[CSdread]

I would agree with the dangerous source but that is in a totally different price point. I should also say that I use mine in a living room environment. It is apart of an entertainment system which required a remote when i was buying. As far as driving headphones, it is not the most powerful but I find with my HE-400i which are lower-high tier of hard to drive that it gets plenty loud and their is not much distortion. Though my whole listening range (and I like it loud) I found it to shine.

 

[ryry1]

 
For monitors, it is fine. I use my DC-1 to drive monitors and it works flawlessly. The inputs and outputs meet my requirement perfectly. However, the headphone amplifier is meh for me. So I exclusively use the DC-1 in a 2.0 home theatre speaker setup.
 
For my desktop rig, where I need both headphone and speaker control, I use my Dangerous Source. Its headphone amplifier section is definitely better than the DC-1 and works with a wider variety of headphones. I even run my HD 800 off the Dangerous Source. It costs more than the DC-1, but if you can pull it, its the better solution. However, do take into account that the DC-1 has a remote which you can control from far. With the Dangerous Source, you have to turn the knob...sound vs. convenience.

Thanks for the input.  To be clear, my Denon AH-D600's don't require a lot of power to drive, which is why I'm not entirely worried about having the highest end headphone amp on the market.  If I was running HD-800's like you or LCD's then it would be a bigger requirement.  Really I'm just looking for a convenient all in one solution upgrade that will get me better all around sound.  I use speakers primarily for music, and my headphones are strictly used for gaming, so I'm not really listening to high fidelity audio at all via headphones. As long as they sound as good or better than my current X-Fi Titanium solution I'll be happy.  the X-Fi has held up just fine over the years but I've always been curious as to what I'm missing out on with a more expensive external DAC.  I'm also looking to upgrade my studio monitors at the same time and I am looking at the Emotiva Airmotiv 6s, so I think the pairing would work out great.  Any additional input would be helpful, but as long as the headphone amp is "above average" I'm not super worried.  If it sounds like garbage then maybe I'll look elsewhere, but it doesn't seem like anyone is pointing at that.

 

[Happytalk]

The headphone amp is better than most make it out to be. I use it a night with anything from er4s to HD 600's. Sounds good to me. I'm sure we always can find ways to upgrade, but it's solid, and I get plenty of listening pleasure. I primarily use it as a DAC connected to a vintage integrated and then to some vandersteen 1c floor standing speakers. Performs beautifully in my opinion. The best parts of it are the DAC and the features/input choices.

 

[Sal1950]

DC-1's headphone amp sounds absolutely gorgeous driving difficult loads like my Senn HD-650s. I am totally satisfied with both the DAC and amp sections and short of it blowing up, it will most likely serve as my complete digital front end for the next decade or more.
They offer a 30 day free listen, what have you got to lose?

 

[defbear]

When first announced, I ordered a Cavalli Liquid Carbon. A lot of my headphones have balanced cabling, so I wanted a balanced amp.  While looking for a DAC to go with the Cavalli amp, I stumbled on the DC-1.  It was a good size and had all of the features that I wanted in a DAC, so I bought it.  The DC-1 headphone amp was a bonus, which I used while waiting for the Liquid Carbon.  It's quite good.  If I wasn't looking for balanced, I would be quite happy with the DC-1 amp section. 

I did the exact same thing. And even though my Liquid Carbon was sitting right next to it, I used my hd598's with the DC-1 headphone amp last night. The Emotiva all by itself is a Great Setup.

 

[ryry1]

Glad to see all the positive commentary, makes my decision that much easier.

 

[Happytalk]

Go for it.

 

[Wayde]

I'm interested in this unit. Does it have balanced headphone outs?
 
I see that it has balanced XLR outputs on the back, but are those un-amplified outputs designed to output to an amp or can I hook headphones up to them for a full balanced headphone dac/amp experience?
 
I'm a balanced headphone noob, never experienced it but I'd like to try it.
 
Thanks

 

[CSdread]

No above you can read that it is a bad idea to connect headphones to the XLR out. Also the 1/8" headphone jacks on the front are both single ended, not balanced. The XLR should be piped into to something like a Liquid Carbon or any other balanced amp. You can configure if the line outs are fixed volume or variable with the POT.

