2d (edited) • General discussion
Headphone Amps
Mixing and mastering on headphones is important for those of us that work in less than perfect sounding studios. Especially for checking the low end where a strong room mode persists despite your best attempts at bass trapping or sound correction. Maybe they are your primary monitoring source or a secondary one, but everyone probably at least checks their work on headphones at some point.
Personally, I like open back planar magnetic headphones, but they can be power hungry beasts. I'm currently using a pair of HIFIMAN Ananda Nanos (current model is the Ananda Unveiled). The brand new Steven Slate VSX Immersion One Planar Magnetic headphones are pretty interesting, but not a cheap date. Nor are the various Audeze models such as the LCD-X.
The headphone outputs on the majority of audio interfaces simply can't drive the more power hungry headphones without running out of juice (current limited). I know the headphone outs on my Focusrite Scarlett Gen 3 are pretty mediocre. I can hear distortion in the sub-bass when they are turned up a bit.
After a lot of research I decided to buy a dedicated DAC/amp for my headphones and just got a Topping DX5 ii ($300). It's supposed to be a massive bang for the buck and can provide enough juice to drive all but the most extremely power hungry headphones loudly without distortion. I used the SPDIF coax out on my Scarlett to feed the SPDIF input on the Topping so that I avoid the converters on the Scarlett. I also got a balanced headphone cable (4.4mm jack) to get maximum power out of the Topping.
End Result: The extra clarity, extended range, and lack of distortion in the sub-bass was immediately evident. I was impressed. It sounds so good that I may hold off buying new studio monitors and primarily mix/master on headphones for now. I know that spending an extra $300 to drive an already pricey set of headphones seems like a lot, but if you get the chance to A/B a good DAC/amp (such as the Topping DX5 ii) with your audio interface headphone outs, do it.
I've been watching the "MixPhones" YT channel as a resource in my quest for good headphones/etc. Here's a link to their video on the DX5 ii:
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Headphone Amps
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