[nirvem]

Hi All,
 
I am looking for a nice headphone amp for my Denon AH-D2000's. I would primarily be using the amp & headphone with my Dell Inspiron laptop (which doesn't have a good soundcard). My budget is $200. I've narrowed my choices down to Audinst hud-mx1 and Asus Xonar Essence. Please let me know your thoughts on which of the two is better. I am not an audiophile, but am a big fan of gear producing good sound. Primary uses: Movies, Music, and Games all on my laptop.
 
I may invest in a good headphone amp in the future (like in a year maybe). Right now, i am looking for a good DAC with a decent amp built-in. The amp/DAC has to work with future upgrades on headphones. Let me know your thoughts on these two. Layman language would be appreciated since I am not a techie.
 
Cheers!

 

[audiofil]

Hi nirvem and welcome to Head-fi!
 
First of all you should be aware that Asus Essence STX is an internal soundcard (PCI Express interface) and will never work on laptops.
Because of that your options are limited to external units only.
 
Second of all, in a direct comparison, Audinst HUD-MX1 performs quite a bit better that any soundcard I've put against (Asus ST, Audiotrak HD-2, EMU 0404USB). This DAC/amp is in my opinion one of the best you can buy under 200$.
 
As far as matching with your Denon D2000 I cannot give you an opinion as I've never listened to this combo.
What I can tell you is that the general sound signature of Audinst is neutral enough to go with a wide range of headphones and the amp is powerful enough to drive decently even demanding headphones, like my AKG K501 (94db/120ohm) and K240DF (88db/600ohm).
 
 
 

 

[Ypoknons]

I understand the STX does digital processing with Dolby Headphone. Many find this invaluable with games, and what's more, it's done in the digital, so the benefits are not lost with a future non-USB external DAC. 

 

[nirvem]

Thanks, audiofil. Just placed an order for the Audinst DAC. How does the DAC portion of Audinst work with other amps? I heard someone say that the Marix M-stage amp/Audinst combo is the best thing you can buy for under $500. thoughts?

 

[DDVX]

Nirvem, I have the setup you are about to have. I am very happy with the audinst. I am not sure about the Matrix M-stage. I would look carefully between the M-stage and the Schiit Asgard.
 
Whoops sorry just realized how old this thread is...So how do you like it?