Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Small Amp/DAC Combo
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Small Amp/DAC Combo

post #1 of 15
1/26/12 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 

I want to get a home setup soon and I have been reading these forums for ideas, but figured I could get some more input if possible.

 

Basically I want an Amp/DAC either all in one or seperate for somewhere in the $500 range. I would prefer it be less, but if it fits what I need I will go up to the $500. I am limiting myself because this will be my first forray into decent audio equipment so I might not get it right the first time.

 

So about what I want:

 

- Small enough to fit on my desk without taking up the whole thing. I had been looking at the Peachtree Decco2 (used) but when I realized the dimensions it was obvious it wouldn't really work. I need something more in the range of 10x10 (height shouldn't be too much of an issue).

 

- Decent looking device. My desk is in our living room and I want it to look halfway decent.

 

I will be buying new headphones to go with the amp sometime soon also, so there isn't anything specific I need it to work with. I have considered Beyerdynamic 990's, AKG Q701/K702, HD 650's or maybe some of the lower end HifiMan's.

 

In terms of what I will be using the setup for it will probably all be through my computer, I listen to a varity of music, but mostly classic rock with a little bit of hip hop or electronic mixed in at times. I also would plan on using these for skype/ventrilo and video games (with a ModMic that I already purchased).

 

The products that have stood out to me are:

 

- Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1

- Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 + TubeMagic A1

- Yulong D100

- NuForce Icon

- Audio GD Fun / NFB 12

 

Are there other brands/products I should be looking at? Given what is above, are there any major standouts for their price?

 

Anyway, if someone wants to help I figured I could try to open a dialogue to figure this all out. Thanks beyersmile.png

Reply
post #2 of 15
1/26/12 at 1:52pm

I suggest the following package from Headroom.  It is under $500 and includes a great set of headphones.  The great thing about the package is that it has a really small footprint so much so you will probably not have to worry about where to place the amp/DAC, but where to place the Denon AH-D2000 headphones.

 

I know the sound will be awesome because I used this combo until I made a huge upgrade to the Grace m903 amp/DAC.

 

Another great thing about this combo is that the Bithead is both an amp and DAC as well as being portable.  So if you go to work / lab / coffee house you can use it there too.  It also fits into my pocket so it is very portable.

 

http://www.headphone.com/packages/headroom-total-bithead--denon-d2000-package.php

Reply
post #3 of 15
1/26/12 at 4:28pm
Thread Starter 

I like the Denon's but I am not sure that really fits what I need that well. I really want an open headphone so that I can hear if my wife is talking to me while I am at the computer playing games/listening to music etc. I also do not really have a desire to have a portable amp at this point.

 

I tried some Denons recently though and really liked them, but I am still leaning towards Beyers/AKGs for the headphone part of my purchase (I was intrigued by the Hifimans but I have read they have a strong clamping force, and I sometimes wear my headphones for 6-8 hrs at a time so that might not work).

Reply
post #4 of 15
1/26/12 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilBuck View Post
I like the Denon's but I am not sure that really fits what I need that well. I really want an open headphone so that I can hear if my wife is talking to me while I am at the computer playing games/listening to music etc. I also do not really have a desire to have a portable amp at this point.

I tried some Denons recently though and really liked them, but I am still leaning towards Beyers/AKGs for the headphone part of my purchase (I was intrigued by the Hifimans but I have read they have a strong clamping force, and I sometimes wear my headphones for 6-8 hrs at a time so that might not work).

Somewhere on one of the Head-Fi threads someone has compared the DT990 with the AKG Q701.

I believe the AKG Q701 came out ahead.
 

 

 

Reply
post #5 of 15
1/27/12 at 12:43pm
Thread Starter 

After looking into it more I think the 2 headphones I would be most likely to go with are the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium 600 ohm or the AKG Q701.

 

The headphone side of the equation doesn't seem that difficult to figure out, it is really the amp/dac that is giving me tougher decisions.

 

Like is it worth looking into anything not on the original list I had, such as the Hifiman EF2A, Little Dot MKIII, Bellari HA 540, or Fiio e9?

Reply
post #6 of 15
1/27/12 at 4:26pm

All the headphone amplifiers your looking at are stereo 2.0 channel, which is fine for music, but does not support surround sound for gaming.

But I'm sure you can play lots of PC games just using stereo 2.0 sound.

 

Anyway I was thinking you do not have to spend all $500.

