[Mr_White]

Hello there.

Sorry for the slightly generic thread, but I have a few things to cover that I haven't been able to deduct as a whole from searching the forums, so apologies there.

The budget is £100, preferably from a UK supplier, any chinese product etc would need to fall within the same budget including shipping and customs charges, but I haven't seen any of the usual recommendations that suit the brief.

The source will be a MacBook, which has a mini-TOSLINK output available, so any amps with an optical input are on the cards.

I suppose the ideal amp would be one with an optical input and good performance, so I can utilise the mini-TOSLINK and not have the hassle of a stand-alone DAC in the future, however they all appear to be out of budget.

The best compromise I've found seems to be the Creek OBH-11, which seems to be a fairly agreeable amp, bang on the budget, but I get the impression that you don't get a huge amount for the money from my research, however, I haven't really seen anything that offers the same performance which could drive HD-650s sufficiently around the same price, they're all at least 30-50% more expensive.

So the only option I've come up with is the OBH-11, and I haven't been able to come up with anything else from my searches, ones below the budget don't seem to be suitable for the purpose, and there is nothing that is better without being a fair bit more expensive, especially not when factoring in shipping and customs charges from china, etc.

So any suggestions would be appreciated if you can think of anything that might suite the brief.

Thank very much.

- Mr_White

 

[CafeNoir]

Hmmm, for £100, you will be very lucky to find something significantly better than the simple headphone output of your laptop.

Indeed, the hd-650 need a good amplification to show their best qualities. But, contrary to what is said sometimes, they can be quite enjoyable without it.

 

[jcoops16]

Though it doesnt tick all your boxes another sub 100 quid amp would be the Musical Fidelity V-can. I have never heard it or dont know other peoples opinion of it with the hd650s but for the price its one to consider, a quick search revealed it for £75 shipped.

Audio Affair | Hi-fi, Home Cinema, Multi Room & Custom Install - Musical Fidelity VCAN Headphone Amplifier

Also you could consider a Beresford tc7510 dac, it has the optical input you are after and has a headphone output. From what people say for the money its a decent dac but i have no idea what the headphone part of it sounds like. Perhaps there might be one going cheap on ebay.

 

[Mr_White]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaféNoir /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, for £100, you will be very lucky to find something significantly better than the simple headphone output of your laptop. Indeed, the hd-650 need a good amplification to show their best qualities. But, contrary to what is said sometimes, they can be quite enjoyable without it.

I've used them on the standard laptop output for a few years now, and whilst you're right, they are still quite enjoyable, but I've become rather used to them now, and I know they have a lot more to give.

Is something like the OBH-11 really that useless then? as it seems to be the best I'm going to get for £100, but no one rates it.

 

[lecky]

What you seem to be looking for is an amp with a DAC built in. I don't think you'll find a new DAC amp combination that'll do the job remotely adequately for the price. If you go for an amp without a DAC (for which you can save up later), and if you don't mind second hand I'd recommend finding an old Cyrus One, get one with a headphone socket (they don't all have them). They sound very good and have ample power for your 650s, they can be found for £100 or less on ebay, and have the bonus that you can drive speakers from them and they have a really good phono stage should you become interested in records.

 

[Mr_White]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lecky /img/forum/go_quote.gif What you seem to be looking for is an amp with a DAC built in. I don't think you'll find a new DAC amp combination that'll do the job remotely adequately for the price. If you go for an amp without a DAC (for which you can save up later), and if you don't mind second hand I'd recommend finding an old Cyrus One, get one with a headphone socket (they don't all have them). They sound very good and have ample power for your 650s, they can be found for £100 or less on ebay, and have the bonus that you can drive speakers from them and they have a really good phono stage should you become interested in records.

An amp with a built in DAC for £100 would be nice, but not at the sacrifice of performance, the main requirement is really the best amp for £100, but if there is one on the same level that had an optical input as well, that'd be nice.

But as you say, it doesn't seem they're available for this price, I thought I'd make sure I hadn't missed anything though

The fact that from what I can see, the OBH-11 seems to be the best I can get for £100 new isn't that highly regarded is why I'm checking to see what the alternatives are, you expect something for your money, even if only £100

Would you say it's worth just going straight to something like a graham slee novo? they seem to be far more highly regarded than the creeks, there is no rush, so it'd be silly if I'm not going to get much for my money at this level

I'll keep my out for a Cyrus One as well.

Thanks for the input so far.

 

[vkvedam]

I could chime in a bit here. I have auditioned Graham Slee Novo driving my HD 600s. Unless you've got an outstanding source to start with it would be a waste as it doesn't yield anything a part from more output. I felt it didn't have the authority to control 600/650s. Try and search for Meier Corda Swing's impressions. Or else you could try Little Dots and there is plenty of information available around here.

 

[realmassy]

Rega Ear is a really nice amp with your senns. I use it in my office, and I'm still happy after many years.