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Best AMP DAC combo ~$400

post #1 of 5
6/26/11 at 3:37pm
Thread Starter 

I have Ultrasone Pro 750's, Beyerdynamic dt 770 Pro's 80 Ohm, and Panasonic HJE 900's, and am looking for a great AMP/DAC Setup for my Macbook Pro 17 inch (Newest version 2011).  I have a D4 Mamba that I use when I'm on the go.   so I am looking for a better setup for when I'm at the house or in the dorm that can really make my headphones shine in their full glory.  If it is portable as well, that would be a great plus, but I am not in need of it.  If anyone has some suggestions of a great setup that will be able to power my headphones and show me things I haven't heard before, then please let me know.  I am hoping to find a setup that is around $400 max, but hopefully cheaper.

 

Thanks in advance,
Fish3191

 

 

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post #2 of 5
6/26/11 at 5:42pm

What I would do is, get a second-hand Apogee Duet off the classifieds here ($350) as it has a decent headphone output, albeit not the best being that it is just Firewire bus-powered. Then, save up for a good amp and use the Duet as a DAC for it.

 

Second choice, if you want to save money would be the Audio-gd NFB-12. Same thing again -- use it as a DAC for a better amp down the line.

 

There are quite a few other DAC/amp combos out there, but as I have no experience with them, I wont comment on them.

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post #3 of 5
6/26/11 at 9:09pm

NFB-12

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post #4 of 5
6/26/11 at 11:27pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong View Post

There are quite a few other DAC/amp combos out there, but as I have no experience with them, I wont comment on them.



Quote:

Originally Posted by stockpimp007 View Post

NFB-12

 

And this is based on?

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post #5 of 5
6/27/11 at 2:25pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the replies.  I am still having a hard time trying to decide what to do.  So would getting an audio interface (apogee duet) really be the best idea.  I am using this mostly to listen to music and not make or mix anything, so why not get something that is same price but only focused on audio output.  Then again, I talked to some other people who said that they had used an apogee audio interface and it made them hear more than they ever had with their ultrasones.  So I still don't know what to do.  Also, If I were to get the apogee or another good dac and save for an amp to go alongside, what would be a good amp to go along with them that wouldn't make me go bankrupt?  Or is their something I can get right away that would just wow me.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Thanks again,

Fish3191

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