Talk me out of the Boomslang

I'm in the process of setting up my first portable rig, but I'm at the first of many crossroads.  Right now I have is some JH5 headphones with a balanced cable (both on order), a 160 GB iPod, a 2008 Macbook Pro and a RSA 71B.  Some would say that's plenty already, of course.  But why stop there when you can have more??

I'm still struggling between an LCD-2 and a HE-500 for over-the-ear headphones, but I'll table that issue for now.  In the meantime what I really want to add is a portable DAC.  The Cypher Labs will eventually be added, but regrettably it can only be used with the iPod so it's of no use when I want to listen to music on my laptop on the road (yes, I have more than 160 GBs of music that I like to listen to).  It also doesn't have a balanced out, although I'm still not convinced I need one (more on that later).

So with the above in mind, I started considering adding another portable DAC like the HRT MSII+ or the Dacport LX.  I have no desire to add a DAC/AMP combo given my RSA, so my options are rather limited.  In doing some research, I quickly came across the iBasso Boomslang 1 and 2.  The 2 was particularly intriguing.  It has quality Wolfson Dacs (on par with the Solo?), a rechargeable battery, multiple digital inputs (I'd likely use the optical with my Macbook), handles hi-rez files (which, to date, I have none), and offers BOTH balanced and single ended connections.  All for a price lower than either of the other options I was previously considering.

So back to my title for this thread, is there something that I'm missing here, or is the ibasso really my best option?  Some additional questions to consider:

-Is the ibasso dac of equal or better quality than the HRTII+ or the Dacport?

-Will going line out from an iPod + Solo chain to the ibasso to take advantage of the balanced feature do that much more than add heft and weight to my portable rig?

-Is the ibasso dac of equal or better quality than the Solo's?

-Is there a big difference between the Boomslang 1 and 2?

-Does the ibasso Boomslang 1 make better sense if I run everything balanced and have no hirez files to play?

-Am I too long winded and asking too many questions?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!

David

Jalo,

Thanks for the (honest) reply.  Being succinct is obviously a skill I have yet to master..

Adding the iBasso into my portable rig is tempting for the very same reasons you raise,  And it sounds like you think the Boomslang 1 is the better bargain. Since I honestly don't see myself getting into hirez downloads or spending the time recording all my vinyl at 24/96, I'm starting to think you're right.  Bottom line, though, is SQ.  I'm still struggling to find much in terms of comparing either version to the Dacport or the HRT MSII+.  One article (I think in headphonia) semed to like the Boomslang the best, but there just isn't much out there. Unless someone else has some thougts, I guess I'll keep digging.

Thanks again,

D