[AuburnEagle23]

Hello there everyone.  I have had my Sennheiser HD700s for a little while now and absolutely love them.  However,  I just got done building a new pc and decided to not have a dedicated sound card and go for an external amplifier and dac possibly.  I have never owned an external amplifier/dac combo before and was curious what everyone's input would be for a good selection.  I primarily use the HD700s for classical, pop, jazz and opera in addition to gaming. 
 
I have read stellar reviews about Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies Duo, however; at $1199-$1598, that is a pretty hefty price, and for my purposes as well as not really being a true audiophile, I don't know if I would benefit from that particular amp/dac combo.  Not that I am opposed to paying more money, I just am not sure about the cost/benefit I would get out of it, since I have never heard the difference.
 
Which is why I figured I would stop in and check with my friends here at Head-Fi, since you guys have vastly more knowledge them myself.
 
Thanks for the input.

 

[AuburnEagle23]

bump

 

[AuburnEagle23]

Bump - anyone have any input?

 

[AuburnEagle23]

Anyone have any insight at all?  If I am in the wrong thread, please let me know, happy to post somewhere else.

 

[mindbomb]

my first instinct is the jds labs element with low gain.

 

[AuburnEagle23]

My dac/amp knowledge is pretty limited, so what would the Woo Audio Fireflies offer that the JDS Labs The Element does not?  Main thing I suppose is the fact that the Fireflies is an actual tube amp?

 

[mindbomb]

Well, there's that, and also the woo is a discrete amp and the jds labs uses op-amps, so that lowers cost a lot. The hd700 has modest power requirements, so the element might even be considered overkill. There's also the asus xonar essence stx, and that's a favorite among gamers cause it has dolby headphone for headphone surround sound.