Basically I'm looking for an Upgrade or at least a very comparable sidegrade to my old Fiio E7+E9 that are on their last legs. I don't know if I can put out the 240-280 for the O2+ODAC.
 
Sadly my 650's are being used mostly for gaming these days with some occasional music but not as much as when they were new (although they could still pass for new!). I have to replace my E7 and E9 and while I may be able to salvage the E9 the E7 is pretty much dead in the water. I am not looking to replace the E7 and keep the E9 however. I'm also not looking to spend too much here if I can help it. Using the tool and spreadsheet and searches throughout reddit and forums I've seen recommendations around for O2+ODAC but even that may be pushing it price wise. I don't know anything about the monoprice amp/dac suggested or about any of the different Fiio models. I know there are some tube options in the price range as well. Like I said I'm looking for at least a sidegrade and preferably a small upgrade to my E7/E9 and just don't know enough about the different models to make an educated decision on what to buy.
 
Right now my 650's are being used mostly for gaming and voice/voip programs, so if I'm looking for something balanced soundwise I'd say. My 650's are pretty much pristine and a last option would be letting them go and moving onto a different set now that my main use for them has changed but I don't know if I'm ready to do something that drastic. 
 
Any suggestions? If it helps I'm not looking for anything portable, this is for desktop PC use only and I use this motherboard: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-PRO-GAMING-AURA/
 
Thank you!

Bravo Ocean Hybrid headphone amplifier.
Here is a used one, current bid it $35 (+ $20 shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/162173066409?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
Asus Xonar DX sound card (used $60)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/122087687294?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
The Bravo Ocean & Xonar DX are what I would look into, for a good bang for the buck DAC/amp.

FiiO E17K+K5 (or just the E17K by itself if you're on a tight budget)

joe bloggs said:

FiiO E17K+K5 (or just the E17K by itself if you're on a tight budget)

Click to expand...

 
Really? The E17K by itself? I thought recommended impedance for that was 16-150 Ohm? Last I looked, the HD650 were 300 Ohm cans with a 530 Ohm hump around 100Hz?
 
(Genuinely interested in your answer, not just arguing for the sake of it.)

ancipital said:

   
Really? The E17K by itself? I thought recommended impedance for that was 16-150 Ohm? Last I looked, the HD650 were 300 Ohm cans with a 530 Ohm hump around 100Hz?
 
(Genuinely interested in your answer, not just arguing for the sake of it.)

Click to expand...

I agree with you. The raw power of E17K may not be suitable for HD650.

ancipital said:

joe bloggs said:

FiiO E17K+K5 (or just the E17K by itself if you're on a tight budget)

Click to expand...

Really? The E17K by itself? I thought recommended impedance for that was 16-150 Ohm? Last I looked, the HD650 were 300 Ohm cans with a 530 Ohm hump around 100Hz?

(Genuinely interested in your answer, not just arguing for the sake of it.)

Click to expand...

I look at it like this:
1. the HD650 being of such high impedance (as you point out), they will draw relatively very little current for the same input voltage.
2. the volume control on an amp adjusts the voltage being fed into the headphone.
3. if driving low impedance headphones, the headphone amp may clip before being able to deliver the demanded voltages at full volume, because it is unable to supply the high currents demanded. (Current = Voltage / Resistance)
4. conversely, driving high impedance headphones, the headphone amp should be able to deliver the voltage and current corresponding to full volume without clipping.
5. therefore, the question that remains is, when driving said high impedance headphones, is the headphone amp loud enough when cranked to full blast?

And the answer to the last question is a resounding "yes!" to me, both for the HD650 plugged into the E17K and the similar Beyerdynamic DT880-250. I don't even need to push to high (12dB) gain, medium (6dB) gain is plenty loud enough at 50/60 volume or so.

Also worth noting is that, as of the last known info on my side, the K5 does not have higher volume gain than the E17K--both max out at 12dB. So if your problem is "not loud enough on the DT880-600" or something like that, the K5 may not do any better than the E17K. Now, if your problem is "clips before reaching loud enough volume on a Hifiman HE6" or a similar low-impedance, low-sensitivity problem, the K5 should help.

(Crazily enough, I've found that my measly smartphone is enough to power the DT880-250, even when power-hungry EQ and spatialization processing are included (after such processing, sound tracks may peak at anywhere up to 10dB higher than before, even at the same volume--corresponding to a 3x voltage demand.))

As quantification, my peak meter tells me that in this particular listening session the E17K has over 15dB of headroom over the peak music volume I've hit on the DT880-250.
(shown by maxing the volume of the E17K both in the Windows mixer and on the device itself and monitoring the digital levels of the signals sent to it)

Hmm, I like your reasoning.. but...
 
In reality, I've always found the HD650 to be somewhat anaemic and soggy around the 100Hz mark, oddly close to where that impedance bump is, when driven from pocket amps- even reputable ones. I will admit that I haven't tried the E17K, but even the mighty Mojo doesn't do as good a job as even my modest Magni. I can't explain what's going on, because analogue electronics isn't my thang, but still have my reservations.
 
(I don't think they're colouring the sound per se- easier to drive cans sound much more similar between the desktop and pocket amps..)
 
I do like your reasoning, and sort of want you to be right, but remain sceptical, annoyingly.

"Previously worked for FiiO" 

Honestly didn't even consider an E17k because I kept thinking I needed an amp like my E9 or a T1.

youth said:

"Previously worked for FiiO" :rolleyes:

Click to expand...

Well, they did fire me... :rolleyes: http://www.head-fi.org/t/802352/joe-bloggs-will-be-leaving-fiio

A friend of mine swears by the Asus Xonar u7s. I have the Fiio e10k for my HD600s and its great (coming from a Xonar u3). Either one falls in your 'budget slot' and IMO would be fine choices.