Quote:
Originally Posted by Mouse
Hey Serge,
I've been thinking of an Astral and Kern player but the 256 gb is really a turn off for the price so I've been putting it off. Aside from that limitation, would I be better served with an iphone connected to a pocket amp/dac like the new MHA50, or an Astell and Kern dedicated player?
Right now I'm rocking out on my iphone with tidal app with IEM Shure se846 with a silver litz ALO cable with lightning jack. I also use Campfire Audio Andronica with the same type of cable.
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iPhone is actually a great sounding source when paired with the right headphones. The problem is not so much the DAC of the iPhone but the amplification section that is not capable of driving many of the headphones properly. Once a low impedance, high sensitivity pair is hooked up to an iPhone, it is an eye opening experience. Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 is a great example of that. 25 ohm/94dB let's the iPhone amp section take control over those cans and the bass lines the combo can deliver is quite impressive. The Sennheiser 300 ohm headphones on the other hand are way too much of a load for the iPhone and the resulting performance is not good.
Your Campfire Andromeda is
112.8 dB SPL/mW Sensitivityand 12.8 Ohms @ 1kHz Impedance, the iPhone can deliver all the juice they could ever want or need.
I would focus on the quality of sound and features of the source that would appeal to you with your headphones as the added power of an outboard DAC/amp may not be worth the $$$ spent at all.