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$1000 Budget for AMP+DAC or AMP/DAC for XMAS :D

post #1 of 6
10/21/11 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 

I know this is asked alot and might also come off as ambiguous, I'm in college and I'm planning to buy a nice new desktop setup for xmas.

 

So what I want is a neutral "fast" AMP (won;t be sluggish or warm with fast music) and a good quality DAC or an Integrated DAC/AMP, that will work well with anything I connect to it I plan to start buying, more higher end headphones (i.e K701, LCD2, HD600, Beyers etc).

 

I don't need so much synergy as versatility without losing quality between different cans.

 

I would like not to have to spend on upgrades until I graduate and have my own income to blow on something nicer, no time for a part time job ; ;.

 

Thanks Guys!

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post #2 of 6
10/22/11 at 12:46pm

Hey there, which options you have there in your country? which headphones are you seriously considering to buy?

 

I assume you speak spanish, i also know spanish a bit wink.gif

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post #3 of 6
10/22/11 at 12:55pm

For the budget, I'll recommend CEntrance DACmini or the Audio-Gd NFB-10SE.

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post #4 of 6
10/22/11 at 12:55pm

Yulong D100, Matrix Quattro, Benchmark DAC1, in order of increasing price. Performance will be similar. The D100 has some rumored build quality issues, the Quattro looks solid, and the DAC1 is manufactured in America (I think) to high standards.

 

CEntrance DACport and DACmini are options as well, but they have 10 ohm output impedance that will make them worse choices for low impedance (<80 ohm) headphones.

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post #5 of 6
10/22/11 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 

 

Well, there are no audio stores in my country so I order all my stuff international without being able to listen to it first :/, I try to make the decision as informed as I can.

 

The ones I'm really considering buying are K701, HD600s, but mostly I want to move straight into high end orthos (I have the new LCD3 or the HE-500 in my sight for sometime next year, that is if nothing better has come out.) 

 

I'm a firm believer in hearing the music like it was recorded so coloration should be at a minimum, I'm not partial to any range of the acoustic spectrum, but I tend to appreciate mids and highs more than bass(mostly because the vibrations and shakiness give me headaches not because I don't like it.) 

 

$1000 is just a FIRM max by the way, I know there are some decent option for much less, Yulong D100 and NFB10SE come to mind, I just want some fellow audiophile input to help me along the way since this is where I'm braking my upgradeitis on AMP/DACs till I have my own steady income.

 

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post #6 of 6
10/22/11 at 6:56pm

I've been doing similar market research, and the just-released Burson HA-160DS and the Shiit Lyr/Bifrost combo would be towards the top of the list under 1k if you're looking at the K701s.  Both should scale up to orthos as well.

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