Headphone AMP/DAC for desktop use

[Bogeyman]

I'm looking to buy an AMP/DAC for use with headphones and my desktop computer.
I don't have a particular budget in mind, but I'm not paying for placebo or the brand. I could pay upwards of maybe $600 with the right sales pitch, but I want something tangible that I'm paying the extra for. On the other hand, even if it would be as cheap as let's say $50 I wouldn't buy it if it has any clear flaws that could be remedied by paying a bit more.

The needs I'm looking to fulfill is mostly:
- I want to get rid of my SoundBlaster AE-5 (freeing up the PCIe slot)
- I like switching between headphones so having an amp/dac on my desk makes that more convenient.
- Will be used for both gaming (so I don't want added latency) and music (more on that later)

In terms of audio quality requirements I'm not looking for anything too fancy but I'm quite picky when it comes to sound clarity. As an example I find headphones like Bose QC3 and Sennheiser PCX 550 a bit muddy, while the Sennheiser Momentum 2 I find clear. It could just be a matter of frequency response and maybe it's fixable with EQ, but I've never tried.
Regardless, if at all an AMP/DAC could influence that positively or negatively, that is something I care about.

I don't aim to change the characteristics of any of my headphones with the AMP/DAC, so no tubes, I just want the sound to be accurate and detailed. If there is a particular AMP/DAC that would fit my collection then that's great but not necessary.
The headphones I use the most are:
Oppo PM-3
AKG K371

I also own but don't use as much:
AKG Q701 (right driver not working atm, might try to fix them, or replace with new open-back headphones)
ATH m50x (they're just outshined by my other headphones, so almost never use them. I do find them a bit "unclear" actually)
Drop x THX Panda Wireless (I use them wired through USB-C sometimes, might use it with the AMP/DAC if I notice any benefits. Though I honestly prefer the Oppo PM-3 and they use the same driver anyway)

I listen to a lot of different types of music. Mostly it's various forms of metal music, like Russian folk metal, progressive metal, heck even medieval/renaissance metal. The same goes for many sub-genres of rock, like psychadelic stoner rock. But just because it's metal and rock doesn't mean it can't be very varied and layered and so dynamic range and sound separation is very relevant. I often listen very intently to music rather than just having it on in the background, so if I can pick out some nuance thanks to better audio equipment then that has some worth to me.

I don't listen to any of my CDs since I don't have an optical drive anymore, but I do have a collection of FLAC files although admittedly I usually listen to Spotify because I don't have FLAC files for all the things I want to listen to.

Any suggestions?
edit:
Oh and if it would happen to be portable as well, that could be nice for using some of my wired headphones on the go.

 

[pbui44]

Check out the Schiit Hel:

https://www.schiit.com/products/hel-2

 

[MikeO3]

Any suggestions?
edit:
Oh and if it would happen to be portable as well, that could be nice for using some of my wired headphones on the go.

Not cheap but surely functional and portable.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/idsd-diablo/

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Topping DX7 Pro review here and here. Interesting also is Audio-gd's R2R R11. An R2R DAC w/c has warm and organic spund with powerful SE amp section. If you want a more neutral sound check its ESS version NFB-11.38.

 

[r08zy]

Check out the Schiit Hel:

https://www.schiit.com/products/hel-2

What are you using as a mic when gaming? Do you have a USB mic at the moment? If so it may be worth looking a bit higher up the schiit line if you can e.g. modius and magnius will serve you well for years to come (as long as upgradeitis doesn't strike too soon).

If you use something like a mod mic the HEL is a great bit of kit

 

[Ryodan]

I recommend the ifi zen dac, it costs 130$ and it sounds fantastic and have plenty of power for your headphones.

 

[Mightygrey]

The JDS Labs Element II sounds like it could be great for your desktop. The giant volume wheel on top is a winner.

 

[Bogeyman]

Hi again and thank you all for your suggestions!
I had a busy week so I didn't quite find the time to look up all these items, until now.

Check out the Schiit Hel:

https://www.schiit.com/products/hel-2

What are you using as a mic when gaming? Do you have a USB mic at the moment? If so it may be worth looking a bit higher up the schiit line if you can e.g. modius and magnius will serve you well for years to come (as long as upgradeitis doesn't strike too soon).

