FX AUDIO DAC-X7 DSD256 USB HiFi Audio Decoder Headphone Amplifier Preap Amp DAC Silver

I purchased this along with the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250ohm headphones. The sound quality is excellent. I can definitely hear things in songs I haven't heard before. Crystal clear highs and punchy mids. The issue comes in with the low end. After using this combo at work for a couple weeks I found the headphones broke in nicely, but there was still far less bass than I thought there should be. For testing purposes I decided to plug them into my phone directly (I hadn't done this because I assumed the 250ohm meant the phone would barely push them). Sound quality definitely was not as good but there was actually MORE bass. To further this test I did the same amp/no amp with a random pair of Monster earbuds and Logitech G633 gaming headphones. Both of them sounded HORRIBLE when connected to the amp. Anemic bass and far less punchy mids. This makes me wonder if my DT770's could sound far better if connected to a different amp...Also I did test the amp with everything from 24/196 digital to straight 3.5mm from my phone and noticed that there was always some slight crackling, which to me sounded like clipping. I could not stop this from happening regardless of source volume or analog/digital. It would have gotten 4/5 on sound quality even with the lean bass if this crackling wasn't present. The discovery that it made any other headphones sound worse at any volume is why this gets the 2/5 overall.

Product was dead on arrival. Could not power-up.

Let me start off by saying (exactly what tons of other reviewers start off with, LOL) that i am by no means an audiophile, so all the spec mumbo jumbo is like another language to me, and to the audiophiles, i am so sorry but this is probably not the review for you. I'm sure I wont tell you anything that you don't already know by reading the specs, just wanted to say that in the beginning so no one wastes their time. At the moment, I have Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee cans (150 Ohm), from Massdrop, used mainly for gaming (COD BO4, Paladins, PUBG, Fortnite, Overwatch and Quake) and some listening to music of any and all genres. I will be receiving the AKG K712 Pros later today, so I will update my review in a week or so by adding my thoughts on that combo. I started with the Fiio E10K amp/dac because I don't know anything about amp/dacs, I just knew I wanted better and louder sound, so I went off of reviews for that purchase. The Fiio E10K just didn't do what I was looking for. Realistically, it just didn't improve the sound $75 worth is basically the conclusion i came to. So i returned that and took a huge gamble on this, since reviews were my way of deciding what i wanted to order. I cant tell you any audiophile lingo about this, but let me just say that i'm EXTREMELY satisfied with my purchase. I enjoy my headphones pretty loud, this amp/dac's volume goes up by 1's from 00-99, and i can't go any higher then about 75-80 before it actually becomes so loud that it's painful. Not only does it have all the power that i personally need and more, but the added quality to the sound is honestly mind-blowing to me. All i can say is just buy this thing, you literally have nothing to lose since Amazon is so amazing with returns. Give it a shot, I personally think it was worth every penny and i'm extremely happy with it, I just wanted more people to know, because this deserves WAY more reviews and exposure. I truly hope this has helped someone, and thank you for taking the time to read. Happy gaming/listening!!! :)