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leftlanespawncamper t1_je7g6v4 wrote

So, much like mech keyboards, the joy of headphones is in finding what hits your subjectives. Are you a basshead? Treble junkie? Audiophile flat neutral killjoy? Do you prefer intimate sound or the widest soundscape you can find? Something that you can wear about town or only when you're sitting at your climate-controlled listening station?

Koss Portapros are an easy recommendation, provided you find them on sale. For $30 they're amazing. For $50, I'd pass. They get even better with some aftermarket pads on them (Yaxi pads are like $12).

If you're more into IEMs, you're flat spoiled by choice, and there's a new hotness cheap IEM about every four months. Most recently that's the Salnotes Zero and Truthear Hola, previously it was the Moondrop Chu. The BLON BL-03 used to be a big rec, and they're great provided you can get the bastards to seal (you pretty much need aftermarket tips). I've been eyeballing the Truthear Zero, though the last thing I need is yet another pair of cheap IEMs. The Moondrop Aria are a solid recommendation that stays under $100.

The great thing about IEMs is you don't have to think about amplification. Just get an apple dongle (or equivalent) and go.

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eaterofthesoil t1_je7wrki wrote

can i use apple dongle with lightning to micro usb adapter? would making this affect the performance?

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leftlanespawncamper t1_je88ivn wrote

You probably could, but if you've got micro-usb, then the apple dongle probably isn't your huckleberry. If you have a headphone jack, I'd just rock that for now, and if you don't, I'd see what the Android folk suggest.

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daddyyeslegs t1_je8ikwx wrote

Are there phones with micro USB without an audio jack? I thought USB-C was standard by the time everyone started copying (the worst) parts of apple.

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eaterofthesoil t1_je9519n wrote

wait i was just thinking that apple dongle is a DAC, and if i use apple dongle instead of my embedded one, it would improve the sound quality.

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leftlanespawncamper t1_jebizps wrote

It's actually a full-on DAC/amp in an itty-bitty dongle package. It almost certainly will send a cleaner signal, which you'll hear as a lower noise floor.

Just getting into the hobby, though? It's not a place I'd put money. I think if you had a $100 budget, you'd be better off with a set of $80 Arias plugged straight into your phone's headphone jack than a set of $20 Holas plugged into a $80 portable dac/amp. Where hardware is concerned, the closer to your ears the more important it is.

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