 

How about getting the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250-Ohm

Or the AKG Q701

Fiio E9

and Fiio D3 DAC or D5 DAC

 

Total price with Beyer $323

Total price with AKG $375


Edited by PurpleAngel - 1/27/12 at 4:28pm
Reply
post #7 of 15
1/27/12 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 

I hadn't considered the surround sound part of it, so headphones going through a 2.0 channel amp will never be surround sound regardless of source, is that right?

Reply
post #8 of 15
1/27/12 at 7:21pm
The D5 sucks, the D3 is a better DAC than the E7 and costs less than half.
Reply
post #9 of 15
1/27/12 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilBuck View Post
I hadn't considered the surround sound part of it, so headphones going through a 2.0 channel amp will never be surround sound regardless of source, is that right?


It's possible to have the headphone audio surround sound processed before it goes threw the (2.0 channel) headphone amplifier.

but that can make it difficult to use a good external DAC.

 

If you used something like the Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card (which comes with Dolby Virtual Headphone), you might be able to run a cable from the headphone out (mini jack 3.5mm) on the Xonar DG to your external amplifier (E9?).

So you would be using the DAC on the Xonar DG.

I'm not sure how much luck people have had using that type of setup.

 

 

Reply
post #10 of 15
1/27/12 at 7:46pm
Thread Starter 

Yea that doesn't sound ideal. I am not sure how much I would really care about losing the surround sound, I rarely play FPS (mostly RTS / MOBA) so I do not think the directional aspect of the sound would really bother me much, but hard to say I suppose.

 

I have also been looking into the Aune X1 http://rockgrotto.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=7103&page=1

Seemed that might be a decent option. I am tempted to up my budget on the amp/dac a bit to get the Shiit Asgard + Bifrost, but I think that might be getting a little bit ahead of myself without having owned even an entry level amp/dac before.

Reply
post #11 of 15
1/27/12 at 8:23pm

I vote Fiio E9 with a Fiio D3 DAC, total around $125.

The Fiio's will be easy to sell for your next upgrade.

 

Reply
post #12 of 15
1/27/12 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy View Post

The D5 sucks, the D3 is a better DAC than the E7 and costs less than half.


+1.

Reply
post #13 of 15
1/27/12 at 11:26pm
Thread Starter 

That is a pretty nice option to get myself at least setup with a new set of headphones and have at least something to try them on (also they take up minimal space which is great since my desk is small). Probably going to mull it over a few days but I like this option. I have 2 questions still:

 

1. With a soundcard with dolby headphone running my headphones through an amp such as the e9, I wont be able to have surround sound, correct? Are there any examples of amps that provide surround sound?

 

2. Is the e9 able to run 600 ohm headphones well? I read some things saying yes, but nothing too definitive.

Reply
post #14 of 15
1/28/12 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilBuck View Post
That is a pretty nice option to get myself at least setup with a new set of headphones and have at least something to try them on (also they take up minimal space which is great since my desk is small). Probably going to mull it over a few days but I like this option. I have 2 questions still:

1. With a sound card with Dolby headphone running my headphones through an amp such as the E9, I wont be able to have surround sound, correct? Are there any examples of amps that provide surround sound?

2. Is the e9 able to run 600 ohm headphones well? I read some things saying yes, but nothing too definitive.

Head-fi threads that you should post the questions to.

"MadLustEnvy aka Shin ZC's guide to headphone gaming (Particularly with Dolby Headphones)

"The Official thread Fiio E9 Thread"

 

These external devices come with Dolby Digital surround sound

External Optical (Digital) DAC/Headphone amplifiers, TBS Earforce DSS (& DSS2), Astro Mix-Amp.

External USB(Digital)/DAC/Headphone amplifiers, Asus Xonar U1, Asus Xonar U3.

 

There are several low cost "Dolby" headphones, these are low cost stereo headphones with a Mic and a Dolby decoder.

Not really the quality you are looking for.
 

 

 

Reply
post #15 of 15
1/28/12 at 12:34am

What about a fiio E10 $80

and Open box Denon AH-D5000's on electronic expo for $400

 

you can even add in a Asus Xonar DG for $20 After Rebate.  Who knows you might want to have a SPDIF out someday.

 

$500 budget.

 

Its not a open headphone.

the fiio is not 10x10 but if you put a bright colored mat under it and hang a arrow pointing to it people might notice it. It also has a line out so you can use the dac for other sources.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Small Amp/DAC Combo