DAC under $250 to go with Schiit Asgard and Denon AH-D7000?

Fiio e10 is decent, but if I were you, I'd save for a bifrost.

You don't need the power the Asgard has for your Denons. If it doesn't have a high output impedance, current limiting, or a gain switch, you'll have the volume knob turned so low channel balance issues will be almost guaranteed.

You could give the Yulong D100 a try. The amp probably isn't as powerful but appears to be much more linear than the Asgard given Schiit's published THD (not something you should judge alone, but it's all the info I have). The DAC is top-notch. Output impedance is near 0. The design itself is based on the solid Benchmark DAC1. Build quality's not going to be the best, but considering the value it's something I'd put up with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos 

I thought the Yulong D100 were really powerful, I remember them saying it puts out 900 mw at 30 ohms

Like I said, unless the Asgard has current limiting, a gain switch, or high output impedance, it's going to be even more over-powered. It claims 20V P-P, which is about 7Vrms. 7Vrms into 32 ohms is about 1600mW. Into 25 ohms it's about 2W, which is enough to blow your drivers if you turned it all the way up (not to mention your ear drums!) It's possible it has any one or more of the things I've listed. High output impedance would be objectively bad. I don't believe it has a gain switch. It might not have current limiting because Schiit likes to advertise their amps as ideal for the new planar headphones, which are low impedance but much lower sensitivity. They even claim 

The Yulong D100 has low output impedance. It limits power to low impedance headphones through what's probably current limiting. It also has two headphone jacks, one for low impedance high sensitivity headphones (like yours) and one for harder-to-drive headphones. That probably works as a gain switch.

Simply put, the Yulong D100 is a relatively known quantity. There are quite a few specs published for it. Its design is very similar to the DAC1, which has a lot of specs published for it. The Asgard is a mystery, because Schiit doesn't publish enough info. The info that is known isn't good for your situation. High THD compared to the D100, more power which isn't necessary, and twice the power consumption even without a DAC.

I have been thinking about getting the E10 and then getting the Agard and upgrading to the Bifrost in 6 months or so.  You don't think this would be a good combo?  I'd be driving Grado SR60s, AT ATH-M50s, and AT ATH-AD700s.

While it should drive your current list of headphones just fine, I don't see the E10 being a desirable preamp to the Asgard.  If you can find a DAC/amp that has a minimum of a 2Vrms preamp output that could feed the Asgard, that might be a better option with your headphones.  You might not even need to spend the money on the Bitfrost if a more inexpensive DAC can be used with the Asgard.  In my experience, a DAC has the smallest perceptible impact on the sound quality of my music, unless the music is particularly "complicated" and mastered exceptionally well, such as with this example: http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Cinderella-Op-87-Glazunov-Seasons/dp/B00002MXMV

I was sort of thinking of the E10 as a temporary solution and also a mobile solution for taking my laptop on the go.  I guess the Bifrost seemed like a good permanent solution because it's upgradable, it's async, and doesn't use a wall wart power adapter.  There doesn't seem to be a lot out there with the build quality at that price range.  I haven't listened to one but the reviews seem quite positive. Any other suggestions of something in that price range or cheaper with comparable quality?

There was way too much content and jargon on that link to read about the ODA DAC.  It appears to be a DIY DAC?  I don't think I'm up to that task.

After some research I've actually decided that the D5000 would be a great next headphone for me so I'm anxious to see where this thread goes.  

you can buy it from jdslabs after its released and it will surely be under 250$. the guy who designed it says 2 people blind tested it against Benchmark DAC1 and they couldn't tell the difference. i believe him, but of course it's better to read lots of reviews before buying something.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxjam 

I was sort of thinking of the E10 as a temporary solution and also a mobile solution for taking my laptop on the go.  I guess the Bifrost seemed like a good permanent solution because it's upgradable, it's async, and doesn't use a wall wart power adapter.  There doesn't seem to be a lot out there with the build quality at that price range.  I haven't listened to one but the reviews seem quite positive. Any other suggestions of something in that price range or cheaper with comparable quality?

 

There was way too much content and jargon on that link to read about the ODA DAC.  It appears to be a DIY DAC?  I don't think I'm up to that task.

 

After some research I've actually decided that the D5000 would be a great next headphone for me so I'm anxious to see where this thread goes.