Question mp3 player or amp for headphones ?

[moodysky]

Hi everyone


The jack input of my Fiio Mark 3 being broken, I've been thinking about buying a new player (Sony NW A105 or Hiby R3 Pro Saber), but after reading different articles (some of them contradictory) I'm now wondering about the usefulness of a headphone amp (this one actually : https://www.son-video.com/article/h...t-reseau-dac-audio-portables/fiio/ka1-tc-noir).

I'm ignorant about all that stuff so I have some questions :


Is it wiser to simply buy a new player OR to use this amp with my Fiio X3, which would solve the jack input problem ?


This second solution would be better budget-wise, though I'm not sure I understand the role of the headphone amp here : the sound I'd get using the Fiio X3 and the amp ; would it be the result of the amp sound treatment only or would I also get the treatment (and the quality) of the Fiio X3 ? Or the Fiio would no longer play a role regarding the audio quality?


And if the headphone amp is the only responsible for quality, why not just buying an amp that you'd plug into anything (smartphone, etc) without worrying about the quality of the player ?

I hope I've been clear in my questions. Thanks a lot for your help guys !

 

[hang-the-9]

Not sure what you mean by the "jack input is broken" are you talking about the headphone jack or the USB port? The headphone jacks are outputs, and the X3 MK III has two of them, a 3.5mm and a 2.5 mm balanced. You may be able to get a 2.5mm headphone or adapter if the 3.5mm jack is bad.

If you need a headphone amp would depend on the headphones you are using.

 

[moodysky]

Yes, I was talking about the MP3 3.5 mm output! It is what is broken. I'm sorry my english is not very good.
I hadn't thought about getting an adapter for my headphone and using the 2.5mm balanced output. Are you sure it would work ? Wouldn't it damage my headphone ? (which is an ATH-M50 btw)

 

[hang-the-9]

Yes, I was talking about the MP3 3.5 mm output! It is what is broken. I'm sorry my english is not very good.
I hadn't thought about getting an adapter for my headphone and using the 2.5mm balanced output. Are you sure it would work ? Wouldn't it damage my headphone ? (which is an ATH-M50 btw)

I have not been able to figure out if there is a good 2.5 mm balanced to 3.5 mm unbalanced adapter, you may want to check with fiio support.