Which setup would you choose?

Mar 30, 2017 at 10:09 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 2

thrand1

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I am looking for a solution to fulfill two purposes:
1) Headphone DAC/AMP to take to and from the office, for listening with iPhone/iPad and Shure SE425 IEMs.
2) Stream high-res music collection from NAS/iPhone to home stereo setup via S/PDIF at home
 
I have considered the following options. My max budget is $400 in total, and I have Amazon gift cards to reduce costs to those listed below.
 
Option 1 (Cost: ~$100)
Work: iFi Nano iDSD LE + iEMatch + CCK
Home: Raspberry Pi + HiFiBerry Digi+ -> S/PDIF out to stereo system.
 
Pros: Cheapest option.
Cons: May have to buy iEMatch to resolve hiss/volume control imbalance. Extra cables/adapters add bulk to work setup.
 
Option 2 (Cost: ~$200)
Work: Oppo HA-2SE
Home: Same Raspberry Pi setup as option #1
 
Pros: No CCK required. Adds bass boost, powerbank option on DAC/AMP over Nano LE. Seems better matched for IEMs.
Cons: User reports of interference issues with cellphones in HA2/SE threads?
 
Option 3 (Cost ~$400)
Work: iFi Micro iDSD Black Label + CCK
Home: iPhone/iPad CCK -> Micro iDSD -> S/PDIF Out to stereo system
 
Pros: Most connection options, customization for use with IEMs.
Cons: Most expensive. Streaming at home tethered to phone less convenient. Streaming capabilities limited by software on iPhone/iPad.
 
Which option would you choose, and why? Given I have Shure SE425s, what option is the best balance between performance and cost? I am not afraid to spend higher dollar, but don't want to "waste" it if an option is overkill.
 
Thanks for voting, and your feedback!
 

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