Best Amp for $100

I am in exact same boat. I have M50 and plan on getting K701 in the future. Good amp for these?

I've read wonderful reviews about that, which said it outperforms its price point.  But, you have to have a computer (or some sort of streamer) as a usb source.  Is that your source?  It's really a DAC with an amp as an added bonus.
 

For $100, I'd go with either a used receiver or DIY. It can be difficult to get the raw parts for just $100, let alone allow for labor, overhead, taxes, and a little profit. DIY shifts the labor to you and vintage receivers cost more than $100 to build, but are fully depreciated today.

 I have a uDAC and it works OK as an amp, but it is not my preference to use it as such. I had it about 5 days alone while my amp was in transit to me, and I struggled trying to find a sound I liked by using EQ in Foobar2000 to my Senn 580s. I think it sounds better than onboard sound from a motherboard, but I preferred the sound out of my $150 surround receiver's headphone out fed by a X-fi Xtrememusic sound card via coax SPDIF.

 The good thing is if you DO go the route of using the uDAC as an amp now, you can always use it just a a DAC later on. That's how my setup is at the moment, and I like it much better in that role. Please know that there are many folks here that find the uDAC acceptable as an amp, but this is just MY experience with it first hand.

there is no good amp for k701 for $100.
 

For that budget, I would either use a reciver or something like a total bithead (under $100 used) or uDac. There are not really any desktop amps you can buy for $100, so it's reciever or portable. Personally reciever is my choice because I've got quite good sound from my parents' el-cheapo unit and various headphones.

Musiland Monitor 01 US. It has quite a decent DAC and a reliable built in amp for driving lower impedance phones. Only $75 at e-bay, not bad at all. It also has toslink connection, which can come real handy.
 

For $100, I have not heard a good amp though they may exist out there. But I do know you can get a vintage reciever from the 70s for around $100 and it will probably have an excellent headphone jack.

 

I own an early 70s Marantz receiver and although I did pay more than $100 for it, the headophone jack is great. Those old recievers can be a killer bargain and be a great choice for budget audiophiles as long as it's in good condition.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rambusanna  
" I am in exact same boat. I have M50 and plan on getting K701 in the future. Good amp for these?"

The cheapest amp I've heard that can reasonably power the K-70x is the Millet SSH Tube amp. They regularly go for a good deal under $150. It's a DIY amp that can be purchased and assembled by your own capable hands. Not my (un)capable hands though. I bought mine from a fellow Head-Fi'er. LoL

The company is currently at risk of going bankrupt, but the AV123 X-Head ($79 shipped) is one amp that will power your K701 headphones. Here's a review of it by Tone Audio.

 

The first version of the amp had some hissing issues, but that has since been fixed (I have a rev. B of it).

The Zero DAC costs around 100 $. I got the one from my sig for 80 € (well, I'm still awaiting its arrival).

It's my first amp so I really don't know what to expect. Is it good for 100 $?