bank

I love the humour crinacle brings. I may not buy anything till i need it but I will definitely watch his videos.