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Help my friend build a system around his D2000s? $800 total for an amp and DAC.

post #1 of 27
9/14/09 at 11:56pm
Thread Starter 
My friend is about to get some Denon AH-D2000s and he's looking to build a system around them. He is eventually going to get them turned into LA2000 'lite's.

He is looking at spending maybe $700-800 for the amp and DAC. He needs the DAC to have a USB input. What do you guys recommend? I've tried looking this up but I get a million answers, very little explanation and I'm never sure if things have changed since the question was last asked.

So, with that said, what solid state amps match up well with Denons and what's a good DAC to fit into that budget?
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post #2 of 27
9/15/09 at 12:41am
What is he using a cd player, ipod, computer? That info can make a difference.
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post #3 of 27
9/15/09 at 12:48am
Thread Starter 
Oh, I can't believe I forgot that. Laptop, USB.
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post #4 of 27
9/15/09 at 12:52am
How about a pico usb dac/amp for $500. It has recieved very good reviews around here.
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post #5 of 27
9/15/09 at 1:01am
Thread Starter 
He's looking for a full-size setup. Oh, and if anything can be bought used that's good too.
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post #6 of 27
9/15/09 at 1:06am
You might be able to pull off a used lavery 10 or 11 for that price. Thats going to be hard to beat.
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post #7 of 27
9/15/09 at 1:31am
Has your friend considered a used Benchmark DAC1 USB? I just got the non-USB DAC1 and think it is at the very least an extremely solid piece of gear. I haven't played my D2000 on it yet, because my HD 650 has been hogging the airtime. I clearly never really heard my HD 650 before. My K 702 sounds somewhat brittle and thin on it though, I would note as an aside. Just a thought.
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post #8 of 27
9/15/09 at 7:18pm
Thread Starter 
Bump for more ideas/etc.?
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post #9 of 27
9/15/09 at 7:22pm
The Pico sounded super good with the D2000's. They do well with an amp, but its not like they need the power that the Higher-end Senns and AKG headphones need. I would seriously still consider the Pico.
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post #10 of 27
9/15/09 at 7:25pm
Apogee Mini-DAC. Great headamp, great DAC all-in-one. All models have optical and coaxial inputs, some also have USB or firewire.
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post #11 of 27
9/19/09 at 2:57pm
Thread Starter 
Bump for more help.
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post #12 of 27
9/19/09 at 3:39pm
try a used grade m902, benchmark usb, or lavry 10/11 the last being a TRUE audiophile engineer and makes completely flat gears.
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post #13 of 27
9/19/09 at 4:15pm
I'll second the dac1 rec - the d2000 don't take much to drive contrary to some opinions.
Also, the EMU 0404 is pretty close to the DAC1 and company although I would be hesitant to use the built in headphone amp. You could pair it with a good transparent ss amp like an m3 or gs1 for perfectly flat FR.
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post #14 of 27
9/19/09 at 7:46pm
Any chance you and your friend can attend a mini-meet? Dropping $800 w/o listening to the gear is a major gamble IMO. Unless it can be returned.
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post #15 of 27
9/19/09 at 10:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrarroyo View Post
Any chance you and your friend can attend a mini-meet? Dropping $800 w/o listening to the gear is a major gamble IMO. Unless it can be returned.
No chance, really. He has school all week and works both days every weekend, and beside that, I don't know of any mini meets happening any time soon.

He could always sell or trade it if it doesn't work out, though.

So yeah, it is a gamble, I just want to try to improve the chances by asking here for some recommendations.
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