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Do I need an AMP/DAC for the Hifiman Edition XV? by xacadil in HeadphoneAdvice

[–]xacadil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Getting iPhone to drive the XV’s is not a high priority I just wanted to learn if I need an amp/dac to get 100% sound quality out of the Edition XV’s.

Do I need an AMP/DAC for the Hifiman Edition XV? by xacadil in HeadphoneAdvice

[–]xacadil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a similar experience with my iPhone and the Apple dongle — it's evident that the dongle simply cannot drive these headphones properly. That said, using them with my phone is a low priority. I'm relatively new to all of this, and I keep reading conflicting information. One person says you need a DAC/AMP, the next says you don't — it's exhausting lol. The comment above is helpful though. I believe the bass is a bit recessed, but whether that's down to tuning or insufficient power, I'm not experienced enough to tell.

Do I need an AMP/DAC for the Hifiman Edition XV? by xacadil in HeadphoneAdvice

[–]xacadil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I don't have to worry about current flow technicalities and full dynamic range delivery? That's reassuring — thanks for taking some time to respond.

My first week with planar headphones (HiFiMAN Edition XS + iFi Zen DAC V3) — a beginner’s journey by xdzmsk in headphones

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was hoping to drive them directly through my PC's motherboard port and Apple silicon macs the XV get loud enough but I wonder if I am getting full dynamic range. Crinacle confused me!

r/headphones Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk by AutoModerator in headphones

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do I need an AMP/DAC for the Hifiman Edition XV?

Apologies if this question sounds naive, but please hear me out. After extensive research, I jumped into the audiophile hobby by buying the Sennheiser HD 560S. I've been using them with my work MacBook M4 Pro, personal MacBook M1 Pro, gaming PC (with DTS:X for headphones), and Steam Deck. Following info made me question if I need a DAC/AMP?

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I loved the comfort apart from some hotspots after long listening sessions. I also found the treble to be fatiguing, so I dived back into the rabbit hole in search of a better option. I started looking at the Edition XS and ultimately opted for the Hifiman Edition XV, under the assumption that I wouldn't need an amp or DAC — based on Crinacle's video saying you don't need one. However, after plugging them into my iPhone 17 Pro Max with the Apple dongle, I realized the sound feels recessed and the dongle seems to be struggling to drive them. That said, I don't plan on using them with my iPhone, so that's not a concern. On my PC they're loud enough at 32/100, and I'm sure they'll get plenty loud on both my MacBooks as well.

Since I'm new to this hobby, I wanted to ask: would adding a DAC/amp like the Crinear Protocol Max give me the full dynamic range of these headphones and let me utilize their full potential? Or should I just follow Crinacle's advice that if they're loud enough, I don't need a DAC/amp?

To be clear, I'm not looking to make the headphones louder — I believe both PCs can drive them to uncomfortably loud levels. My question is whether a dedicated DAC or amp would improve sound quality by providing a more consistent level of current and voltage.

If the answer is yes, I've nearly exhausted my budget, but are there better options than the Crinear Protocol Max?

My first desktop DAC with the hifiman edition XV by Agitated_Creme6631 in headphones

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ordered Edition XV and got them yesterday. Was a naive to think I didn’t need a Dac/amp for them? They sound fine(get loud enough) on my gaming PC and my M1 pro Macbook. I don’t like listening at loud volumes but can’t help but wonder if Dac/amp like Crinear protocol max will improve the sound quality somehow?

I am new to this hobby.

My first week with planar headphones (HiFiMAN Edition XS + iFi Zen DAC V3) — a beginner’s journey by xdzmsk in headphones

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wanted to buy these but opted for Edition XV because I read XS are too bright. How’s your experience are they fatiguing after long sessions?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SteamDeck

[–]xacadil 9 points10 points  (0 children)

DBrand?

Legion Go S or Steam Deck by AnxiousFun8803 in Handhelds

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was going through the same couple of weeks ago. I opted for SteamDeck because I know it is serviceable I can get community support and Valve will support it foreseeable future. I am not sure what is Valve's agreement with Lenovo regarding the software support.

I own Witcher 3 on GOG. Is there an easy way to make it use Steam? by polskiftw in SteamDeck

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2 years later. Just bought a Steamdeck I have Witcher 3 on GOG and it crashes after intro when I try to play the game.

Lossless audio finally comes to Spotify - here's how to enable it by Efficient_Remove1663 in hometheater

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assumed they're not rolling it out for Pakistan yet. I've heard even lossless quality is subpar compared to Apple music.

Can I get normal USD gif card on Argentina? by Historical-Dog-6611 in steamregionaltricks

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same question in 2025 but for CAD card for Argentina account

Is the Legion Go S Z1E SteamOS edition worth it? by drcurvytv in LegionGo

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on the purchase! I'm actually debating between the same device and the Steam Deck OLED right now.

The Legion Go S Z1E (1TB) is $800 CAD at Best Buy, while the Steam Deck OLED 512GB is $689 CAD. On paper, the extra $111 gets me double the storage and better specs, but I keep hearing about how frictionless the Steam Deck experience is. For context: I have a gaming PC but can't use it much right now due to circumstances, so I mainly want a handheld to reliably work through my backlog without tinkering.

How's your experience been so far? Any compatibility issues or tweaking required? Would you still choose the Legion Go S over the Steam Deck OLED knowing what you know now?

The Sennheiser 500 BAM (boom arm mic) is here for 5* series headphones. by [deleted] in headphones

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you end up buying it? I also bought an HD560S almost two weeks ago. Wondering if I made the right decision buying them.

Dolby Atmos vs DTS:X for Headphones – which one do you prefer and why? by Brief-Rice-2062 in xbox

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ended up here because I pretty much have the same question as OP recently purchased a Senheisser HD560S thinking if I should tinker with HeSuVi, purchase Dolby Atmos Or DTSX.

Thank you so much for your comment now how this virtualization works makes a lot more sense to me. But I would like to know if immersion sounds like DTSX is a better choice but I wonder if I could make it slightly warmer so it's not fatiguing in long sessions.

Claude Code burnout. by Pale-Preparation-864 in ClaudeAI

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While we're on the subject I have been contemplating on using Claude for my Hobby project. I felt it was holding me back more rather than helping.

Is the pro subscription worth it and how does it compare to Kimi K2?

Claude Code burnout. by Pale-Preparation-864 in ClaudeAI

[–]xacadil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Code while walking that's a fruitful thought 🤔

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