Best sub-$300 Solid-State Amplifier from a US based dealer?

Want to have a go at my first headphone amp but not 100% convinced that I will hear a big difference in sound compared to my Onkyo TX-SR805. And being a bit if a skeptic, I want to buy it from a place that has some kind of money back guarantee in case I don't like.  I'm getting an A/B switch to make sure the difference in quality is real.

Must be solid-state; i don't want that tube sound. Originally, I was going to go with the Matrix M-Stage, but they're China based. Also looking at the Maverick A1.

Any recommendations? will mainly be using it with my AKG K702. Thanks in advance.

Thanks, I will check out the Asgard. I will be using PC primarily as my source playing FLAC and various quality MP3s through a Auzentech Prelude X-fi 7.1 sound card (AK4396 DAC, using analog outputs)

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equus 

Heard the Asgard at a meet...seemed like a solid (no pun intended) amp for the price.  Maybe also see if there's anyone in your area or a meet happening to try a bunch of stuff.  I have an Onkyo TX-SR607 and can hear the difference, even with my portables versus the headphone jack on the receiver, but I'm not sure if the headphone stage is different since you have a model that's a few steps up.

 

What are you using as a source to your receiver and to your to-be-identified test amp?

The Prelude x-fi card is made for stereo sound as well as surround sound, as it has replaceable opamps for just the right and left channels. As a DAC, i think it is capable one and is better than the DAC on any mainstream soundcard next to a Sonar Essence and is supposedly better than the PCM1796 burr brown DAC found on my Onkyo 805. I use the soundcard in stereo mode when listening to music through headphones and using the 7.1 mainly for gaming.

I figure that an ampflier would make the most noticeable difference, so I'm going spend my money towards that first to see how it goes; that way I don't have to compromise with dac/amp combo. If I like the difference and become a believer, then i will be more inclined to spend money on a DAC to compliment it.
 

When i get my A/B switch, i will compare my Onkyo 805 DAC to my Prelude X-fi DAC, and then when i get the amp, I will compare it against my Onkyo 805, Pros vs Joes style
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equus 

You're welcome.  For music and audio purposes, you might also want to think about trying out a DAC to see if that makes any difference.  Some people swear by 2-channel stereo for their music, and a lot of HT receivers and sound cards used in the mass market today may not be optimized for that, since surround sound and effects is usually what they cater toward.  Granted, this is a little farther down the road of things, but just saying.

 

Have fun on the experiment.  Let us know what you hear. 

Figured out how to make Foobar2000 output spdif out and speaker output simultaneously through ASIO4ALL, so should make it easier  comparing soundcard DAC vs external DACs using an A/B switch to the headphones.