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#1
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
For several years, I've been using a Fiio E5 headphone amp following my
AGPtEK A02 8GB MP3 Player. Although I have been impressed with the volume & bass boost it added to the MP3 player, I'm wondering if it's possible to upgrade the amp to something with more output in the same cost range? Recommendations would be welcome. Thank you! |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 3/4/2018 8:02 AM, caraudioguy wrote:
For several years, I've been using a Fiio E5 headphone amp following my AGPtEK A02 8GB MP3 Player.Â* Although I have been impressed with the volume & bass boost it added to the MP3 player, I'm wondering if it's possible to upgrade the amp to something with more output in the same cost range? What's its cost range or your budget? Does your MP3 player have a digital output, or are you looking for a straight analog in-out amplifier? How big (or small), AC or battery powered? There's a whole bunch of high quality headphone amplifiers on the market that are designed to be used with smart phones or computers, but they improve over the stand headphone jack in two ways, one is in the headphone driving section, the other is that they replace the digital-to-analog converter in the player. Both are important. The design trend today seems to be to make an amplifier that's optimized for driving very low impedance 'phones. It doesn't need to be able to supply much voltage, but it does need to supply a fair amount of current, and so the best amplifier for one set of earphones may not be the best one for another set of earphones. Your question isn't as simple as you thought. Probably the best answer is to keep what you have until you're ready to buy a new set of headphones, then look for both 'phones and amplifier together. -- For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 03/04/2018 09:12 AM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 3/4/2018 8:02 AM, caraudioguy wrote: For several years, I've been using a Fiio E5 headphone amp following my AGPtEK A02 8GB MP3 Player.Â* Although I have been impressed with the volume & bass boost it added to the MP3 player, I'm wondering if it's possible to upgrade the amp to something with more output in the same cost range? What's its cost range or your budget? Does your MP3 player have a digital output, or are you looking for a straight analog in-out amplifier? How big (or small), AC or battery powered? The E5 runs between $20-$35 depending on where it is purchased. Everything is analog, MP3 player out and the amp has analog input & output. It's lithium battery powered with a micro USB port so it can be used while charging. It's just slighly larger than a pack of matches I'd say. It's been a good little amp, but I was looking for something with more output in the same price range. Since I purchased this one several years ago, I see now that the market has been flooded with similar amps, so it's overwhelming just trying to find one with more output plus the prices vary widely. There's a whole bunch of high quality headphone amplifiers on the market that are designed to be used with smart phones or computers, but they improve over the stand headphone jack in two ways, one is in the headphone driving section, the other is that they replace the digital-to-analog converter in the player. Both are important. The design trend today seems to be to make an amplifier that's optimized for driving very low impedance 'phones. It doesn't need to be able to supply much voltage, but it does need to supply a fair amount of current, and so the best amplifier for one set of earphones may not be the best one for another set of earphones. Your question isn't as simple as you thought. Probably the best answer is to keep what you have until you're ready to buy a new set of headphones, then look for both 'phones and amplifier together. |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 3/4/2018 9:19 AM, caraudioguy wrote:
The E5 runs between $20-$35 depending on where it is purchased. Everything is analog, MP3 player out and the amp has analog input & output.Â* It's lithium battery powered with a micro USB port so it can be used while charging. It's been a good little amp, but I was looking for something with more output in the same price range. I have no recommendations since what I know about are in the $200+ range. But I suspect that if you want more driving power you'll need to look into one that requires external power. You can make it portable with one of those USB "emergency" power packs, but most portable devices are designed for maximum operating time with a reasonably sized battery, and more watts means bigger batteries. You can't change the laws of physics. Maybe one of these days Tesla will make a headphone amplifier employing a new battery technology. -- For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 03/04/2018 09:47 AM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 3/4/2018 9:19 AM, caraudioguy wrote: The E5 runs between $20-$35 depending on where it is purchased. Everything is analog, MP3 player out and the amp has analog input & output.Â* It's lithium battery powered with a micro USB port so it can be used while charging. It's been a good little amp, but I was looking for something with more output in the same price range. I have no recommendations since what I know about are in the $200+ range. But I suspect that if you want more driving power you'll need to look into one that requires external power. You can make it portable with one of those USB "emergency" power packs, but most portable devices are designed for maximum operating time with a reasonably sized battery, and more watts means bigger batteries. You can't change the laws of physics. Maybe one of these days Tesla will make a headphone amplifier employing a new battery technology. What about running two E5's in series and adjust volume of one not to overload the other? |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 3/4/2018 10:14 AM, caraudioguy wrote:
