[sabjn]

Hello everyone, I'm almost 3 months into the audiophile hobby now and my past two headphones we're the HD 560S, and the IE 200 which are easy to drive and sound good from any almost any source out there, but I purchased a pair of Sony XBA-A3's, and well, I feel like my $30 aliexpress dongle (CS43131 DAC+amp) is struggling to drive them properly. Here comes the guy laughing at my dongle but hey, I'm not made out of money and I'm only 16

I'm hearing a lot of static ground noise in songs and the dongle gets VERY hot often (never been so hot from my 560s or ie 200), I also feel like there's a lot of potential I'm missing out on because of the source, I have seen many people saying that they would very much benefit from a good source, including the seller

The reason I would want a DAP is just because I spend more time with my IEM's outside, also having a separate device for music is great.

Maybe you guys could suggest some relatively affordable and great sounding DAP's? I like sony dap's a lot but my god are they EXPENSIVE!

(Picture of my dongle ) P.S. Using my Samsung S22 Ultra with it, also at my PC with the HD 560S

 

[msing539]

Are you hooking this up to a phone? Android? What music player or are you just streaming and, if so, which service?

Static can sometimes be caused if the dongle isn't getting exclusive access to usb. Some are also very susceptible to emi, things like your wifi, etc.

Try listening with airplane mode on and see if it sounds better.

 

[sabjn]

Are you hooking this up to a phone? Android? What music player or are you just streaming and, if so, which service?

Static can sometimes be caused if the dongle isn't getting exclusive access to usb. Some are also very susceptible to emi, things like your wifi, etc.

Try listening with airplane mode on and see if it sounds better.

Yes I'm using them through my S22 Ultra, I tried the airplane mode but the noise is still there. I mainly use Spotify because of easy access to all my music library but I also have some albums downloaded in FLAC in Poweramp and they have the same issue.

 

[earmonger]

It seems like that your Ali dongle is not doing a good job. You might try the $9 Apple dongle and see if it does better, at apple.com . It doesn't amplify but it does have well-measured specs as a DAC.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter

Shanling has a widely recommended entry-level DAP.
https://www.amazon.com/SHANLING-M0-Pro-Portable-Bluetooth/dp/B0BPQVYBZG

The VE Megatron is as large as your phone but is a very powerful DAC/Amp, $56 shipped to US.
https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=63

 

[Thieme]

I think it is mainly a thing of preference, you could go for a larger more capable dongle but personally I find those to be unwieldy always hooked up to the phone. A DAP would a solution but at the same time it would be yet another device taking up space in your pocket and most of the DAPs are heavy.
It is my understanding that for streaming you would want an Android DAP. The good ones start at $200 or $250 Hiby M300 or the new Hiby R4. The Shanling M3 Ultra and Fiio M11s are also options but already more expensive. If Streaming isn't that important then yes you can look at the already Mentioned Shanling m0 or M1s or Hiby R3ii.
I do wonder if you thought about going the bluetooth route in the way of the Fiio BTR15 ($120)?
It sounds good even in Bluetooth and for the small size it has incredible output power in balanced configuration. If you want more quality you can still hook it up to your phone. It is small and light which makes it easy to carry

 

[o0genesis0o]

Hello everyone, I'm almost 3 months into the audiophile hobby now and my past two headphones we're the HD 560S, and the IE 200 which are easy to drive and sound good from any almost any source out there, but I purchased a pair of Sony XBA-A3's, and well, I feel like my $30 aliexpress dongle (CS43131 DAC+amp) is struggling to drive them properly. Here comes the guy laughing at my dongle but hey, I'm not made out of money and I'm only 16

I'm hearing a lot of static ground noise in songs and the dongle gets VERY hot often (never been so hot from my 560s or ie 200), I also feel like there's a lot of potential I'm missing out on because of the source, I have seen many people saying that they would very much benefit from a good source, including the seller

The reason I would want a DAP is just because I spend more time with my IEM's outside, also having a separate device for music is great.

Maybe you guys could suggest some relatively affordable and great sounding DAP's? I like sony dap's a lot but my god are they EXPENSIVE!

