We used to have earbuds that don't need to be charged because they had a headphone jack, didn't get lost so easily because they had a cord attached to a headphone jack, never lost the bluetooth connection because they had a headphone jack, and they cost less because they had a headphone jack. https://bsky.app/profile/daisyfm.bsky.social/post/3l3mfjc6sn62k
Look I am not trying to rain on your parade but I really really reallyyyyy dont want other people to get lost or confused by this misinformation. I really am not trying to be antagonistic here I just feel very strongly about how science is being misrepresented in the realm of audio engineering.
DACs are a solved problem in terms of amplifying music to normal listening levels for a normal pair of headphones.
let me repeat that in a different way
DACs are a commodity, they are like bic pens, pens used to be this difficult thing to produce quality versions of for cheap at a mass scale... and then someone invented the bic pen and now it is trivial.... we are at that point with DACs and a lot of people are weirdly uncomfortable with that and want there to be different flavors of DACs and shit.... but it is a lie people tell themselves because the reality in 2024 is boring with DACs.... but also inspiring because hey basically any DAC you get your hands on is going to be of arbitrary quality.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733-19.html
Yes if you get a fancy pair of headphones with really high impedance that needs to be driven by an extra powerful DAC ok... but that is NOT the overwhelming majority of headphones. Crucially it isn't that nicer DACs have "more warmth" or other nonsense, it is a question of HOW MUCH amplification a DAC can do before distortion begins, which means a less powerful DAC driving normal headphones at a normal level is never going to encounter conditions where it would differ in performance from a $3000 DAC hooked up to the same headphones.
To put as many nails into this coffin as possible let me also be clear, there are plenty of audiophile level headphones with very reasonable impedance values that can be driven by any random DAC in any random computer or phone in a fashion that is indistinguishable in blind A/B listening tests even with experts from the way an expensive DAC would drive those headphones.
Please stop pushing pseudosicence that is effectively trying to make listening to music into this exclusive thing where you are only getting the "real" listening experience if you have a signal chain full of psuedo scientific gear that costs hundreds if not thousands of extra dollars and yet doesnt make a difference that can actually be sensed by the human ear because the difference is imperceptible or not even perceivable by the human ear at a basic level in the first place.
People are broke as shit right now, they are struggling hard, please don't encourage people to spend the precious little spending money they actually have on DACs that are marketed on effectively psuedosciencific differences (again in terms of what YOU can actually perceive as a human).
Spend money on nice headphones, on a nice neck pillow for your head while you listen, whatever just spend your money on anything else about the music listening experience other than an expensive DAC, PLEASE as an audio engineer I beg you.
If you really feel the need to buy a DAC, hell just buy the base level audio interface from Native Instruments or another trusted brand, those are DESIGNED for musicians and yes you are getting a bunch of hardware you dont need in that box too (like audio recording hardware and inputs) but even still it is going to run you far less than some of these "boutique audiophile DACs".
Agreed with the not needing to spend the money. I just got a DAC with the same brands amp, and it's great. Is it that much better than the audio interface option? Probably not, but I haven't done a blind comparison. I just am happy with the sound, and it didn't cost 1000s of dollars (was a few hundred I think, but again. I was comfortable spending the money).
But yes, as you mentioned, don't buy a DAC or DAC/amp if you can't easily spend the money on one. Good headphones will make the most difference (at least I think, I'm not an audio engineer). Don't spend more than you can afford to. Audio quality isn't worth it.
Get nice headphones, I dont know good in ear headphone models to recommend off the top of my head but for over the ear headphones a used/refurbished sony XM3 or XM4 is a FANTASTIC way to spend $80-$160 on your love of music listening and nice comfy all day wear bluetooth headphones like these will pay for themselves after only a couple miserable airplane flights or travel trips involving loud public spaces you have to take.
As much as I just shit on "boutique" DACs for being all the same basically, there definitely very real differences in headphones between the bottom of the headphone market, branded "cool" headphones like beats and ACTUAL music enthusiast headphones like headphones from Audiotechnica or nicer Sonys or gestures at overwhelming number of options.
Just make sure the headphones you get are "efficient", as in the decibels in volume they put out vs how much energy is put into them by the DAC/amplifier is a big ratio, that means your run of the mill DAC will be able to amplify your headphones to as loud as you want with audiophile quality :) .
If you want just that little bit more of audio quality in your bluetooth headphones (with not quite as good noise cancelling as Sonys) go for the Shure Aonic 50s. Damn they reallly really sound wonderful are very comfortable to wear for hours and hours.
Both models of headphones I mentioned have 1/8th inch headphone jacks and can be used without bluetooth, which in my opinion is a baselevel requirement for nice bluetooth headphones if JUST for the fact that it demonstrates more than anything else that the headphone manufacturer actually gives a shit about audio quality. I also dont trust bluetooth not to randomly shit the bed too lol (also like come on, how much does it cost to put a freakin headphone jack in a device these days, they are a literal commodity, it is always worth the couple extra cents in my opinion).
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely use this when buying some in-ear ones. I'm just using some open back Sennheiser ones for work with the DAC/amp. I like them.