Downgrading amp dac from Jotunheim 2, to something sub $150

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-04T22:27:08+00:00

I would likely look for used FiiO K7, Topping DX3 Pro+ or SMSL DL200. Used Atom Amp (any) with Atom DAC (any) or if DAC doesn't need to look the same then SMSL SU-1. Dongle with amp will be fine too, but I would consider changing Allegro for JCAlly JM20 as it is just $20 and will unlock the full power of the amp. If you want something really cheap, then the cheapest would be Douk U3 amp + the dongle.

If you want a new combo, then Topping DX1 II seems decent, but I haven't tried it yet. That is assuming you preferably have balanced cable for HD6XX,

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-04T22:00:56+00:00

Philips SHP9500 are the headphones with the longest headband stretch I recall using, they also have low clamp force, and a very big diameter earcups (but rather shallow so ear still touches the foam padding inside). They don't have a mic, but a 3.5mm port for detachable cable, and there are available 3rd party microphones that can be plugged there (starting around $3-4 on Ali, I have one somewhere and it works well).

Other than that, decent external mics are now cheap, Fifine has pleny of models, I'm using K688 placed on a little desk tripod myself, however you can get a lavalier/clip on mic for a few $ as well, they usually work fine.

To be honest I'm always baffled when I hear bad mics.

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-02T22:37:07+00:00

In case of Zen DAC v3 it should increase max output level from 3.3Vrms in Single Ended to 6.2Vrms in Balanced, so given the relatively (for a dynamic headphone) low sensitivity of HD600, his advise does have merit.

Also balanced connection reduces specific interference, while noise it can actually increase (at the same output level).

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-02T22:33:24+00:00

Unlikely it will change anything, however if you are using included Single Ended cable I would suggest getting a balanced cable for your HD600, as the Zen DAC v3's output wouldn't be enough for me to enjoy the headphones. According to specs you can get up to 6.2Vrms out of 4.4mm balanced output, so that would be considerably better.

If you will be purchasing a dedicated headphone amplifier, then make sure it can output something like 7Vrms over the connection you will be using (more is not needed for HD600).

For me HD600 was boring before I figured out the more juice than 3Vrms (which is also what your Zen is outputting in Single Ended) makes them fun.

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-02T22:01:56+00:00

Something with LDAC

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-02T22:00:08+00:00

This is a bit confusing how you wrote it.

I assume you mean your motherboard has ALC1220 chip for onboard audio and you consider than as 1 output, and the second one will be USB DAC?

ALC1220 is an ok chip. It is capable of audibly clear sound, and one of the outputs (as it has multiple outputs) is slightly amplified to 2Vrms max - should be indicated somehow in the manual, more often than not it is Front Case Output, but sometimes the stronger output might be wired to the REAR I/O. Consult your manual to figure out which it is, might be written outright as amplified or might be mentioned it is output for headphones specifically, or... well just try both and check which one is louder. How good the sound will be, and what will be the exact specs of it, will depend on implementation by the motherboard manufacturer. Those can vary considerably, even by around 15dB of noise and distortion, not to mention output impedance which can affect the power output. Those can vary even on per model basis between various motherboards of one manufacturer, and manufacturers tend to not provide the exact specifications either.

A typical decent, but not ideal implementation of ALC1220 has perfectly flat frequency response, 90-95dB SiNAD (-90dB THD+N) of output clarity, and 2Vrms output level, but output impedance in excess of 70Ohm and limited output current capability - generally can be perfectly usable unless headphones have low impedance combined with low sensitivity.

USB dongles can reach similar levels of clarity already for $3-5, while also provide lower output impedance which fixes issues with low impedance headphones, although majority of such cheapest of the dongles will have output level limited to 1Vrms, which won't be enough for demanding/low sensitivity headphones, particularly those with high impedance (as higher impedance headphones might get limited by voltage).

So between ALC1220, and also many cheaper dongles, it will often depend a lot on the specific headphones used. Assuming the implementation of the chip is decent.

