# Best Amp/Dac for sennheiser hd25-1 ii under $100



## Kani

I bought a sennheiser hd25-1 ii from a head-fi member and will be getting it in few days
  Will these headphones benefit from an Amp?
  I was currently considering getting a fiio e10
  What would be a good Amp/DAC or a DAC(if no good from Amp) under $100?
  I don,t mind getting a used one either.
  Also i listen to hip hop/rap mainly if it helps.


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## Mutnat

I hope you won't be disappointed by these headphones for hip hop and rap.  It does an OKAY job at them in my experience, but it's really best at rock, metal, hard rock, pop.  It may not have the bass depth or sustain (too fast paced) for a lot of hip hop and rap.  You will definitely want to get an amp, probably something with a bass boost like a Fiio E10 or so.


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## Kani

Quote: 





mutnat said:


> I hope you won't be disappointed by these headphones for hip hop and rap.  It does an OKAY job at them in my experience, but it's really best at rock, metal, hard rock, pop.  It may not have the bass depth or sustain (too fast paced) for a lot of hip hop and rap.  You will definitely want to get an amp, probably something with a bass boost like a Fiio E10 or so.


 
   
  Thanks i will buy the fiio e10 since i love to have some good bass.
  I was considering the ultrasone hfi-580 first, All i could find for sale added about was more than $170 with shipping. So i found a much cheaper deal on head fi for senns for my budget and bought it.


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## Mutnat

Sorry probably the E11 if all you need is an amp and not a DAC.  My bad.  I get those two confused all the time.


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## tzjin

Will you use it at home or on the go? Definitely E10 for mostly at home, because you can't use the E11 while charging. I personally think the E10 may be better, firstly because of the included DAC. Secondly, the HD25 won't benefit hugely from an amp, so it really is not necessary if you're outside with ambient noise detracting from listening anyways.


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## Mutnat

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tzjin said:


> Secondly, the HD25 won't benefit hugely from an amp, so it really is not necessary if you're outside with ambient noise detracting from listening anyways.


 
   
  Anyone who says the HD25 doesn't benefit from a decent amp has never tried it with one.  Yes, it's "good" straight out of the iPod, but it's way better with a good amp and LOD.  The Fiio may not be the best but at the price range given it's a good option to try.


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## tzjin

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mutnat said:


> Anyone who says the HD25 doesn't benefit from a decent amp has never tried it with one.  Yes, it's "good" straight out of the iPod, but it's way better with a good amp and LOD.  The Fiio may not be the best but at the price range given it's a good option to try.


 
   
  I have run mines out of a nice receiver with the signal coming from well-recorded CD's. It does sound better, but IMO not worth carrying around an extra device for. Especially since a portable amp in this price range most likely will not be as good.
   
  Please don't case assumptions too quickly.


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## 40760

Just bought a friend the E6 as she's complaining that her new HD25s are harder to drive than her Westone 1s right out of her iPhone. I got to test drive it with my own HD25s with the Fiio LOD and I think they work great.
   
  Of course, they don't really compare to my TWag V2 and Fostex or other higher end stuffs, but I can safely say, don't downplay cause it's a "cheaper" solution. I have to admit for the price it's really worth it and the portability definitely beats carrying my HP-P1. I'm pretty sure the models you guys mentioned should perform even better.


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## Kani

Thanks for all the replies guys
  I am planning to use it with my laptop at home. So really need the DAC since built in sound card is very bad already and don,t need to be portable.
  I don't mind buying a used one, so what about ibasso D-Zero compared to fiio e10? or any other model at the $100 price range?


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## Mutnat

The D-Zero is actually a decent little DAC+AMP.  One possible drawback for you is that it lacks any kind of bass boost, and it's presentation isn't overly warm or bassy.  You could try it, but I'm afraid it might not work well in combination with the HD-25 for your type of music.  I'm not in the office where my D-zero is today but if I think of it over the next couple of days I'll try combining the two and playing some of the rap and hip-hop in my collection.


