[nOoneNL]

I need some help deciding on an all-in-one DAC/AMP to combine with my beloved Sennheiser HD580's.

A few years ago I owned a Meier Audio PreHead MkII SE, which was a great amp in many ways.
I just really couldn't gel with the clinical/analytical nature or the amp.

In contrast, the output of my dad's old JVC JA-S31 receiver has a fat, warm and lively sound, which is kind of what I'm searching for.
The only thing this 70's receiver lacks is soundstage and the noisefloor is pretty unacceptable to be honest.
But it does makes me smile more often, listening to it...

So I suppose I'm looking for a warm "analogue" sounding DAC/AMP combo.
All-in-One if possible, as space is limited and I would like to have a clean setup and the least amount of powersupplies as possible

So for these reasons, I've had my eye on the Marantz HD-DAC1 for a while, as it seems like a great package.
Plus it can do double duty and act as a stand-alone DAC between my PC and the JVC receiver!

Before biting the bullet though... I have to ask; are there any alternatives to consider, in this price range of ~ €600,- ?
Any negatives to the HD-DAC I'm overlooking here? Or would anyone share their experience with the HD-DAC1 to help me push in the right direction?

Thanks in advance

 

[msing539]

If space is at a premium, I just heard the iFi Neo iDSD. It's dead silent and has some warmth from my brief listening.

 

[Chuck Dee]

I think it really depends on your interpretation or definition of what 'warmth' sounds like and I think to that end you are potentially opening yourself up to a lot of subjective opinions that may not ultimately benefit you.

If you mean tube-amp type 'warmth' then this will further exacerbate the issue of subjective opinion confusion as everyone will still have their own perception of what 'tubey warmth' sounds like.

I noticed you liked a few of my posts over on the HD565 appreciation thread and while I do not currently own a pair of HD580's I do have many 'inferior' and 'superior' Sennheiser models of that period using probably the same or slightly different drivers.
You would have noticed the Audio-GD DAC/amps in the background of some of the photos and for me at least, these pair incredibly well with those 90's Sennheiser headphones as well as many newer models.

For some 'warmth' I turn to my LittleDot MkIII with Mullards, fed via the Audio-GD.
The Audio-GD dac amps have varying reviews, good and bad but for me they are so good I decided to buy a second with the same internal dac and amp stage architectures.

Try and get an audition of one somewhere.

 

[nOoneNL]

Thanks for the tip, @msing539 , I'll look into the iFi!
Oh, and hi @Chuck Dee ! Yeah, greatly enjoy the HD565 thread! I still have my pair, although my wife has claimed them the better of a year now...
Right, I understand what you're saying. Of course it's all subjective. But I suppose I lean more towards a "analogue" sounding signature and not an analytical. Like vintage receivers give a sense of warmth that I cannot fully describe...

Funny you should mention the Little Dot...Many, many years ago I actually owned a Little Dot III with tons of tubes... and stupidly sold it.
But to be honest, I'm not sure I would like to own it again.
A one stop solution with no possibility of tube-rolling kind of gives me peace of mind.
I'll look into the Audio-GD, but a quick search told me they are not that common on the secondhand market, here in Germany

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Little more than you wanted to spend, but worth 2X what it costs:

https://magnahifi.com/audio-gd-r2r-11-mk2-discrete-r2r-nos-dac-headpone-preamplifier/

 

[nOoneNL]

Little more than you wanted to spend, but worth 2X what it costs:

https://magnahifi.com/audio-gd-r2r-11-mk2-discrete-r2r-nos-dac-headpone-preamplifier/

That's a solid option! Also really diggin this:

• Products are shipped from Netherlands (EU)
• Outside EU pay excluding VAT price
• EU citizens pay including VAT (No custom fees)
  
  Thanks for the tip @gimmeheadroom !​

 

[gimmeheadroom]

That's a solid option! Also really diggin this:

• Products are shipped from Netherlands (EU)
• Outside EU pay excluding VAT price
• EU citizens pay including VAT (No custom fees)
  
  Thanks for the tip @gimmeheadroom !​

Yeah, it's a known-good shop. I got recommendations from guys in the Audio-gd threads and have several transactions with them over the past 3 years or so. Great guys who are official distributors for Audio-gd.