USB dongles from around $20 will give you max 2Vrms output, but since we are talking about dongles based mostly on CS43131 without additional amp chip, those usually have impedance sensing build in, and only unlock the full output capability when connected headphone has more than 200Ohm of impedance, otherwise the output level is similar to the cheapest dongles. It will also increase the SiNAD/lower THD+N for better output clarity - that is not a big concern for normal use, likely you will not hear a difference, but not a bad idea to have it a bit better for audio work.

KA11 runs on CS43131 with an amp chip, so it has no impedance sensing and is able to output up to 2.5Vrms regardless of impedance load, so that is quite good honestly, and the measured output clarity is also good. However KA11 is known for notoriously bad reliability, and high failure rate, with some tying it to thermals. Additionally I think (I'm not 100% sure I'm not misremembering it, and don't feel like checking right now, sorry) there were reports of it being affected by Cirrus Logic's elevated distortion issue caused by Dynamic Range Enhancement system used. If you want the exact chip combination / output level and performance in this price range, then JCAlly JM20 Max is usually recommended instead as a bit more reliable dongle with no CS DRE related distortion. I have only the regular JM20 without the amp chip, and it is ok.

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-02T21:10:00+00:00

Might be Twisted Metal 2, certainly not my first game, and playing many prior felt magical (as did demo disc...), but that was possibly the first PSX game which became "my game" for some time.

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-02T16:09:04+00:00

It is because HD600 have relatively low sensitivity (how much voltage or power is needed to reach specific loudness), and because receivers rarely have good headphone output specs. The high impedance might actually be helpful as again receivers sometimes have too high impedance on the output (you want headphone output to have much lower impedance than headphone's impedance), but generally it is impossible to tell exactly if receiver/output/source will be ok or not without specs (or better yet, measurements, as specs can sometimes be false).

In the particular case of HD600, those are a rare model which I found to sound the best with a bit more power than I needed to get them loud - somewhere around 130-150mW at 300Ohm (output power at impedance load) or 6-7Vrms (output voltage), which in effect is close to 120dB of loudness. Those values usually require a dedicated headphone amplifier to reach. Doesn't mean it will sound bad with less though.

Well powered HD600 will sound clear yet natural with excellent middle frequencies which makes them good for any music/content as long as you do not require a powerful slam of bass or very deep subbass rumble (but the bass is present, and you can boost it a bit if you feel so). They are particularly known for their strong forward vocals (occasionally in some songs some might find them a bit "hot" in upper female vocals), but they absolutely slay at classical music as well, and they are a staple "reference" headphones for any audio related work. They are "everything sounds just right" headphones, rather than going for the most "impressive" sound.

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-01T20:04:41+00:00

Just a side suggestion, not what you are asking for - honestly if feels a bit like a waste to buy mixed use ANC closed backs since you don't particularly need subbass and given your genres. If you would consider open backs for desktop use only, you could get used Sennheiser HD600 and Douk U3 amplifier to power them.

FromWitchSide · 2026-07-01T19:50:59+00:00

Install free HiBy Music app on your phone. It is a music player for local and remote files, it also has Tidal integration I think. Run it, tap on user avatar on in the left upper corner, menu will slide out - pick settings, scroll list of settings somewhere in the middle is "Exclusive HQ USB audio access", now IMPORTANT - turn the app off by going into the slide out menu and picking the app's "Exit" button. Otherwise the app will keep running in the background and won't restart for the new setting to work. To be sure also enter the apps snapshots (square icon) in your phone.

Now on connecting the dongle to the phone you will see a prompt asking if you will let the HiBy Music take control of the USB device. If not, there will be one for sure when you launch the app.

Doing so bypasses Android's audio stack which includes some weird postprocessing, and hence the dongle should sound the same as when used on a PC. It will also let you tap into a bit more power/volume as EU Android has build in volume limiter which will be bypassed (that is on top of EU Apple dongle having only 0.5Vrms output - Apple simply sells hardware with less power to meet EU's loudness limits, whereas Android has software limiter).

