[sphinxvc]

What are the sonic differences between a dedicated amp like the M-stage or KICAS vs the op-amp based amp in my dac+amp combo.  

 

[jcx]

depends, if you have the Benchmark DAC1 then the TPA6120 headphone output is probably as good as it gets for any headphone happy with less than 7 Vrms drive
 
of course if you have sensitive IEM then more amplification is really not what you want to avoid added hiss

 

[olor1n]

There is no opamp in the Fun's discrete amp section. The slot for either the earth, sun and moon hdam is in the Fun's dac output stage.

If you're regretting your decision this may ease your mind.

 

[sphinxvc]

Ah, I didn't know the hdams didn't affect the amp section, thanks for clarifying.  I'm not regretting my decision, I'm just poking around to find the best upgrade path for when I eventually pull the trigger.  SE vs balanced / separate SE vs NFB10WM, etc.
 
The one thing I find lacking are reference points for that eventual upgrade.  It's most cost-effective to wait till the next head-fi meet, or start threads like this.    
 
I got my Sun module yesterday - & I also picked up a ADA4627-1 soldered to a DIP8 adapter from a fellow head-fi'er for a few bucks.  According to the impressions in this thread it's supposed to sound better than the Earth hdam, which has been my favorite so far.