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For Fidelio X3, is FiiO KA1 DAC enough? (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by Fantastic_Mirror_944@alien.top to c/headphones@hi-fi.community

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Basically the title. I never had and amp in my life, Fidelio X3 are my first "good" phones. I wanted to know if I should buy that DAC, or other or none. Also, what am I expected to happen? Just louder music? Or some corrections (I say it and it sounds stupid because in no way it can understand what the headphones are like)? It is a portable DAC means that if using in a phone, it drains the battery a bit faster right? Same for a laptop I suppose, but if plugged in it has no impact. Also, how does it deliver the power? Is there a way to control it? Or automatic? I read about the rule of eigh, but it doesn't show anything to regulate.

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[–] Fantastic_Mirror_944@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's what I don't understand, does it mean the phone buttons, or the laptop slider? If so, I have no control on what the DAC does, it is just a static amplifier, or is it linear - the higher I set the volume in my phone, the more the amplifier will boost (Making it almost increasing by factor of 2 for each level I increase the sound)

[–] blargh4@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well the DAC doesn't "boost" anything, it takes a digital 1's and 0s and creates an analog signal from that.

I'm not an expert on the finer points of USB audio, but presumably when you twiddle the volume knob on your phone or laptop, it writes to a volume register in the DAC chip, which sets the amplitude of the output accordingly.

[–] Fantastic_Mirror_944@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

So I need a DAC and an Amplifier? Is there dongle with both?