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## Kani

Quote: 





mutnat said:


> The D-Zero is actually a decent little DAC+AMP.  One possible drawback for you is that it lacks any kind of bass boost, and it's presentation isn't overly warm or bassy.  You could try it, but I'm afraid it might not work well in combination with the HD-25 for your type of music.  I'm not in the office where my D-zero is today but if I think of it over the next couple of days I'll try combining the two and playing some of the rap and hip-hop in my collection.


 
  I guess i will really need the bass boost and fiio e10 is also about $30 less. So i will try get a fiio e10 from head fi.
  Thanks a lot mutnat and everyone who helped.


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## DevilGin

I bought a PA2V2 for the HD-25s for my iphone and seriously it is so worth the trouble carrying it about! At first i was like it doesnt make a difference but it is when you listen to it for a few days then plug it back into the iphone 4 (or ipod) is when you notice the difference. The bass is alot more full, vocals are alot more cleaner and forward. IMHO either get the PA2V2,Fiio E7, E17,or E10. You wont regret it.


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## cyborg00900

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devilgin said:


> I bought a PA2V2 for the HD-25s for my iphone and seriously it is so worth the trouble carrying it about! At first i was like it doesnt make a difference but it is when you listen to it for a few days then plug it back into the iphone 4 (or ipod) is when you notice the difference. The bass is alot more full, vocals are alot more cleaner and forward. IMHO either get the PA2V2,Fiio E7, E17,or E10. You wont regret it.


 
  was just about to recommend a few fiio products, small form factors , you really cant go wrong.
  e10 - great dac for the price overall an easy recommendation
  e7 - a use at home dac and portable amplifier on the go
  e17 - akin to the e7 (altho a $30+ investment, considering your budget is $100) but get you some nifty features such as bass boost and treble control etc. and overall an enhanced performance.


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## Kani

I was planning to get guild wars 2 and fiio e10 by end of this month.
  I guess i will just buy a fiio e17 and forget about the game(will save more time to studies too).
  Also was waiting for a reason not to start another mmorpg. Guess this is it
  Any idea for how much does a used e17 go for?


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## cyborg00900

Quote: 





kani said:


> I was planning to get guild wars 2 and fiio e10 by end of this month.
> I guess i will just buy a fiio e17 and forget about the game(will save more time to studies too).
> Also was waiting for a reason not to start another mmorpg. Guess this is it
> Any idea for how much does a used e17 go for?


 
  ive seen a new e17 go far about 125 bucks, not sure about used.
  and if under a budget you can get the e7 for around $60 used on amazon and with the money left over you can probably get the game too


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## Kani

Just checked the prices and its $140 shipped, i guess i will stick with fiio e10.
  Don,t want to spend more than the price of the headphones on the amplifier.
  This is my upgrade from a klipsch image s4, used without any amp. So i guess i can be happy with what i here from HD25+e10
  Once again thanks for all the replies. 
  Quote: 





kani said:


> I was planning to get guild wars 2 and fiio e10 by end of this month.
> I guess i will just buy a fiio e17 and forget about the game(will save more time to studies too).
> Also was waiting for a reason not to start another mmorpg. Guess this is it
> Any idea for how much does a used e17 go for?


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## Mutnat

Quote: 





> Originally Posted by *Mutnat* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> You could try it, but I'm afraid it might not work well in combination with the HD-25 for your type of music.  I'm not in the office where my D-zero is today but if I think of it over the next couple of days I'll try combining the two and playing some of the rap and hip-hop in my collection.


 
   
  I was right.  They don't work that well together.  The mids sound overly warm and congested, the bass is a bit anemic and at the same time a bit distorted.  It's very odd, but they just don't work well together especially for rap and hip hop it seems.  I've been going back and forth from the D-Zero to my JDS Labs C421 with OPA2227 and there's no comparing.  Everything sounds more noticeably cramped and congested out of the D-Zero, and not very natural.


