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~$150 Amp/DAC for a TBD headphone.

post #1 of 11
10/3/11 at 4:35pm
Thread Starter 

Looking for a home Amp/DAC to go with a headphone I'll be purchasing shortly... Probably the HE-300. 

 

24/96 over USB is ideal.... Not many other requirements. Hopefully a lineout, but really just wondering what the best HOME setup is at the moment. I've been using my D6 for a while, but the money would be better suited on a dedicated home setup. I like a little bit of brightness to my sound, and I also have an xbox, so an optical in is a plus. I will use it as a preamp to my BX5a's too.

 

Considering:

 

EF2

Aune Mini

E7/E9 or some other Fiio combination.... I don't know their current line.

TubeMagic D1? A little Pricey, but if it's good.....

Zero amp/DAC.

 

Anything else? Discuss.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones
Sennheiser HD-600
Hifiman EF2A Usb Headphone Amplifier
post #2 of 11
10/4/11 at 12:29am
Thread Starter 

Sleepytime bump.

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post #3 of 11
10/4/11 at 12:35am

The EF2A is fun, no line out on the DAC though. Not notably bright either... 

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post #4 of 11
10/4/11 at 12:46am

Audio-gd NFB-12.

 

It's not bright - rather warm instead - but you can change the digital filters and tweak it to bring in the highs  a little more (8 x Upsampling Minimum Phase Apodising filter does it for me).

 

Price is about the same as an E7/E9 combo.

 

DAC is great for the price (dual Wolfson WM8741).

 

Amp is pretty good - powers my HD600 and DT880 (250 ohm) with plenty to spare.

 

Good connections in and out - so you can always use it for the DAC only later and add your choice of SS or Tube amp later.

 

IMO (I owned the E7/E9 combo) - this is a step-up from the Fiio.  Worth a look.


Edited by Brooko - 10/4/11 at 12:47am
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post #5 of 11
10/4/11 at 11:44am
Thread Starter 

The NFB-12 seems like a great choice. I like the 24/96 over USB the most. Dual Wolfson and optical in for 200$! How does it drive your HD600's?

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post #6 of 11
10/4/11 at 11:53am

I like the combo - with the filter I mentioned above in place..  Gotta warn you though - apparently Mike from Headfonia reviewed the NFB-12 recently and didn't like it.  He only tried the one filter setting though (the default) which I wasn't particularly fussed on either - it is dark sounding.  Quite happy with the 8 x Upsampling Minimum Phase Apodising though - nice sparkle and good mid-range (in combo with the HD600 especially).  I've got no regrets - love this little unit!

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post #7 of 11
10/4/11 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 

Irony! That review was just posted today! I will read it... I sold my HD600's but I'm thinking of buying something similar again. Great to know! How do you like it with your Grados?

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post #8 of 11
10/4/11 at 2:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mdraluck23 View Post

Irony! That review was just posted today! I will read it... I sold my HD600's but I'm thinking of buying something similar again. Great to know! How do you like it with your Grados?


The MS1is don't need the extra amplification - but with the same filter setting they still sound really good.  To be honest it doesn't make that much improvement with them - they just don't need the extra power.  Most of the time now I use the Alessandros away from the desktop - so it's typically either with the E11 or my PortaTube (both have nice warmth) & they suit the MS1is well.

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post #9 of 11
10/4/11 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 

I thought I read RS1's. My bad. 

 

I'm really leaning towards it anyway. Just going to wait a bit and do some more research, but I'm glad I got that suggestion.

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post #10 of 11
10/5/11 at 9:51pm
Thread Starter 

Upping my budget to a Yulong U100. Thanks for the suggestions!

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post #11 of 11
10/5/11 at 10:29pm

I currently own the Fiio E7+E9, and it's not bright either. The lack of a 24/96 DAC on the E7 makes it somewhat limited, so I would suggest against the E7+E9. I guess you could wait for the new E17 (which has 24/96 USB DAC) to pair up with the E9 if you want to.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones
Sennheiser HD-600
Hifiman EF2A Usb Headphone Amplifier
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › ~$150 Amp/DAC for a TBD headphone.