[dudebrah]

Hey all,
 
I just got rid of my Denon Dk7s and got a set of MrSpeakers Mad Dog w/Dog Pads. I tested them out using my FiiO E9/E7 combo -- they're pretty good, but I have the feeling they're distorting at significantly lower levels than maybe they should be. I've been using Spotify Premium with and without Audio Hijack Pro EQ settings (mainly the 10-band EQ settings below testing with Gain levels lower than pictured, around 30%).
 
I'm wondering whether my FiiO combo just isn't powerful enough to push these 'phones. Is the combo close or way out of the ballpark?
 
I tried to search for anything related to what I'm looking for, but I just couldn't find anything comprehensive. Apologies if this is redundant to something else our there.
 
Thanks!
 

 

[MattTCG]

Hey, glad that you got a trade worked out!! The amp/dac combo that you have is okay. But man do the maddogs sound great with the lyr. Don't hate me. 

 

[dudebrah]

Quote:

Hey, glad that you got a trade worked out!! The amp/dac combo that you have is okay. But man do the maddogs sound great with the lyr. Don't hate me. 

 
Hey thanks for the reply. That's definitely out of my price range for now -- and I'd very much miss the USB connectivity... *sigh*

 

[mosshorn]

I would say maybe look into getting an O2+ an Ebay DAC. I'm using the Hifimediy SABRE dac and it sounds pretty good. From memory, I hated the E7.
 
Another option if you're budget is higher is the Schiit Asgard. MattTCG has it right about the Lyr, I haven't really heard anything negative about it, but the same goes for the Asgard. And for $250, it will power most of your gear outside of some planars I would guess.

 

[dudebrah]

man, my coworkers are gonna think I'm a nutcase .. we sit in a giant common area; no cubicles/walls/offices .. gonna have wires comin outta my arse!

 

[mosshorn]

The nice part about the Sabre is it's pretty tiny, and you can just get either a 3.5mm to 3.5mm or 3.5mm to RCA to connect to the amp. Not too many wires

 

[dudebrah]

Quote:

I would say maybe look into getting an O2+ an Ebay DAC. I'm using the Hifimediy SABRE dac and it sounds pretty good. 

 
Newb question: why is the Hifimedly so incredibly less expensive than other 96k/24bit DACs? Is the quality of the analog output that much lower?

 

[mosshorn]

Build quality as you can see is spartan. While it IS a good dac for the price, the circuit is nowhere near as sophisticated as some of your higher end DACs, although you need the rest of your rig better to notice the difference. To me, while a DAC is needed, you will notice it most when everything else in your chain is upgraded.