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## Mutnat

Quote: 





mutnat said:


> I was right.  They don't work that well together.  The mids sound overly warm and congested, the bass is a bit anemic and at the same time a bit distorted.  It's very odd, but they just don't work well together especially for rap and hip hop it seems.  I've been going back and forth from the D-Zero to my JDS Labs C421 with OPA2227 and there's no comparing.  Everything sounds more noticeably cramped and congested out of the D-Zero, and not very natural.


 
   
  BTW this isn't necessarily a slag against the D-Zero, it's just that it doesn't pair well with the HD25.  On the other hand, when I play the same tracks with the same amps but using my M-Audio Q40 headphones, they actually sound better on the D-Zero than the C421.  And if you're looking for a bass-heavy rap and hip hop headphone, the Q40 should probably be on the short list.  They're actually quite good for that.  And very comfy.


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## Kani

Quote: 





mutnat said:


> I was right.  They don't work that well together.  The mids sound overly warm and congested, the bass is a bit anemic and at the same time a bit distorted.  It's very odd, but they just don't work well together especially for rap and hip hop it seems.  I've been going back and forth from the D-Zero to my JDS Labs C421 with OPA2227 and there's no comparing.  Everything sounds more noticeably cramped and congested out of the D-Zero, and not very natural.


 
  I heard bass boosts on d-zero and e7 are quite close in a comparision review, but he was not using hd25s. Thanks for clarifying this, if i saw a used d-zero for sale for a cheap price i would have easily bought it because of its portability.
  Now i should definitely stick with fiio e10.


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## Mutnat

Quote: 





kani said:


> I heard bass boosts on d-zero and e7 are quite close in a comparision review, but he was not using hd25s. Thanks for clarifying this, if i saw a used d-zero for sale for a cheap price i would have easily bought it because of its portability.
> Now i should definitely stick with fiio e10.


 
   
  Just one more clarification:  the d-zero does NOT have a bass boost.


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## Kani

Got the hd25s and tried them with rap/hip hop and have to say didn't enjoy them much as i do with klipsch images s4. probably because it didn't get louder like the s4.
  Tried the other genres that aren't bass heavy and i listen at a low/average volume and sound is much better.
  Going to order the fiio e10 Thursday which should solve the problem.
  Also i listened to the songs from a laptop on board sound card which i know was much worse quality than my desktops sound card.
   
  EDIT: Tried this out with my $10 creative speakers headphone jack and it made the bass much better and the sound much louder, ( it must have some really good amplifier or something.) Now they sounds a lot better than before, I can,t wait to see how much better it will get with fiio e10.


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## frogger279

Did you ever get the e10? How did it compare to everything else you have tried? I am contemplating on purchasing one but want some more opinions first.


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## thehumantornado

was kind of curious about this too, had my eye on hd25's for a bit and would be in the same boat for a budget amp


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## The Monkey

The HRT Headstreamer is decent.  Retails for ~$139, maybe you could get a used one.


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## cyborg00900

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thehumantornado said:


> was kind of curious about this too, had my eye on hd25's for a bit and would be in the same boat for a budget amp


 
   
   
  Quote: 





frogger279 said:


> Did you ever get the e10? How did it compare to everything else you have tried? I am contemplating on purchasing one but want some more opinions first.


 
  i owned the fiio e10 and hd-25 for a while, eventually sold the hd-25 after becoming rather fatigued from the treble presentation, dont take my opinion to seriously tho my ears are very sensitive, more of a midrange guy.
  but nonetheless they were a very good can and did well with the fiio e10.  The fiio e10 will do everything you want it to do at that price point you really cant complain a small and sexy form factor with a nice aluminum brushed casing makes it a winner for me.
  heck they drive my 300ohm hd650 without breaking a sweat and i have the volume knob on 4-6 and ts not even on high gain. I cant recommend the product enough.


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## Mutnat

Still recommending to save up a little extra and get a JDSLabs C421 with OPA2227 opamp.  Pairs very nicely with the HD25-1 II.


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