[justin2net]

Hi all,
 
I just ordered the HD600 and am eagerly waiting for its arrival
Currently, I have an Apogee Mini-DAC http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/mini-dac.php that has served me quite well, as both an amp and DAC, with IEMs and AD700 for 4-5 years. It supports 24/192 over a variety of inputs incl. Firewire. I listen to 60% classical, 20% jazz, 20% everything else. Need excellent treble and mids. Bass not so much (no need for thumping).
 
Will I need an amp and/or DAC upgrade for the HD600 and beyond? I plan to sell the Mini-DAC to fund my upgrades. I have a Sonos Connect which can stream bitperfect 24/96 "over-the-air" to optical and coax so a USB/Firewire connection is not required but would be nice to have. Doesn't necessarily have to be a combo amp and DAC. I would prefer for it to be from a manufacturer who has been around for at least a few years (e.g. Apogee, Benchmark, Lavry).
 
I am Canadian so it needs to be available in North America. eBay will work too. A relative is going to Japan soon so there is the possibility of buying it there (if it's not too expensive).
 
Thank you
 
Edit: $1000 is the limit. Less expensive is always better in my book ($100-200-300, etc..) as long as it performs well.

 

[DrSheep]

You are in luck, you seriously need to check out the new CEntrance HiFi-M8 LX ($700).  I have one coming, and based on the other reviews and feedback it sounds EXTREMELY good, even with HD600, 650, 700, and even the 800.  Definitely need to check it out.

 

[blueangel2323]

Yulong is the best bang for your buck. Used D18+A18 can probably be had for about $1000, or brand new D100+A100 for about $800.

 

[justin2net]

Quote:

You are in luck, you seriously need to check out the new CEntrance HiFi-M8 LX ($700).  I have one coming, and based on the other reviews and feedback it sounds EXTREMELY good, even with HD600, 650, 700, and even the 800.  Definitely need to check it out.

Thanks for the recommendation!
Quote:

Yulong is the best bang for your buck. Used D18+A18 can probably be had for about $1000, or brand new D100+A100 for about $800.

Has Yulong been around for some time? I'd prefer a well-known manufacturer with good warranty if possible...

 

[i019791]

Audio gd Compass 2.
I have found Audio gd to be very reliable

 

[blueangel2323]

Has Yulong been around for some time? I'd prefer a well-known manufacturer with good warranty if possible...

 
They were relatively unknown until a few years ago, but since then their products have become very popular here on Head-Fi because of their incredible price-performance ratio, and well-respected reviewer John Grandberg (Project86) is a huge fan of everything they've come out with so far. Warranty-wise, they do have an official North American distributor, Grant Fidelity, based in Calgary, so you shouldn't have any problems there. As for long-term durability I can't say, but if something is going to break it usually happens within the first few hundred hours.  
Edit: By that I mean all gear in general. If it doesn't break within the first few hundred hours then it's probably going to last. I don't mean to say that Yulong stuff tends to break within the first few hundred hours