[NooBee]

Now the proud owner of the Focal Spirit Classic headphones! Merry Christmas to me! Seriously need an amp/dac though. Thinking of getting the Nuforce Icon Dac. Suggestions anyone?

 

[Claritas]

It's not clear that you need an amp. ODAC measures very well and sounds good too .

 

[NooBee]

Thanks Claritas, It's just that I'm not getting much volume from my laptop and I feel my bass performance will improve.

 

[NooBee]

ODAC is that a brand? Sorry I'm new to high performance headphones and amps/dacs.

 

[Claritas]

ODAC is that a brand? Sorry I'm new to high performance headphones and amps/dacs.

 
Objective O2 is an amp, and ODAC is a DAC. They're also available as a one box combo, but it might not be portable. I don't remember if it has batteries inside. They're open source and the main US commercial builder is JDS Labs.
 
Based on the FSC's specs, you shouldn't need an amp. Almost everything sounds better with one though, but it might not be worth the money. What's your source and budget?
 
Merry Christmas! (I forgot to wish you before.)

 

[NooBee]

Merry Christmas to you too! Yeah on paper at 32ohms and relatively high sensitivity it should be an easy load but i feel i will benefit from the added power of an amp and the resolution of a good dac.
Just a laptop as a source and I'd like to stay under $300.

 

[NooBee]

Oh yeah I will check out that amp and dac you recommended. Thank you.

 

[money4me247]

Merry Christmas to you too!

Yeah on paper at 32ohms and relatively high sensitivity it should be an easy load but i feel i will benefit from the added power of an amp and the resolution of a good dac.
Just a laptop as a source and I'd like to stay under $300.

you have tons of options under $300 for a dac/amp combo. you can look at schitt (company) with their modi/magni at $200.
 
I haven't heard the Nuforce Icon Dac at $300, but I think that is probably overpriced as I've read a lot of reviews of it losing compared to much cheaper dacs.
 
with your headphones, I would personally stay under $200 as they don't really need an amp/dac since for $600+, you can get a pair of really really nice entry level hi-fi headphones. if your budget stretches far beyond that, you may want to look at your return policy

 

[NooBee]

Thank you for your advice money4me247.

 

[NooBee]

Hey Claritas, i just received my Objective2+DAC Combo yesterday. I have to say that right out of the box, i love the sound ( or better yet the absents of). Impressive! Exactly what i was looking for, better resolving power for my music and more power delivery to my cans. My headphone are quite sensitive but they still benefit from better juice. Thanks for the recommend.

 

[Claritas]

You're most welcome. Enjoy!

So the combo doesn't use batteries, right?

 

[NooBee]

Yes, that's correct no batteries. Power transformer is sold separately.

 

[Claritas]

Two things worth knowing about O2+ODAC:

1. Some higher impedance models (e.g., HD600) might sound distorted on high gain at high volume unless you use a more powerful AC/AC supply.

2. If you ever need to use a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter (which is less common than the reverse), use one that connects via a small cable, so as to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the jacks. This is good general advice.