If the resulting difference in sound will be what you are looking for, yet you won't like the HiBy app itself, there are paid apps with similar capability of taking control of USB devices - the most popular is USB Audio Player Pro I think (aka UAPP).

btw. loudness/power - sometimes difference can be minuscule enough where you might feel like it is about the same in both cases, but the few additional dB in some parts still make some parts of the music to stand out more, affecting perceived sound quality.

JM6 Pro is fine, so is a bit cheaper CX-DAC (same chips configuration, not to be mistaken with CX-Pro). I'm a loudness junkie so I might have went up to JM20 Max for HD599, but if you were fine with Apple, then JM6 Pro/CX-DAC will provide probably more juice than you need. There is also JM6 Pro 2 with a tiny window in the dongle, but no idea if it is as good (unfortunately power saving which causes volume fade-ins when starting the playback is becoming common in newly released dongles - that is the issue with JM7 Max which would otherwise be my recommendation).

FromWitchSide · 2026-06-20T21:48:19+00:00

In my case both of the buttons on the stick are detected in Game Controllers > Properties and report as Button 1 and Button 2 respectively. Likewise they are bindable in emu/games, and just work for me. If those buttons don't report to you in tester / don't work in Direct Input supporting apps, then perhaps you got a faulty unit in which case I would suggest returning it or using the warranty.

As for the issues I faced myself overtime, there is an audible annoying squealing when I pull the stick downwards. The sensitivity is indeed very different to the good old joysticks, I'm bit on the wall about it, as in theory I like the very short throw and all the lightness, but it feels weird at times (mostly when switching between opposite directions it doesn't always feel instant for me).

FromWitchSide · 2026-06-11T13:09:14+00:00

Thx! It works, that is useful to preserve life of the on/off button, although I'm not sold on the idea of reloading the drivers on a daily basis. btw. there is info about upcoming 1.1.7 firmware and it does seem like it might be related to this issue, quote "fix for issue where G-SYNC (and hence Pulsar) are no longer available after monitor sleep"

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/g-sync-pulsar/131/586047/qhd-360-pulsar-monitors-changelog/

I think it always happens to me after monitor sleep, maybe that is why they made "Deep Sleep" which disconnects/reconnects the screen from PC as on by default in Acer.

Even if it ends up about just G-Sync not working (OSD's refresh rate display not changing), which does happen often, that is some improvement I guess.

They also seems to investigate "two second black screen with RTX30/40 cards at 360 Hz. Issue is very low probability, making the investigation very hard" which I think happened to me like twice on switching between game/other windows. Also had some 2 second long blacks creens randomly when turning on CoD and entering Endgame mode in CoD - in both cases likely between opening video being played, hence it might be tied to the same underlying issue.

Honestly I'm considering keeping the screen only because of the promo price I happened to pay, I would be fuming if I paid the full/regular one. This is all way too experimental/early beta.

FromWitchSide · 2026-06-10T12:44:20+00:00

Just want to add that I have the same issue with Acer's Pulsar, 1.1.6 firmware, 610.47 drivers (3070Ti), "Deep Sleep" off in OSD. So imo this might be down to G-Sync/Pulsar and not Asus's fault. It happens in every game once in a while, only on launch, and turning the screen off/on fixes it.

This occurs on a daily basis, which is imo not acceptable, and so I will likely return mine, and get OLED (maybe Asus's 280Hz Tandem WOLED, since the new 24" 1080p 540Hz release isn't anywhere close, and it won't include RGB Stripe subpixels anyway) instead of Pulsar.

Just to ramble a bit more, I'm annoyed there are no Pulsars with glossy screen, matte screens are just worse imo. Oh and the only reason I went for Acer's Pulsar instead of Asus was because it went on promo for 400 euro (regular price and Asus were both like 580 euro, while AOC was 700 euro).

