Reddit mentions of FiiO A3 Portable Headphone Amplifier (Black)

Here I have my current setup. The headphones are my Beyerdynamic Custom Studios, the DAC is an Audioengine D3, and the AMP is a Fiio A3 Portable Amp. The entire setup cost me $268, but as of now I believe the Custom Studios are discontinued, so you could replace the headphones with some alternatives in that price range (Audio Technica M40x/M50x or Philips SHP9500.) Anyways, here’s a review for everything.

Beyerdynamic Custom Studio (80 ohm)


Used to be $163, now they are [$250] (https://www.guitarcenter.com/Beyerdynamic/Custom-STUDIO-Headphones-1392652270585.gc)
I bought these headphones around July of 2017 as my first pair of “real” headphones. Initially, I was disappointed, but this was only because I was not used to the sound of these headphones at the time. After about a month of listening to them, I went back to compare them to some old Apple Earbuds and at first, I couldn’t believe the difference. Everything about these headphones was amazing. There’s a great amount of detail in them, the imaging is absolutely amazing, but soundstage is very narrow due to them being closed back headphones. As closed back headphones, they do a fantastic job of not allowing sound to leak about and making sure outside noise stays outside as long as the volume is higher. I use these at the library in my school when I write papers and never get complaints. I’ve tested them before by placing them on my friends’ heads and playing music at a loud volume, but nothing leaks out.


I found the comfort to be alright, but the fault was due to the velour. I really do not like velour as I find it to be very itchy, however, many other people praise the earpads, so it just comes down to preference. I instead replaced the pads with some [Brainwavs HM5 Sheepskin earpads] ( https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Sheepskin-Leather-Memory-Earpad/dp/B01J53KM32) and fell in love with the comfort. The pads increased bass a little and made them incredibly comfortable. I use a [V-Moda Boom Pro] ( https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Communication/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1524357476&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+boompro&dpID=41WfbQw%252Bp8L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch) with it when I game and these never become uncomfortable, even after playing for hours on end. The clamp on these is very strong, but I like it that way as it prevents them from falling off my head.


The unique thing about these headphones is that it has bass sliders on each cup, which allows you to adjust the bass from (Low bass, neutral, vibrant bass, and max bass.) I tend to keep it on neutral and the bass there is more than enough for me (and I love bass.) I use these for just about everything, including gaming and I never have any issues. I wear glasses and these are fine for anyone who may wear glasses.


After trying out different headphones at CanJam this year, I now know where these headphones can improve, but these still manage to keep up with everything else above its price range. You can run these off a phone and get some good volume, but I like music loud, so I use them with an amp at all times. Overall, I’m glad these are my first pair and I plan on keeping them as my closed back pair of headphones after I move on to more expensive headphones.


Audioengine D3 DAC+AMP


[$45 Refurbrished] (https://audioengineusa.com/shop/factory-refurbished/d3-24-bit-dacheadphone-amp-2/)
I bought the Audioengine D3 as the last piece of the puzzle in terms of headphones, amps, and dacs. It is a USB DAC that comes with a ¼ inch adapter and a sleeve to carry it. This is actually what motivated me to listen to music on my laptop as I used to listen to music on my phone. I really have no complaints about it. When it released, it was priced at $200 and was one of the few USB DACs that could compete with the Dragonfly DACs, and from what I’ve read online, a lot of reviewers actually prefer the D3. I saw it on Massdrop a month back for $70ish and wanted it, but I wanted to read reviews about it first. That’s where I found that you can get it for $45 straight out of their website with free shipping included. There really is no reason to look for another DAC when this one is available for such a steal. There is no kind of sound when music is not playing and it is driverless, meaning you can just plug it in to your computer and it’s ready to go. One thing to note is that it gets really hot, but it isn’t a problem, so long as you keep your fingers off of it. I felt like I noticed an improvement in songs, but it could just be a placebo (A B test your gear and see if you can notice a difference.) However, I really like having it around and I don’t listen to anything on my laptop without it.


Fiio A3 AMP


[$59.99] (https://www.amazon.com/A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA)
I bought the Fiio A3 when I bought my headphones because I read that an amp was almost required for anything at 80 ohms and higher. Since then, I’ve loved this little beast of an amp. It has a low and high gain switch to control volume (I keep it on high gain when connected to my phone and low gain when connected to the D3.) It also has a bass boost switch which I really like when I feel like being basshead (The bass boost here + max bass setting on the Custom Studios = Madness.) It has a life of about 16 hours before needing to recharge and it has a blue led that blinks when it needs to charge. It makes headphones very loud very fast. It is also built like a tank. I tried carrying it around in my pocket when I walked on campus and it slipped out. It only took a cosmetic hit, but in terms of functionality, it is untouched.


