looking for a portable amp for my Audio Technica PRO-700MK2

[DeadWithoutWifi]

i am really enjoying my new headphones but i realized they sounded better while plugged in to my friends new iMac then my phone or pc, after some research i think its because the iMac has a built in amp or DAC, i know what a amp is for the most part but not a DAC, I'm new to to the audiophile world. so i am looking for a portable amp or amp/dac if thats what i need, the only requirements i have are a bass boost option and it be under 70$ USD, preferably lower. so far i am looking at the: FiiO E6, FiiO A3, Fiio E07K(bit expensive), and maybe the FiiO E10K if the mass drop goes through. i also like how with some amps you can turn on bass boost with a switch and not have to adjust it from a computer each time.(this is a observation, i could be completely wrong, i am here to learn) the reason i am posting here is because i don't exactly know what I'm looking for and need a more informed person then i am to give me some advice, also, i want to learn more about this kind of technology for future reference, thanks!

Also would anyone know the bust place to plug in my headset on my MSI Z97 Gaming 5 motherboard? (line out or front panel audio)

 

[RazerZ]

DAC= Digital to Analog converter. It takes digital data (0s and 1s) and converts it into an analog signal which you can hear. iDevices usually have a decent DAC so you should be good there.

From the specs it seems like they aren't hard to drive (low impedance, high sensitivity). Why do you want to buy an amp, is it only for the bass boost switch? Or can you not drive them to volume levels you want? Having a bass boost switch is nice but if you can't configure which frequencies are boosted the preset may not work well for your music or taste in audio.

As for your second question, try them both out and see for yourself It could go either way. The front panel might have issues like interference and too high of an output impedance. Damping factor is crucial and it is suggested to have your output impedance less than 1/8 of your headphone impedance.

 

[DeadWithoutWifi]

DAC= Digital to Analog converter. It takes digital data (0s and 1s) and converts it into an analog signal which you can hear. iDevices usually have a decent DAC so you should be good there.

From the specs it seems like they aren't hard to drive (low impedance, high sensitivity). Why do you want to buy an amp, is it only for the bass boost switch? Or can you not drive them to volume levels you want? Having a bass boost switch is nice but if you can't configure which frequencies are boosted the preset may not work well for your music or taste in audio.

As for your second question, try them both out and see for yourself It could go either way. The front panel might have issues like interference and too high of an output impedance. Damping factor is crucial and it is suggested to have your output impedance less than 1/8 of your headphone impedance.

Thanks! i guess i thought my phone/pc were bottlenecking my headphones in terms of performance, i had heard that a amp could help headphones reach their full potential by giving them more power (again i might just sound like an idiot right now/not knowing what I'm talking about so please correct me if I'm wrong) Thanks you for your advice, it looks like i might not need one. but if i continue to have any volume or bass problems maybe i will just pick up the FiiO E6 for cheap. Thoughts?

 

[RazerZ]

If they already have sufficient power buying an amp isn't the best choice. So... do you currently have a volume problem?

"Driving them to their max potential" is an overused term over at places like head-fi, which is a mixed bag in terms of quality information vs snake oil.

A good read:

http/nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/gain-and-headphone-ampsdacs.html