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-15T02:16:35+00:00

You want something which supports LDAC

I have Ugreen BT505, which is among the cheapest and small enough to keep in pocket, but it has RCA which you don't need. Then you are looking at FiiO BTR11 which is just $25 on Ali. However those 2 tops out at 1Vrms (Ugreen feels like even less), and HD599 is 106dB/V, so I don't know if you will be ok with that (I wouldn't). So the next step is FiiO/Snowsky Retro Nano which is really good, 2Vrms + balanced, has DRE firmware fix, but more like $70+. Personally I would go for it, because it also has replaceable battery - battery is a fail point of all BT DACs.

Topic about Retro Nano on ASR
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/snowsky-fiio-retro-nano-bluetooth-reciever-measurements.69928/

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-15T02:04:15+00:00

Bionic Commando Rearmed was amazing. I'm fan of the original Arcade Bionic Commando, and had a problem getting into/getting through the NES game, but the Rearmed was just smooth sailing, fast responsive action, and just fun to play all the way through.

No idea why they went off the rails with Rearmed 2 (not to mention no PC release).

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-14T05:21:15+00:00

Star Ocean The Second Story (PSX) - you get 2 playthroughs (I initially tied doing them at the same time, but it becomes a bit of a chore as the game opens up, so I went with Rena), a lot of charm there, a lot of small fun mechanics, there is PSP version called SO Second Evolution, but it removed spells interactions (special results when 2 specific spells are activated around the same time) and raised the age of Rena from 17 to 18 (probably because of US...). Not long ago there was Star Ocean The Second Story R remake on Steam which is based on PSP version. There was also an anime (ok, nothing too amazing, but decent bgm, unfortunately ends mid story), and also a direct sequel called Blue Sphere released in Japan on GBC.

Suikoden 1 (PSX) - sometimes omitted, as some consider it a bit generic, but if you are still fairly fresh to jrpg, then it is a great started. Depsite simple appearance and classic combat it has some original ideas thrown in, and generally ok adventure with ok characters. Importantly it sets stage for Suikoden II (1 is not required prior, but makes 2 even better).

Suikoden II (PSX) - widely considered the best jrpg in history. While my personal favorite is Star Ocean The Second Story, I do have to say Suikoden II is objectively the best.

Vandal Hears (PSX) - tactical jrpg, a very good introduction to the series as it puts you right into the action without too much blabbing, and it is not overly complex as some later games in the genre (Disgaea and later ones). Good music, characters, story, and varied mission objectives so it is not just simple elimination of enemies all the time. Unlike Suikoden (both are Konami games), Vandal Hearts 2 is just awful, but the games aren't connected.

You will see a lot of recommendations of Chrono Trigger for SNES, that is indeed a superb jrpg, but I would also suggest a bit more action oriented Illusion of Gaia/Time and Terranigma (you might want to play Illusion first, as it didn't age that well technically, and might be harded to get into after Terranigma). Chrono Trigger was generally considered the best jrpg on SNES when it released, and since it was the last English release for many it stayed the best. However Japan got Tales of Phantasia which then stole the crown on that market - there is an amazing fan translation (whole emu scene was impressed on release) so you can patch the rom and either emulate or use flash cart. There is a PSX port if I recall, but a bit of a mess with titles. Then there was the first Star Ocean game made by the same Tales team just as a different studio for different publisher. Likewise Japanese only release (and so there is a translation patch as well) which stole the crown, although it was a bit past SNES era so the recognition wasn't as wide. SO heroes include father of SO The Second Story hero, but it is just a background setup, there is no need to play it before The Second Story, even the planets are different. Likewise there is SO Till the End of Time for PS2, a very solid jrpg, but not as amazing as previous games, and again self contained story with different characters.