The only reason I still use it is because I like being able to control audio through a knob as opposed to a digital slider. The only annoying thing about it is that it has a hissing noise when the knob is turned up without any music playing, but when music starts to play, the hiss disappears. Overall, I absolutely recommend this amp if you want something to start with as it will do nothing but impress you every time.


This is my setup and being a broke college kid, I could not be happier. In terms of the things that this sub shows off, I find this to be a very budget friendly setup. Even when I upgrade everything, I still plan on keeping it as I do not want to forget where I started in terms of this hobby. For anyone that may be wanting to jump into the world of audio, I absolutely recommend these products as places to start. I’ve provided straight links for anyone that may want to check out the products.

I had to create this exact setup for my mom and dad. My mother is hard of hearing as well. You can plug a headset into the RCA red and white "Audio Out" jacks in the back of the television (you'll need a 3.5 mm to RCA adapter). Then I bought a mini amplifier so the headset has its own volume control. The setup works well for us.



Hope this helps!



*Edit: This is what I get for not completely reading your post before replying. I just read the part about the TV only having a digital audio out. Sorry!

This is $55. This and this are even cheaper with good reviews but I personally know nothing about it. That is, assuming other things don't work better.

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA

I picked this up and it works great! Just remember when you amp your output, you'll amp the noise from the OP-1 as well. The OP-1 has a fairly high noise floor. Noticed that when using it as output to a larger speaker for a quick mix. Fortunately, you usually use the amp for headphones so only you hear the noise when using it.

https://www.amazon.com/A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1525201388&sr=8-14&keywords=headphone+amp

Fiio A3

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00Z9BIODA

If you're trying to keep things as cheap as possible but still good then look at the fiio a3. It's literally a no frills portable amp that does it's job.

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1506482493&sr=1-6&keywords=portable+amp

You might want to try going with headphones that have low impedance (around 32 ohms) but with a portable amplifier to really make it loud. Maybe something like the [Fiio A3] (http://smile.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451097615&sr=8-2&keywords=portable+headphone+amplifier) with the ATH m50s. I don't know how much your hearing aids stick out from your ears but these are around ear headphones so I'm guessing it will be fine unless you need more than a couple centimeters. The headphones by themselves are too loud for me at 25% volume on my computer so if you decide to go with this I would buy the headphones by themselves first then see if you need the amp. Good luck!

Ok so here we are.. is this build for gaming, I am assuming so since it's for the Sennheiser gaming headset.. that being said.. The FiiO A3 is perfect for you... It is $60 though.. it is the portable one, the only difference from what I can tell is the E10K I originally linked you has DAC as well, and the A3 does not.. If you don't need the DAC for music, then go with the A3. Also, the A3 is a slightly more powerful amp. Would drive the PC350SE better.

Nothing too special.

The Fiio A3

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z9BIODA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Awesome thank you.

As for the weak monitoring output, would something like this work to boost the again once it has left the 2i2?

Hey guys. I am hoping someone can help me. I really want to get into this seriously. Music has always been a sort of therapy and a joy to me.

I own two pairs of headphones. A pair of Sennheiser Momentum's (1) that I bought last November. Yesterday I acquired a pair of Sennheiser HD 558's.

I don't own any equipment. I listen to music primarily on Spotify on my iPhone 6 Plus. I pay for premium so I have high quality streaming. I don't have a soundcard in my PC. My motherboard is an MSI Z97-G45. I don't own a DAC. I don't own an amp. These are things I feel I should acquire in order to get the full potential out of the HD 558's and any future headphones I purchase.

My budget isn't the greatest at the moment as I recently graduated university and am still job-hunting. Maybe $200-250 max. This is in Canadian dollars.

Since I listen to music primarily on my iPhone 6 Plus, I've read that I should look into a portable amp. I found these researching various subs: http://www.headphonebar.com/fiio-e17k-alpen2/

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=21FA2IXOU9YOM&coliid=IXWD9CRQCUFT0&psc=1

But I'd need to buy a lightening to USB Camera adapter for the E17K and even then I read it may not work. Some advice would be great because I just need a starting point right now and maybe some Canadian based online retailers I can buy from. If possible, I'd like to acquire an amp to use with my phone and eventually I will pick up some equipment for my PC.

