[caracara08]

Quote:

I have the perfect solution for you..Matrix M stage with an HRT Music Streamer II+, or you can even go with the regular MS II, which is still a pretty decent dac from what i hear. Use a regular usb wire from monoprice and buy small 1 foot or so rca's from blue jeans cables. They make a specific rca that is quite thin and flexible without sacrificing quality. I have the MSII+ with a Fiio E9 and that set up is great, and I plan to get the M stage soon. That is a pretty sick set up, and can be portable.
 
 
 

nice setup. if i was going ultra desk saving and had a d7000, this would be one of the setups id strongly consider. 
 

 

[n-phect]

This is my setup
 
Musiland Monitor 02 > Corda Arietta > d7000
 
 
 

 

 

[jc9394]

Quote:

Isn't the Burson a bit overkill for headphones that have an impedance of 25 ohms and sensitivity of 108dB (those ratings make the D7000 easier to drive than tons of portable headphones)? I don't think the D7000 needs a high-end amp to shine. Oh well, I don't wanna get on anyone's backs about it. If you like it, that's what really matters.

I don't think it is an overkill, I actually prefer the Burson over the WA22 with D7000.
 
Here is my bedroom rig...
 

 

[jronan2]

I love the burson, its actually the amp I wanted to get for my D7K and LCD 2's. But as you can see in my pic my nightstand above couldn't fit that bad boy, and my laptop. Plus it would look stupid with the burson and then a tiny little MSII+ dac on top. Plus I love the option of portability. But great set up dude I wish I had the room.

 

[169380]

z

 

[jronan2]

Quote:

@jronan - i think your solution is perfect for size, and isnt too expensive either. where's the best place to get the music streamer? The cheapest I've seen the II+ for is $400, so I'll probably just get the regular MSII version for $250. 

I don't know where your from but I bought mine for $290 open box somewhere through amazon. It was in new condition when I got it so I was very happy.The going price in the US is $349, but if your not in a hurry, I'm sure you can find one around $300. Even if you buy one at $350, I still think its a good value. Check out this review,  this is also a good site for other head fi reviews:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/hrt-music-streamer-ii-2496-usb-dac/2/
 
 

 

[dagothur]

Nuforce Icon HDP.  It's six inches tall, and 3.5 inches long standing.  $450 MSRP and works amazingly with the Denons.  Amp, preamp, and DAC.

 

[codeninja]

If you use a iDevice, iStreamer makes more sense. Speaking of RCA cable, nothing beats 1.5feet cable from mono price at $2.10. Very well made.

 

[jronan2]

HDP is another great option. I just never tried one before. But the good things about the denons is theres a lot of alternatives to make them shine without breaking the bank.The Dacport is also around the price range and gets rave reviews, and according to many here is just as good as the HDP performance wise, and ultra portable. Even if thats too expensive I'm telling you don't count the E9 out, for $130 bucks the thing sounds energizing. Once I replaced the e7 with the MSII+ that little system just came to life. I really don't even need to upgrade I just been wanting to get the M stage for a while now. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Arcamera]

Man, I am loving these headphones. They are sooo good. Sorry nothing significant to contribute. Just enthusiasm

 

[169380]

Quote:

Nuforce Icon HDP.  It's six inches tall, and 3.5 inches long standing.  $450 MSRP and works amazingly with the Denons.  Amp, preamp, and DAC.

I was just about to get the HD version without the preamp for $350 before the M Stage and the Music Streamer was recommended. Having done my research, the Icon HD seems to have a great DAC and a mediocre amp. With the M Stage and MSII, I'd be getting a phenomenal amp and a great DAC for $500, $50 more than the HDP.
 
Is the Dacport just a DAC on its own? Does it have RCA outputs to connect to an amp? And is it better than the MSII

 

[jronan2]

Quote:

I was just about to get the HD version without the preamp for $350 before the M Stage and the Music Streamer was recommended. Having done my research, the Icon HD seems to have a great DAC and a mediocre amp. With the M Stage and MSII, I'd be getting a phenomenal amp and a great DAC for $500, $50 more than the HDP.
 
Is the Dacport just a DAC on its own? Does it have RCA outputs to connect to an amp? And is it better than the MSII

You can use the dacport as either a dac or both a dac and amp, just like the HDP, which makes it very attractive. There are people people on here that have used it just as a dac or both, I haven't really heard nothing but great things about the dacport. There is a thread on here dedicated to the dacport you should check it out. I'll give one last recommendation just because I have one and use it it my main rig, the Yulong D100. It is an excellent dac and the amp portion isnt too shabby either, I can run my DT 990's on high gain no problem. Beautiful combo piece, but If your looking for ultra portability i'd go with the others mentioned.
 

 

[169380]

z

 

[jronan2]

Quote:

Aside from the M Stage and MSII, I'm now considering the Dacport or the Icon HD. However the Dacport is $400, whilst the Icon HD is $350. Would you say that the Dacport is $50 better than the Icon HD? From what I have heard, the HD is more versatile (it has RCA and SPDIF ports), and is marginally better in terms of SQ. 

I can't answer this one since I haven't tried the nuforce unfortunately. Maybe someone on here has tried both, but I still think the M stage and MSII would be the best solution just because I know how well the synergy between the streamer and D7K, and the M Stage isn't all that big and sort of be future proof if you decide to get other headphones down the road. Say if you upgraded to a harder to push headphone both the nuforce or dacport might not have enough juice for your liking. The M stage could probably power any headphone thrown at it from high impedence beyers to most if not all of the ortho's out there, and has been said on here to have great synergy with the D7K. I was stuck between the M stage and asgard and I'm going with the M Stage probably in a week or 2. 
 
Best advice is to try and get your amp and dac right the first time, so when you hit that upgrade bug you don't have to completely change around your whole system and potentially lose money.

 

[169380]

I don't think I'll ever be looking to upgrade amps/DACs after this purchase as I believe that any amp over $300 is not worth the extra money, especially with the type of music that I listen to. I know that I definitely won't upgrade from my D7000s as every other headphone in the similar price range has too many cons for me so the M Stage being 'future proof' does not matter to me.
I think that I'll go with the M Stage and the MSII when I get the money, and in the meantime I'll just listen straight out of my Cowon J3.