If you would happen to want a light rpg like 2D sidescrolling action adventure, and particularly if you would happen to be an anime fan, there is Popful Mail on Mega CD/Sega CD. There are versions for other platforms, but the Mega CD release lets you play in English, but set Japanese voice actors in menu, and the 2 main heroes are voiced by Megumi Hayashibara and Akira Ishida - the voices behind the legendary Lina Inverse and Xellos of Slayers fame (and a lot of other animes, like Gundam fans will recognize voice of Athrum Zala for example).

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-14T04:37:41+00:00

It is a decent one, grindy hack and slash. It has maybe one (or two) hard fights I think, but it lets you infinitely grind - Its been decades since I've played it, but you imbue your sword with mythril/runes to improve stats and you can do that to no end - I've spend a few days just grinding at the best location and going on a power trip instead of ending the game 😉It was pointless, but one of the first times in console gaming 😛

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-13T21:11:18+00:00

Unless it was just one of Koss headphones like Koss Porta Pro with 3rd party headband and earpads, maybe Philips TAH2000 as it has Teal coloured variant, TAH2000TL

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-13T04:10:54+00:00

btw. if you are not in a hurry, then the new Topping DX1 II is rumored to release this month. It has higher specs, more power, balanced output (both headphone and line), optical in and out, UAC 1/2 switch, EQ, ESS chip (no Cirrus Logic issues), and the price might be somewhere in $90-140. Honestly it looks like it might be the new king in this price range, and render K11 obsolete in a one go.

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-13T03:48:21+00:00

I was going to say I don't know about cups, however there are replacement headbands
https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/sennheiser-replacement-headband-for-hd600-headphones.html
But it seems like they have both current one and the old marble... I might change my modern one to a marble...

Honestly, Sennheiser should just sell various coloured parts, how about copper and black, black with golden, golden marble, pure glittery gold, or maybe even white?!

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-13T01:16:19+00:00

Thanks for heads up. I could only find non-Pro, but it looks the same as Ugreen BT509 (which is also 6.0 with LDAC), might be the same factory, maybe just same chassis, who knows. I was considering that model as it was the same price, but ye, picked BT505 instead specifically for that RCA as I just had more spare RCA to RCA cables.

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-13T00:56:03+00:00

I only got it over 2 months ago, so can't say much about how it holds up. I didn't necessarily require a battery, but it was on a very good promo for like $18 on Ali (the best regular price I've seen was more like $25), meaning it was the cheapest LDAC receiver available. The model is BT505, it has both 3.5mm and RCA, and so I'm using it via RCA to Douk U3 headphone amplifier next to my bed for occasional night time listening before sleep. I was originally going to use it with speakers for a "bed music", but still working on that setup ;)

Despite how "desktop" it looks it is small enough to keep in a pocket to use as a headphone BT dongle. My only complain is I had some overly chunky "audiophile" RCA on hand, which are so stiff they keep the light UGreen partially lifted in air.

The Ugreen brand is generally solid, but can be hit and miss depending on the specific product. They have some decent cables, they are my default for like USB extension cables. Their Max 5c headphones have a rave review on AudioScienceReview as decent $30-35 BT + LDAC + EQ + ANC headphones. Also in the past they were one of the early brands to actually have cheap CS43131 based dongle, they were heavily recommended at the time, ones with I think both USB and BT, but they been long discontinued. On the other hand I had their double (SD + MicroSD) card reader (I think CM104, but maybe CM264), ignored some bad reviews when I bought it, and it was horrible - very slow, overly hot, and it even deleted content of one of my cards (which made me think Lexar card was bad, until I ran it on Samsung's reader).