What about running two E5's in series and adjust volume of one not to overload the other? Nope. The problem is with the part that actually drives the headphones. It won't provide more current just be driving the input harder. A very complicated solution using two of the amplifiers would be to operate them in "bridge" mode with each one operating as a mono amplifier. I wouldn't recommend it, however, due to what else you'll need in order to make it work. A $100 amplifier and external battery pack would be far easier to implement and would involve less haywire. Or maybe you should look at alternative headphones, something that would be more efficient when driven by your MP3 player. Or, if you have low impedance headphones now, maybe the newer version of your player, or a different player, would drive them better than the one you have now. There's been a fair amount of progress in this area given how many people are listening to music on their smart phones today. A modern phone can get plenty of volume from reasonably efficient 20 ohm earphones, whereas one from five years ago would sound wimpy with the same 'phones. And, no, there isn't a simple "converter" that you can buy. -- For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com |
#7
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 03/04/2018 11:00 AM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 3/4/2018 10:14 AM, caraudioguy wrote: What about running two E5's in series and adjust volume of one not to overload the other? Nope. The problem is with the part that actually drives the headphones. It won't provide more current just be driving the input harder. A very complicated solution using two of the amplifiers would be to operate them in "bridge" mode with each one operating as a mono amplifier. I wouldn't recommend it, however, due to what else you'll need in order to make it work. A $100 amplifier and external battery pack would be far easier to implement and would involve less haywire. Or maybe you should look at alternative headphones, something that would be more efficient when driven by your MP3 player. Or, if you have low impedance headphones now, maybe the newer version of your player, or a different player, would drive them better than the one you have now. There's been a fair amount of progress in this area given how many people are listening to music on their smart phones today. A modern phone can get plenty of volume from reasonably efficient 20 ohm earphones, whereas one from five years ago would sound wimpy with the same 'phones. And, no, there isn't a simple "converter" that you can buy. I'm just thinking of trying a board kit utilizing the LM386 op amp. It would have output for either headphones or speakers and can run on various voltage. |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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headphone amp upgrade?
caraudioguy wrote:
For several years, I've been using a Fiio E5 headphone amp following my AGPtEK A02 8GB MP3 Player. Although I have been impressed with the volume & bass boost it added to the MP3 player, I'm wondering if it's possible to upgrade the amp to something with more output in the same cost range? Recommendations would be welcome. What headphones are you driving and why do you want much more level? Does your MP3 player have a digital output? If so, you could get a combined DAC/headphone amp device. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#9
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headphone amp upgrade?
On 5/03/2018 1:19 AM, caraudioguy wrote:
On 03/04/2018 09:12 AM, Mike Rivers wrote: On 3/4/2018 8:02 AM, caraudioguy wrote: For several years, I've been using a Fiio E5 headphone amp following my AGPtEK A02 8GB MP3 Player.Â* Although I have been impressed with the volume & bass boost it added to the MP3 player, I'm wondering if it's possible to upgrade the amp to something with more output in the same cost range? What's its cost range or your budget? Does your MP3 player have a digital output, or are you looking for a straight analog in-out amplifier? How big (or small), AC or battery powered? The E5 runs between $20-$35 depending on where it is purchased. Everything is analog, MP3 player out and the amp has analog input & output.Â* It's lithium battery powered with a micro USB port so it can be used while charging.Â* It's just slighly larger than a pack of matches I'd say. It's been a good little amp, but I was looking for something with more output in the same price range.Â* Since I purchased this one several years ago, I see now that the market has been flooded with similar amps, so it's overwhelming just trying to find one with more output plus the prices vary widely. I use a Topping NX1 which is similar to what you describe, but how it compares to what you already have, I have no idea. It has enough output though for most headphones and users. Trevor. |
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