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Recommend me an amp I can use with USB/Firewire

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 

I'm new to this stuff so bare with me and your patience is greatly appreciated. I'm looking for a headphone amp that I can hook up to my computer. I mainly listen to jazz/hip hop/trance if that helps. Also feel free to recommend some headphones to pair with as well. :)

post #2 of 6

How much do you want to spend, $500, $1,500, $5,000? You can get some decent rigs for under a grand or spend over $5k for something real special.

post #3 of 6
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grokit View Post

How much do you want to spend, $500, $1,500, $5,000? You can get some decent rigs for under a grand or spend over $5k for something real special.



Sorry about that I thought I mentioned price..around 500 for both as I'm no audiophile by far but do like my music :)

post #4 of 6

It's hard but it's possible. I would take a look at the PS Audio GHCA, it looks like a serious headamp and has a USB DAC as well. But you won't have any $ left for headphones. A Sennheiser HD650 and a HiFiMAN EF2 DAC/amp could be had for under $600 though, you could upgrade the DAC/amp later. There's a lot of options out there, you could try a DacPort and some efficient headphones like Grados or Audio-Technicas. I found that the Maverick D1 synergises well with the Q/K701, that would be close to your price range and be a pretty versatile setup. The Q/K701 also reportedly works well with the Fiio E7/E9 DAC/amp combo and would offer a different kind of versatility but I haven't tried it. None of these options have Firewire capability, for that try the cheap pro audio options like M-Audio's Firewire Solo but you may need to install a driver. There's a lot of used gear in your price range from those that trade up, so you can stretch your $ that way if you want.


Edited by grokit - 11/14/11 at 9:15pm
post #5 of 6

Bang for Buck:  Zero pre/amp/DAC off fleabay for $120-ish plus Sennheiser HD600 for $315.  Go digital into the Zero.  This will get you caviar sound for halibut price.

post #6 of 6

The HD600 also sounds great straight out of the Matrix Mini-i, that wouldn't be to far over budget and would be within it if bought used.

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