thanks for the input, guys.
@TwinACStacks i also read good reviews about that amp, but as
@Lurk650 said, i need something with usb input. my current phone (meizu pro 6) has a nice headphone output and a decent dac, most possibly an amp would be enough for now, but i'm not sure about my next phone.
@benchan2 i have zero experience with balanced setups. i mean zero, not even with headphones. btw portability is a must: i have an incoming desktop amp (myryad z40), i have no dac for it (just sold my denon da300), so i'd use a portable dac for both my phone and my pc. but it doesn't need to be pocketable as i usually listen to headphones/earphones in different houses of ours, rarely on the go. (i have a nice car audio, too.)
some other dac's i've checked:
- shanling h3/h3a: bluetooth option is nice, i'm not sure the sabre chip (most sabre dacs i've heard sound too analytical for me - might be a good pairing with the warm character of the n40, though)
- topping nx4: powerful amp, cheap, but basically no reviews or online feedback at all, besides some amazon buyers
- thebit opus#11: simple one, no volume control, and this is sabre based, too (see h3)
- teac hap50: listened to it a couple of times, not great, but very solid sounding thing, built like a tank, a safe bet for me
- oppo ha2: right within my budget when sold used, same doubts about the sabre chip than with the opus#11 and the h3
- cayin c6: wolfson dac, reviewers say it's noisy, build quality is often criticized, not impressed
- cayin n3: not an usb dac per se, but can be used as such, and it's such a versatile little thing for the price, but the amp section might not be powerful enough
- yahoo japan headphone amp section: now, that's a freakin' goldmine
etc...
so basically i'm confused as i can get, and i know this state of mind, i should buy something asap before overthinking it again...