I have the previous version R2R-11, that's how a lot of us got started with Audio-gd. Now it's my favorite brand.

 

[Chuck Dee]

Little more than you wanted to spend, but worth 2X what it costs:

https://magnahifi.com/audio-gd-r2r-11-mk2-discrete-r2r-nos-dac-headpone-preamplifier/

Interesting that they actually describe the sound as 'tube-like'.
I wouldn't necessarily agree with this and suspect it's Audio-GD complying/cow-towing with reviews.
I think describing your products as 'tube like' opens up a risk of marginalising an otherwise excellent product that probably has a much broader appeal.
Just my own thoughts.

 

[Chuck Dee]

That's a solid option! Also really diggin this:

• Products are shipped from Netherlands (EU)
• Outside EU pay excluding VAT price
• EU citizens pay including VAT (No custom fees)
  
  Thanks for the tip @gimmeheadroom !​

Concur. Great company.
Had only good contact with Jos with regards to upgrading both my NFB's with the Amanero USB board.
Highly recommended.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Interesting that they actually describe the sound as 'tube-like'.
I wouldn't necessarily agree with this and suspect it's Audio-GD complying/cow-towing with reviews.
I think describing your products as 'tube like' opens up a risk of marginalising an otherwise excellent product that probably has a much broader appeal.
Just my own thoughts.

I think it's just an effort to differentiate from chipdacs, but it seems pretty clear Kingwa doesn't worry about reviews.

 

[Monsterzero]

In contrast, the output of my dad's old JVC JA-S31 receiver has a fat, warm and lively sound, which is kind of what I'm searching for.
The only thing this 70's receiver lacks is soundstage and the noisefloor is pretty unacceptable to be honest.
But it does makes me smile more often, listening to it...

I keep a vintage receiver in my system at all times. Currently rocking an old Sansui 881 to drive my vintage AKGs. The thing about vintage amps and receivers is they work best with high impedance headphones.

They do not stage as well as modern gear, but it's hard to beat that vintage warm 1970s sound, especially if thats the sound you were raised with.

https://magnahifi.com/audio-gd-r2r-11-mk2-discrete-r2r-nos-dac-headpone-preamplifier/

+1 for the ADG R2R-11. Very warm and the amp section is suprisingly good. It won't drive an Abyss 1266 or Susvara, but for most reasonably effecient headphones, it rocks. It also has a small footprint.

Another thing you can do is try and find a used vintage R2R DAC and feed that directly into your JVC. I had an old EAD DSP Mk lll that was incredibly warm and had more bass than any two systems need. The only downside to vintage R2R DACs is they are typically limited to 16/44.1

I paired it up with a Sansui 5000a and it was warmth and musicality overload.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

+1 for the ADG R2R-11. Very warm and the amp section is suprisingly good. It won't drive an Abyss 1266 or Susvara, but for most reasonably effecient headphones, it rocks. It also has a small footprint.

Agreed.

From the specs it looks like the MK2 version out now has the same amp section, but one of the guys in the Audio-gd threads did a nice review and apparently the MK2 is a real upgrade for not much money.

I got the previous version some years ago for a tertiary setup. I was concerned that the rated 300 mW at 300 ohms wouldn't be enough horsepower for 250 ohm Beyers and the 10V number was also a concern since it seems to me 15V is the magic number for 300 ohm Sennheisers.

But I have to say, I was very impressed with the built-in headamp to the point I stopped using a separate headamp with the R2R-11, my DT-1770s are very happy out of it.

