[jcwyly]

I've read basically every piece of information I can find about pairings for the Beyerdynamic T1, but most of the threads I've seen seem to be pretty out of date. And there also seems to be a significant gap between setups... recommendations tend to start at ~500-600 for a DAC and AMP, and then jump straight up into 2000+. I come to you today to ask your assistance in filling that gap. Specifically, recommendations and suggestions (hopefully from personal experience) regarding DAC and AMP or C-C-Combo for about $1000 total.
 
My initial thoughts are just to fill this hole with Schiit. In threads over the past few years I see a lot of references to the mid-range Schiit stack (Vallhalla + Bifrost), which retails at about $700 before upgrades. Would then the current go-to be Valhalla 2 + Bifrost 2? Some seem to also prefer the Lyr to the Valhalla but after hearing descriptions I think the Valhalla would be preferable to my uses.
 
Obviously the T1s are pretty well known to be particularly good with tubes as they can be bright with some ss amps.  So I've seen amps like the LIttle Dot IV recommended in a few places, though not many. And I wouldn't really know what DAC to pair it with.
 
Other popular options would include something like the Woo Audio WA3, though there doesn't seem to be a specific DAC recommended with that.
 
Or we could take the road less travelled by and get a c-c-combo such as the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies, which has many good reviews... And a few very mysterious very bad reviews.
 
 
Feel free to ignore my specific request and instead just discuss your thoughts on THE BEST setup possible for the T1, or even the best DAC and AMP that can be had for $1000 together.
 
 
 
For user-specific (Me) recommendations, my taste is mostly in metal (power mostly... and Iron Maiden, but I dabble across the board), 60s-70s R&B (Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder!), Symphonic (More soundtracks than "real" classical), Jazz.... But I also occasionally dip into soft rock (Neil DIamond, Gordon Lightfoot), rap (Jay-Z), classic rock (Zepplin, Stones, Eagles), and "Oldies" (Beach boys, Dion).  So that probably doesn't help at all except to say I'm not a basshead. So I'll just say I'm not a basshead, though I do appreciate it being there.

 

[wberghofer]

  Feel free to ignore my specific request and instead just discuss your thoughts on THE BEST setup possible for the T1, or even the best DAC and AMP that can be had for $1000 together.

 
I have no idea about the best setup possible for the T1, because I didn’t try out the many DAC/amp combinations available in your price range. However, from my own personal experience I can highly recommend the Schiit Bifrost and the Schiit Valhalla (both first generation models without any upgrades) for these headphones. To my ears the Valhalla sounds better than the Lyr, although the Valhalla can be had for less money than the Lyr. Don’t have any hands-on experience with the second generation Valhalla and Lyr amps.
 
Werner.

 

[grrorr76]

   
I have no idea about the best setup possible for the T1, because I didn’t try out the many DAC/amp combinations available in your price range. However, from my own personal experience I can highly recommend the Schiit Bifrost and the Schiit Valhalla (both first generation models without any upgrades) for these headphones. To my ears the Valhalla sounds better than the Lyr, although the Valhalla can be had for less money than the Lyr. Don’t have any hands-on experience with the second generation Valhalla and Lyr amps.
 
Werner.

I have a pair of t1's with a valhalla 2 and I can say its a wonderful combination. One just has to get the rite combination of tubes rolled in though for your tastes.