I’ve wanted a pair of high end headphones and recently Monoprice had the Monolith planar magnetic M1060 headphones on sale so ordered. I’m now trying to figure out the right DAC/Amplifier that will power the headphones adequately while also working with an iPhone. Portability isn’t a major concern especially if it compromises sound quality. Looking to spend $300 or less so not on the higher end of course, but not wanting to go too cheap and thus needing to start over again. Anyone an audiophile with experience have suggestions?
Audiophiles? Planar Magnetic Headphones
- Thread starter Balls
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There's a 3.5mm to iPhone lighting adapter.
I didn't realize you could use a headphone amp with this type of connection.
I'm far from an audiophile, as you can see above, but I was amazed by the difference when I bought a cheap one of these to pair with my audio technica m50's. I'm not recommending this unit because I've never compared it to anything else but it really is a huge difference.
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/1/...3I9kQckwFlDeg51GEhKcsqiOm_7iBGSBoC8BcQAvD_BwE
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/1/...3I9kQckwFlDeg51GEhKcsqiOm_7iBGSBoC8BcQAvD_BwE
I picked these up a few weeks ago. They are my first foray into this world, so by no means an expert. But I can tell you two things:
This is the amp I went with.
FiiO Q1 Mark II Native DSD DAC &... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MH46M?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
With the headphones priced at $169.99 and the amp at $99.99, you’re under your set budget.
There are tons of reviews out there for those headphones.
Edit:
I didn’t fully read your post, but check out that Massdrop site for the amps they have.
- You’ll hear sublities in music you never knew existed before.
- You’ll still want an amp. The iPhone can drive them but not very loud. Even at the same volume levels with the amp the sound is clearer and more complete.
This is the amp I went with.
FiiO Q1 Mark II Native DSD DAC &... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MH46M?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
With the headphones priced at $169.99 and the amp at $99.99, you’re under your set budget.
There are tons of reviews out there for those headphones.
Edit:
I didn’t fully read your post, but check out that Massdrop site for the amps they have.
I agree, they make some excellent schiit.
Something to keep in mind -- the ideal situation, sound-wise, is to use some sort of DAC which has a digital connection (meaning lightning cable) to your iPhone. That way you are leveraging the DAC on your expensive equipment, rather than simply passing the already converted signal from the iPhone into an Amp. In other words, not going straight from either your iPhone headphone jack, nor using the Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle from Apple. (Apologies if you already knew all this)
In doing a little research, it seems like you'll end up with a DAC that has USB input (for digitial audio), and then it's a matter of having the right adapter to go from the Lightning port on your iPhone to the USB on the DAC.
A few options listed here: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-portable-headphone-amp-with-built-in-dac/
