I recently copped a pair of HD600s for mixing purposes and I’ve been reading all this stuff about needing an amp. Not very familiar with the “audiophile” world, having an interface has usually been enough for my needs prior to this point.
I have a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 3rd Gen. I can get sufficient volume at the knob being turned to about 3/4 up and everything sounds fine, or to my expectation. The headphones also seem to sound okay through my phone, although it does feel like maybe something is lacking in terms of sonic energy.
What has me hung up though is that when I tried the headphones at the store I got them from, he initially had them plugged into a FiiO K9 Pro ESS, and it sounded really good, couldn’t believe some of the stuff I was hearing in music I’ve been listening to for years.
I then tried the FiiO K7 and it sounded significantly worse. Less clear, and as if there was less low end and less spaciousness. I trust my judgement on this and I’m fairly certain it wasn’t placebo.
I can’t really compare if my Scarlett sounds equal to, better or worse than the K7, but I feel as if it doesn’t sound as good as the k9 pro ESS.
Now I’m not made of money, and the k9 is like 1.3 grand where I live.
What I’m looking for is an accurate uncoloured representation of sound.
Do I really need to get a good preamp for my purposes or am I alright with my Scarlett?