Amp & dac stack or amp/dac under £300
Jun 9, 2020 at 6:12 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13
michaelgordon

michaelgordon

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So thanks to the people on head-fi ive got quite a lot of info and made some really good informed decisions.

I have my portable sorted with a BTR5 & soon to be Hiby R6 pro and have HD599 & soon LCD-2 classics and will prob get some HD660s as well.

Id like to use these headphones while at desk, possibly fed by my Laptop or phone or R6 but im not sure really where to start. I have the Audeze balanced XLR cable and a mini xlr to 2.5mm trrs for the classics (ill get an adaptor for the Hiby 4.4 out) and i know the 660s come with a 4.4 plug so id like to utilise these and not have to buy different cables.

Im pretty flexible in terms of amp/dac combos or a stack or portable that can double as a desk but im pretty firm on budget even pushing it, id like to be under £400 if possible and needs to be available in UK so any Drop recommendations are no good as get killed on import taxes. I looked at a Schiit stack but no stock, looked at the element but again not in stock anywhere.

Suggestions?
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 4:16 PM Post #2 of 13
The only amp I seen that has a 4,4mm balanced port is the Topping A90. but that is an amp only and costs 500 usd.

I would go with the Topping E30 (dac) and a JDS labs Atom (amp) stack setup.
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 5:04 PM Post #5 of 13
michaelgordon said:
That dac seems ok and two recommendations.

Can't get any schiit in UK at moment. What about the topping A50 amp or the smsl balanced amps?
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Should be good but they cost more.
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 5:56 PM Post #6 of 13
michaelgordon said:
That dac seems ok and two recommendations.

Can't get any schiit in UK at moment. What about the topping A50 amp or the smsl balanced amps?
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You don't need to get it from the UK and chances are it won't be back in UK stock for a long time because of COVID-19. I ordered mine from Schiit USA and it got here in less than 5 days.

EDIT: I'm in the UK too.
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 6:08 PM Post #8 of 13
michaelgordon said:
Really. What were the import fees? That's sort of why I don't want to import.
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Total cost including shipping was $146.24 dollars which converts to £114.88. Schiit Heresy is £115 from Schiit UK, I got it from the US shipped and delivered for 12p less. Funny how that works out, UK always getting ****ed lol. Anyway If you opt for the JDS Atom then you're in the same situation and will have to ship from the US because JDS Labs don't have a UK retailer as far as I'm aware. Both the Heresy and Atom are so similar and you most likely will not hear the difference at all so with that being said I'd say get the Heresy for the better build quality and higher power output. Honestly under £300/$300 it's hard to beat the Topping E30 and Schiit Heresy/JDS Atom combo.
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 6:19 PM Post #10 of 13
michaelgordon said:
Cheers. Really helpful that. Would you still pick the topping over a schiit dac the Modi 3
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No problem, you're welcome. As far as measurements go the Topping E30 outperforms the Modi 3 considerably, E30 is very transparent and clean as is the Schiit Heresy and JDS Atom. Whilst the E30 measures better than the Modi 3, the Modi 3 does not perform bad, it is still excellent as a DAC. Get the Modi 3 + Heresy if you want to stack that Schiit and have it look nice on your desk or get the E30 + Heresy if you want the best for the money.
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 6:37 PM Post #11 of 13
Perhaps worth considering SMSL SP200 to pair with Topping E30. Alternatively may be worth considering the Sabaj D5 (£410 on Amazon) if you are using balanced XLR output to your headphones. The DAC on it is excellent (I use the DAC with my Focal Utopia) and the XLR output is quite powerful on it, easily drives my Focal Stellia. The 1/4" isn't the most powerful though.
 
Jun 9, 2020 at 9:00 PM Post #12 of 13
michaelgordon said:
So thanks to the people on head-fi ive got quite a lot of info and made some really good informed decisions.

I have my portable sorted with a BTR5 & soon to be Hiby R6 pro and have HD599 & soon LCD-2 classics and will prob get some HD660s as well.

Id like to use these headphones while at desk, possibly fed by my Laptop or phone or R6 but im not sure really where to start. I have the Audeze balanced XLR cable and a mini xlr to 2.5mm trrs for the classics (ill get an adaptor for the Hiby 4.4 out) and i know the 660s come with a 4.4 plug so id like to utilise these and not have to buy different cables.

Im pretty flexible in terms of amp/dac combos or a stack or portable that can double as a desk but im pretty firm on budget even pushing it, id like to be under £400 if possible and needs to be available in UK so any Drop recommendations are no good as get killed on import taxes. I looked at a Schiit stack but no stock, looked at the element but again not in stock anywhere.

Suggestions?
Click to expand...
My R6Pro came with a 2.5 to 4.4 adapter. It will have no problems with those headphones as it can drive my Abyss fairly well and has no problems with the HE-500’s.
 
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