[jnonweiler]

Hi everyone!
 
I've been trolling for a while now, but wanted to ask some questions particular to what I'm looking for to see if you all had some insight!
 
I'm looking for a DAC to pair mainly with my macbook pro and I'll be listening with Bose quietcomfort 15's and Audioengine 5 powered speakers.  Portable is not necessary; budget is around $300.  I have a few questions that I'd appreciate some help with:
 
1. Any recommendations?
2. I've had my eye on DAC/amp combos for more versatility, but am wondering about how the amp will behave with powered speakers.  I've thought of the Alo Pan Am, Maverick TubeMagic, Schiit products, Matrix, and Centrance.
 
Thanks for reading and I'd appreciate any guidance!

 

[MrViolin]

The ODAC as a DAC.
 
As for how amps would work with powered speakers (assuming these have a wallwart/some way of already being powered), I'm not sure. With class A biasing on the matrix, many seem to prefer the matrix m-stage (they also say the built in dac is horrible) over the asgard. But the asgard 2 has come out, and I'm not sure how it fares.  

 

[mich41]

Both QC15 and AE5 have built-in amps. Another amp won't provide much function besides volume knob and some extra distortion (hopefully inaudible, if the amp is any good).