 

[Wayde]

No above you can read that it is a bad idea to connect headphones to the XLR out. Also the 1/8" headphone jacks on the front are both single ended, not balanced. The XLR should be piped into to something like a Liquid Carbon or any other balanced amp. You can configure if the line outs are fixed volume or variable with the POT.

Thanks for the quick answer. 
 
Any other recommendations on balanced solid state amp-only?
The Cavalli looks great. That's the absolute max I'd consider spending. Anything comparable around that price range or less?

 

[defbear]

Thanks for the quick answer. 

Any other recommendations on balanced solid state amp-only?

The Cavalli looks great. That's the absolute max I'd consider spending. Anything comparable around that price range or less?

Schiit Mjolnir 2 is $849.00.

 

[CSdread]

There are probably some great threads on this site about balanced headphone amps with no DACs under 1k

 

[greenkiwi]

@Wayde what headphones are you going to be using?  What DAC?  What amp are you currently using?
 
At least personally, balanced tends to be a sonic change that happens well after headphones/DACs/good amplification.
 
The DC-1 is a very good sounding functional DAC+HPA.  
 
You might also look into the Mojo... or see if you could pick up a geek pulse infinity...  The schiit option above is interesting, but you'd need a DAC too.

 

[Wayde]

  @Wayde what headphones are you going to be using?  What DAC?  What amp are you currently using?
 
At least personally, balanced tends to be a sonic change that happens well after headphones/DACs/good amplification.
 
The DC-1 is a very good sounding functional DAC+HPA.  
 
You might also look into the Mojo... or see if you could pick up a geek pulse infinity...  The schiit option above is interesting, but you'd need a DAC too.

Hi @greenkiwi  
 
I just got a pair of Audeze LCD-3s. My headphone "system":
 
Media - Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6V2
DAC - NuForce DAC80
Amp - Antique Sound Lab MG HEAD DT OTL MKIII

I'm very happy with the present system. But I had never used headphones like the LCD-3 before. 

I got a really good deal on the Emotiva Stealt CD1, and the fact that it has balanced outs appealed to me for potential future use with a balanced amp. I don't have it yet (it's in the mail) but hopefully it's an upgrade and not just a lateral move from what I already have.
 
The NuForce DAC is well-built and uses the AKM AK4390 DAC chip. But I think the Emo will constitute an upgrade as it has better electronics inside with two DAC chips using separate pathways or whatever.

I'd like to have a digital amp around anyway, I love my tube amp but I'd like the ability to switch it out once in awhile. If I got a decent amp I'd like the balanced option between the Emo/amp and then use the balanced cable that came with my LCD-3.

My local hi-fi shop dude, who is very friendly and supportive of my addiction to upgrades, has offered to let me take home a test unit to try out the Ayre Codex, which he is pretty sure would constitute an upgrade from what I am presently using. 
 
I bought the Emo thinking it offered fully balanced, amplified outs for my headphones... I misunderstood. I'm not disappointed at all. Emotiva has a good reputation and a friend uses it who swears by it. I'm sure it's great!

Once my LCD-3s are fully broken in I want to do a showdown between my Emotiva Stealth (unbalanced outs) and the Ayre Codex using its balanced out to see if I can actually hear a difference.

I'm still undecided. I would like to avoid buying a $2K dac/amp in the near future but... if the Codex totally blows me away and unlocks performance undreamed of in my LCD-3s I might have to. I remain open minded but I am skeptical that the Codex - balanced will be a clear-cut winner over the Emotiva.

 

[defbear]

I have the Emotiva Dac1 and I have a Pono Player. It is the Ayer Codex's little brother. You should hear a big improvement with the Codex in Balanced mode. Yet, I use my Emotiva with A Liquid Carbon. I thought of the Emotiva 1/8 headphone outputs to be a sort of 'Courtesy Output'. But I found I like it. My hd598's love it. So I do listen to the Emotiva sometimes, even when other Major amps are nearby. But, your lcd3''s will benefit from a bigger amp.