Thank you in advance. I realize this is a loaded post.

Do you think this amp would be good enough? I need to buy the amp from amazon

Hey all.

Looking for some good quality inner sleeves for my records. What are some good quality inner sleeves that I can get from Amazon.uk? A part of my soul dies everytime I have to remove a record from a carton/paper sleeve. Some of my records (Foo Fighters, Slayer) come with poly-lined anti static sleeves (is that what they're called?) and I'm eternally grateful for them.

Also another question, is this an alright headphone amp? I'm looking for something super simple for my ATH-M50x headphones. I love listening to records through headphones but the volume is sometimes just a tad bit low. Thanks!

Battery powered amp. aka portable amp.

Fiio A3 is popular for its affordability but you can do better. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=psdc_13880161_t3_B0757MH46M?th=1

iPhone 6 outputs 6.6mW @ 150 Ohm impedance load. That equals ~1Vrms and can drive the DT770 80 Ohm to a sound pressure level of 106.88dB....that's not great and definitely not acceptable if you have really high demands.

For casually listening to pop music or any loudly mastered stuff it is O.K. Not great, but good enough to not complain.

If you really want to get the best out of the headphones you should consider buying a portable amplifier like the FiiO A3

That amp would drive the DT770 to 116db SPL.

>I plan to use them mainly with my computer and sometimes my phone.

If you're going to use it sometimes on your phone then choose the 32 ohms.

It will be significantly easier to drive out of the box, no dac/amp required.

However, throwing in even a small inexpensive but quality dac/amp will significantly improve sound especially on the lower bass end.

• http://www.schiit.com/products/fulla-1
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1543455349&sr=1-12&keywords=fiio
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E17K-ALPEN-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00RPD7KP8/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1543455373&sr=1-19&keywords=fiio
  
  
• And if you're a mac person

what can you tell me about the FiiO A3: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-.u0CbX5AGR9B

the reviews seem good but the bad reviews are bad and the price makes me suspicious.

i’m also not sure how i should go about taking the sensitivity and resistance of my headphones into account

The DT770 pro 250 ohm have a sensitivity of 100.43 dB/V

I got mine a while back, older model but newest cost less anyway:

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones (OLD MODEL) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tN0XBbWY6A8WB

I had an older amp but this is the same brand and looks like it’s updated too:

FiiO A3 Portable Headphone Amplifier (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wW0XBbKBVZK2S

If you’re using an iPhone, I recommend you connect your phone to your dongle, run an audio cable to the amp, then plug your headphones to the “out” jack, and when you turn up your music, it’s like a ridiculously high end system in your ears. Low low bass, excellent highs, pretty amazing.

Im not familiar with the options in Italy but the most popular low cost headphone amp around here is the Shiit Mangi 3. It will be closer to 80 eur new though. You could even use a mobile headphone amp like the Fiio A3. You would just need an RCA to 3.5mm cable. There are cheaper options as well, just google headphone amp and look at the reviews. Some may require an adapter to work but those are typically cheap.

The other option is any used stereo amp/receiver. You just wouldn't make use of the speaker outputs (yet) is all.

This one gets recommended quite a lot at that price range:

https://www.amazon.com/A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA

FiiO A3 - $49.99

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=fiio%2Ba3&qid=1566682827&s=gateway&sprefix=Fiio%2Ba3&sr=8-6&th=1&psc=1

FiiO BTR3 - $69.99

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-BTR3-Bluetooth-Receiver-Portable/dp/B07FVN14FH/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=fiio%2Bbtr3&qid=1566682953&s=gateway&sprefix=fiio%2Bbt&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A1FRAG12EMPNNU&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFKQk5LNzczVEFSUlkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyNzU0MzYxOFJWVVlHT1oxMlBTJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5NjI2NDczSkZCSkVBNkVBREtTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless Codex Edition- $337.99 (But if you don't need wireless, save some dollars and get the M-100 or maybe the newer M-100 Masters)

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Wireless-Codex-Qualcomm/dp/B07DMMXC9L/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=vmoda+crossfade+2+wireless+codex+edition&qid=1566683030&s=gateway&sprefix=vmoda+crossfade&sr=8-3

Im talking about [the fiio e11k] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/FiiO-A3-portable-amplifier-headphones-black/dp/B00Z9BIODA) and the Soundmagic HP150.