Well worth it, IMO. I only use the remote with mine; I'd say there are no settings that can't be accessed without it. Also, it's a top notch remote; it controls the motorized volume pot very well.

Funny, that's the exact unit I bought for my son on his birthday two years ago. It's well built and he's had no issues with it. Should be a good fit.

I would look at the DX3 PRO+ instead of the DX3 PRO. It should give around 800mw which is more than enough in my experience and several times more than your current amp can deliver. My 2C sounds great from my Pathos Aurium which, ironically, is providing around 800mw based on the manufacturer...

The 2C can take up to 5W RMS according to the Audeze specs.

With the recommended power level at >250mW, you shouldn't have to spend too much to get an upgrade. If you're listening from the 6.3mm SE out, it looks like you're getting at least 100mW (which is at or above the minimum power requirement). If you're happy with the DAC section of the unit, you...

My headband was starting to 'flake away' so I went with the Dekoni 'Choice Suede Replacement Headband for Beyerdynamic Headphones'. It fits nicely over the stock headband and has a plush feel to it.

The best pairing for me is with my Pathos Aurium (with Sbooster power supply). Sounds much better than my Aune X7S (balanced) and my Marantz HD-DAC1 (single-ended).

Low gain all the way; specs for that amp say 6W RMS per channel @32 Ohms for the single-ended out.

Same here, the clicking is happening inside the unit when it locks into a new signal (USB only). I should also say that this has never been an issue for me and I've had the unit for several years.

Around one year in with my Atticus. Loving it with a Norne Drausk Lite cable and the Pathos Aurium headphone amp with SBooster power supply (surprisingly big upgrade).

I own a Nighthawk and it sounds best to me on my AUNE X7s with a balanced cable (this amp has high output impedance but still plays well with the NH). A good but affordable desktop combo, IMO, would be the AUNE X8 Magic DAC plus the AUNE X7s Amp. I own the upgraded XP3 power supply for X7s as well.

I like the looks of the Cayin iDAC-6MK2 (https://en.cayin.cn/products_info?itemid=121). It's very hard to find a DAC at this price point that supports features like I²S and AES/EBU inputs. Would be a great DAC to build a desktop system around, IMO.

Which SMSL amp are you considering?

Just passed the one year mark with my 2C's and I have nothing but good things to say about them. IMO, no need for EQ as I'm not sure what I'd be trying to fix.

Also remember that an under-powered headphone tends to sound bright, thin and lacking in bass. So any planar connected straight to a Macbook cannot be expected to sound very good.