[joachimvhw]

Hi
 
My new AKG550 get static from my onboard RealTek soundcard, and people advised me to buy a DAC, which should also increase sound quality significantly. I've been looking for a good DAC for these headphones, and there's a few recurring names. Could someone shed some light on which would be better?
 
HRT Musicstreamer HD was my first choice, unfortunately its output impedance (about 50ohms) makes this a bad match for my headphones (30ohms). Now my main options are HRT microstreamer (top choice currently, raving reviews on these forums) and dragonfly (1.0 or 1.2), Then again, apparently o2+ODAC is good too, as is Magni+Modi , etc... I'm mainly buying for classical music, by the way, but I listen to rock, electronic music, ... as well. Thank you for your advice.

 

[cel4145]

Just for clarification, know that you need a DAC that has a built in headphone amp. A stand alone DAC alone is not meant to power headphones.

The AKG K550 are easy to drive. Most good DAC/amps would serve them well.

Magni and Modi are very good, and while the O2 and ODAC are excellent, similar in class to the Magni/Modi. Audio-GD NFB-15 is good.

For less money, the HRT Microstreamer and Dragonfly are certainly good choices given that the K550 are easy to drive. You would likely see very good improvement with them, with much less significant gains on going with something more expensive.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Or perhaps the Fiio E10K

 

[mattris]

I'd also recommend these 3 DAC/headphone amps: the Fiio E07K, Fiio E17K, and Fiio E18. (http://www.fiio.net/en/products)
 
Unlike the Fiio E10K (which is a desktop-ONLY DAC/headphone amp), those 3 models are portable can be used on-the-go with your smartphone or DAP.
 
Also keep in mind that your new K550s will sound a bit loose/rough/grainy until they've had significant burn-in time. After 150-200 hours of moderate-volume playback, they will have settled-in to their sound signature... which is quite impressive, considering their price.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Or perhaps the Fiio E10K

 
+1 FiiO E10K
or maybe the Schiit Fulla?

 

[joachimvhw]

Thanks for the replies, I ordered a MicroStreamer, maybe I'll post impressions of the combo if there's any interest.