(Picture of my dongle ) P.S. Using my Samsung S22 Ultra with it, also at my PC with the HD 560S

If you have a collection of FLAC files, HiBy R3 II is a good choice. Otherwise, HiBy R4 is okay if you need streaming. Both are the most affordable new devices I can think of.

If you want to stick to phone, I recommend AFUL SnowyNight dongle. I tested that one with very hard to drive IEMs from Symphonium and it drives just fine.

Given that you already have a good phone, I’m leaning towards dongle more than DAPs.

 

[Thieme]

I wanted to write a bit more about dongles in my earlier post but realized I was running out of time and had to get my ass to work.
Again we can't really know your preferences and look in your wallet but another option for a dongle in the same form factor as you have would be the Fiio ka17 it doesn't break the bank and isn't cumbersome to carry with you.

 

[Death_Block]

I'm wowee at 16 you have an S22 ultra. Trade for a cheaper phone that does everything the S22 does and use that money on an Ibasso Dx170

 

[Death_Block]

Hell, then you'd be able to afford a Sony zx507. Which is your dream dap

 

[sabjn]

I think it is mainly a thing of preference, you could go for a larger more capable dongle but personally I find those to be unwieldy always hooked up to the phone. A DAP would a solution but at the same time it would be yet another device taking up space in your pocket and most of the DAPs are heavy.
It is my understanding that for streaming you would want an Android DAP. The good ones start at $200 or $250 Hiby M300 or the new Hiby R4. The Shanling M3 Ultra and Fiio M11s are also options but already more expensive. If Streaming isn't that important then yes you can look at the already Mentioned Shanling m0 or M1s or Hiby R3ii.
I do wonder if you thought about going the bluetooth route in the way of the Fiio BTR15 ($120)?
It sounds good even in Bluetooth and for the small size it has incredible output power in balanced configuration. If you want more quality you can still hook it up to your phone. It is small and light which makes it easy to carry

Fiio BTR5 is definitely a great device, but bluetooth isn't my kind of passion I'm leaning towards going the Qudelix 5K way, I'm probably going to save up some money and buy it, unless I'll see a listing for a very good price for a DAP locally (used Sony DAP's here cost the same as MSRP)

Edit*: pretty much all dap's, not just sony

 

[sabjn]

I'm wowee at 16 you have an S22 ultra. Trade for a cheaper phone that does everything the S22 does and use that money on an Ibasso Dx170

I sure do love expensive good quality gear and music, but that's just too much

 

[msing539]

Yes I'm using them through my S22 Ultra, I tried the airplane mode but the noise is still there. I mainly use Spotify because of easy access to all my music library but I also have some albums downloaded in FLAC in Poweramp and they have the same issue.

Before you buy anything else, download HiBy Music which is free. Configure the USB out for exclusive access and see if the noise is gone when playing flac.

 

[dunring]

All you need for those is a U.S. version of the Apple USB to 3.5mm adapter and a player like USBPlayerPro, Hilby, or Nuetron which can bypass the Android sound stack and use all the power of it via USB. It's simple, under $20 and I've got two of them and they put out a lot of power for the tiny size and sound really good. I use one with my Moto G Power phone and it will power the Hifiman HE5xx or other full size headphones (close to max volume though).

 

[cinnamonmilk]

All you need for those is a U.S. version of the Apple USB to 3.5mm adapter and a player like USBPlayerPro, Hilby, or Nuetron which can bypass the Android sound stack and use all the power of it via USB. It's simple, under $20 and I've got two of them and they put out a lot of power for the tiny size and sound really good. I use one with my Moto G Power phone and it will power the Hifiman HE5xx or other full size headphones (close to max volume though).

Agreed on the Apple Dongle, surprisingly great value for the price there.

If not, I can vouch for the Qudelix 5K. It’s been my go-to for a while now when I’m on the move.

 

[PinkyPowers]

From my experience, yes, you need a DAP. My foray into audiophilia had me running a Dragonfly dongle from my phone, and it was a HUGE improvement. But I hated all the hassle of that setup, and I got my first DAP, a low budget one, too. Not only did it sound better than the Dragonfly, but freeing myself from the mess of the dongle was so nice.

Now a days, the only stack I'd even consider is with a Chord device, like the Mojo 2 or Hugo 2. You get far superior sound quality to even the best DAPs, plus, some of the best driving power, which only the most powerful DAPs can match.