It is remarkable that the UI has so much thought put into it. There is little switchgear but it's laid out so sensibly. Really an impressive little giant of a dacamp.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Aside from the Audio-GD R2R-11 mentioned, have a look at Xduoo TA-30. Its in your budget.
Reviews are here, here, here. Well there are lots...

 

[o0genesis0o]

I need some help deciding on an all-in-one DAC/AMP to combine with my beloved Sennheiser HD580's.

A few years ago I owned a Meier Audio PreHead MkII SE, which was a great amp in many ways.
I just really couldn't gel with the clinical/analytical nature or the amp.

In contrast, the output of my dad's old JVC JA-S31 receiver has a fat, warm and lively sound, which is kind of what I'm searching for.
The only thing this 70's receiver lacks is soundstage and the noisefloor is pretty unacceptable to be honest.
But it does makes me smile more often, listening to it...

So I suppose I'm looking for a warm "analogue" sounding DAC/AMP combo.
All-in-One if possible, as space is limited and I would like to have a clean setup and the least amount of powersupplies as possible

So for these reasons, I've had my eye on the Marantz HD-DAC1 for a while, as it seems like a great package.
Plus it can do double duty and act as a stand-alone DAC between my PC and the JVC receiver!

Before biting the bullet though... I have to ask; are there any alternatives to consider, in this price range of ~ €600,- ?
Any negatives to the HD-DAC I'm overlooking here? Or would anyone share their experience with the HD-DAC1 to help me push in the right direction?

Thanks in advance

Does it has to be expensive? If lower price is not an issue, I can recommend Fiio K7. I use it with my HD560s, but mostly with IEMs. It does not warm up the sound, but it does not have the edgy, thin sound that some USB dongles with dual ESS chips have. I find K7 makes all of my gear sounds "larger", as if the soundstage expands and everything is pushed a bit further a way from each other, at least when I compare the sound against USB dongles. The sound quality is more or less the same as my music player Shanling M6 Ultra and the Topping G5 portable DAC/amp.

 

[nOoneNL]

I keep a vintage receiver in my system at all times. Currently rocking an old Sansui 881 to drive my vintage AKGs. The thing about vintage amps and receivers is they work best with high impedance headphones.

They do not stage as well as modern gear, but it's hard to beat that vintage warm 1970s sound, especially if thats the sound you were raised with.

+1 for the ADG R2R-11. Very warm and the amp section is suprisingly good. It won't drive an Abyss 1266 or Susvara, but for most reasonably effecient headphones, it rocks. It also has a small footprint.

Another thing you can do is try and find a used vintage R2R DAC and feed that directly into your JVC. I had an old EAD DSP Mk lll that was incredibly warm and had more bass than any two systems need. The only downside to vintage R2R DACs is they are typically limited to 16/44.1

I paired it up with a Sansui 5000a and it was warmth and musicality overload.

This is some solid advice. I will definitly experiment more with the JVC in the chain. Perhaps a different set of headphones will be a better fit and lower the noise floor considerably? You mention AKG's. I'll see if I can pick up a used pair. That's always a risk-free way to try stuff out.

In the meantime... the Marantz HD-DAC1 is still very attractive. Even with all the great suggestions in this thread.

It may sound superficial, but I think the aesthetics play a significant role in this.
The design just screams vintage Japan and would visually be a great match with the JVC receiver.
But I'll continue researching the Audio-gd and other options!

Does it has to be expensive? If lower price is not an issue, I can recommend Fiio K7. I use it with my HD560s, but mostly with IEMs. It does not warm up the sound, but it does not have the edgy, thin sound that some USB dongles with dual ESS chips have. I find K7 makes all of my gear sounds "larger", as if the soundstage expands and everything is pushed a bit further a way from each other, at least when I compare the sound against USB dongles. The sound quality is more or less the same as my music player Shanling M6 Ultra and the Topping G5 portable DAC/amp.

It certainly does not have to be expensive. I've had Fiio in the past; the E9/E7 combo. It was solid, but didn't really wow me. Would definitly not hesitate to recommend it though. It just wasn't for me.