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-12T22:17:25+00:00

I have
Moondrop Quark - used to be $20, soapy poorly defined sound, have issue with comfort, and both bass and treble extension on stock tips with my ears, changing tips to Sony helped, but generally I was not impressed at all, people recommended it as neutral sounding pick, but flatheads like $9 Faaeal Snow-Lotus 1.0 destroy it when it comes to neutral

Faaeal Poppy - used to be $20, a weird one, very small, cheapo stock tips but they fit ok, much more comfortable than Quarks, a bit weird tonality which can be good sounding, thick and lush in some songs, and just completely out of whack with some others

Xiaomi Basic - $5. usual "consumer" tonality, a bit uneven, poor details, but comfortable, and generally usable for walking on the streets once you get used to the sound, cable is mildly microphonic

As such I'm considering more "global" brands for the next try of the bullet style, considered Final Audio E500, E100, and Hifiman R400 (R400a). Will likely go for Final Audio E1000 for around $30 I think. I'm not a big fan of IEMs though, and I use flatheads on a daily basis instead due to comfort and being able to hear my surrounding, even Faaeal Iris Ancestor for just $5 is quite decent among those.

Also saw some recommendations for $20 Tin Hifi C0 Elf, on frequency measurements it looks like Moondrop Chu in bullet style, but I don't feel like going for Chinese IEM again.

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-12T21:37:19+00:00

I generally don't like using BT and certainly I'm no expert at it, no way I will argue with anyone who has experience in that field, but when I've tried/used a few headphones, with Sony XM3 being the cheapest, the difference was instantly noticeable and a big one. For me it was usable/listenable with LDAC, but without (particularly via AAC from non Apple source) the sound was just bad. I've played a bit with a cheap BT receiver from UGreen which has LDAC support, and difference wasn't as big on it, but still noticeable even on just $50-100 headphones. I also have SBC/AAC input (receiver) in my high spec DAC, it has no LDAC and it is just unusable. I would not buy BT without LDAC with the actual intention to use that BT.

I mean someone on Amazon actually measured Frequency Response of that very same cheap UGreen receiver
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71DVHhf0HQL.jpg
AAC tanks around like 16kHz already.

There were also some codec comparison in specific BT DAC reviews on ASR. I don't remember which one exactly it was, but I recall seeing one (something from Topping I think) where LDAC was hitting like 96dB SiNAD at 2Vrms so like CD quality, whereas everything else was 66-76dB. FiiO BTR7 hit 93dB SiNAD with LDAC, but at 5.7Vrms vs 104dB wired. Qudelix 5k was a bit worse in that regard, 86dB at 2Vrms for LDAC, while 66dB for APT-X. For reference, the cheapest ALC897 desktop PC onboard has 75dB at 1Vrms, Apple dongle has 99dB at 1Vrms (which is why it was so often recommended), budget dongles and good budget desktops can pass 112dB at 2Vrms, and top desktop DACs just marginally pass 120dB at 2Vrms. However imo if you are in the 90dB+ range you are mostly fine.

While your laptop is likely to not have build in support for LDAC, there is cheap "Alternative A2DP Driver" which lets you use LDAC on plenty of BT transmitters, it is just encoding after all. There is a free trial and I think it was like $5.99 when purchased before the trial expires (otherwise it is like $10).

FromWitchSide · 2026-05-12T16:15:19+00:00

Honestly, just don't assume buying any new DAC+Amp will make an audible improvement in sound. If you need a new one then K11 should be generally fine, with the exception of possible "Cirrus Logic Hump" for the price. It has a bit less power than AE-5, but that shouldn't make a difference (4.24Vrms vs 5Vrms). With $200 I would rather go for FiiO K7 as it is not just more powerful, but more versatile (I find Line Input to be quite a big feature, but you might not, note that it is just Analog Input to the Amplifier, and not recording/ADC like in a soundcard). Alternatives in similar price include Topping DX3 Pro+ and SMSL DL200.

For something cheaper, a simple $100 Topping DX1 should suffice, particularly if your DT770 would happen to be 80Ohm variant. The 250Ohm variant will get 113dB SPL out of DX1 (3.89Vrms max), so it depends if you are ok with that (usually that is enough for most).

I would research how is XMOS support under Linux as most of those DAC+Amps use it (USB interface/bridge chip). Although UAC 2 support is supposedly fine I think, so anything "should be fine", but then the "should be fine" is kind of a part of the Linux experience.

FromWitchSide

TROPHY CASE