If you use something like a mod mic the HEL is a great bit of kit

Initially when I was looking up the Schiit Hel I was pretty happy but there was just something not quite right. Then I noticed there's a Schiit Hel 2, newly released (the new Schiit) and looking very versatile. Going with the Schiit Hel 2 I think for me would completely bypass the whole concept of needing an upgrade, because if ever I wanted something even more premium I could just pair the Hel 2 with my TV and (non-Xbox) consoles and it's not really like I'm upgrading I'm just getting something more with the next purchase.

I also really like being able to switch between two digital inputs. That means I could connect it via USB to my work laptop and optical from my stationary setup. This will actually make my life easier while working and suddenly I need to join a call then I just switch over to USB input.

So this is a strong contender. Even though I mostly use an AntLion ModMic Wireless for gaming and an AntLion ModMic USB for my work laptop, neither of which I could use with the Hel. But I like having the option and I just might buy an arm mounted mic in the future as an option to my wireless mic.

However... if I do buy a mic and connect to the Hel 2, will the source switch also switch where the mic input goes? Because S/PDIF supports two channels of audio, which are both used since it's stereo audio right? So then my mic audio has no way to get to my stationary computer since the USB is connected to my work laptop.
Or am I misunderstanding the S/PDIF specification?

Not cheap but surely functional and portable.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/idsd-diablo/

Holy cannoli, you weren't kidding about the price. It is indeed portable and supports stuff like MQA which the Hel doesn't. Portability is nice, the rest I'm not sure matters too much to me and the price premium for just portability and indeed losing some stuff/quality I like about the Schiit Hel 2 makes it an incredibly hard sell.

Topping DX7 Pro review here and here. Interesting also is Audio-gd's R2R R11. An R2R DAC w/c has warm and organic spund with powerful SE amp section. If you want a more neutral sound check its ESS version NFB-11.38.

The Topping DX7 Pro looks good for sure and has everything I need. Not having a mic input isn't a big deal since I don't need it now, I'd just probably not end up buying an arm-mounted mic anytime soon. But the fact that I could buy such a mic, a damn good one too, plus the Schiit Hel 2 for the price of the Topping DX7 Pro... hmm yeah I'd really need to know I'm actually getting something extra out of the DX7 Pro for it to be worth it.
And maybe it does:
- Even lower distortion, not that I'd probably notice.
- Wireless transmission using probably aptX HD/LL with my Drop x THX Panda Wireless. I don't know what codec Windows 10 uses (doesn't say anywhere), I just know it sounds noticeably worse than when I use aptX HD through my smartphone.
- Supports DSD, which is more likely to be useful to me in the future compared to MQA (which is a bit questionable, as pointed out by Schiit and others)
- Has a remote, though it's also one more device to keep track of (I misplace things...)
- Can save audio levels per source, which is pretty neat
- A lot of connectivity

At the end of the day I don't think I would miss any of these too much, not for some years to come. It has some value for sure, but maybe not quite enough for the price.

Regarding the R2R, I feel like I have a harder time judging what more I'm getting there besides DSD and DXD support, and the option for neutral/warm sound setting.
I guess it's just higher end, higher quality somehow? It lacks some features I like with the Hel 2 so it makes it hard to justify unless I could find somewhere to listen to it.

I recommend the ifi zen dac, it costs 130$ and it sounds fantastic and have plenty of power for your headphones.

That's pretty good value!

I prefer the connectivity of the Hel 2 and I'd really miss out on the convenience of a source switch.
From the reviews it seems to emphasize the bass a bit, which is okay though I'd probably prefer it to be neutral and just have "truebass" if I want more bass with a particular headphone.

It seems good for the price and if felt like saving for something else I'm sure I'd still be happy with the iFi Zen DAC.

The JDS Labs Element II sounds like it could be great for your desktop. The giant volume wheel on top is a winner.

I am having a hard time finding somewhere to buy this and have it shipped to Sweden. I see it on the German Amazon site but I can't add it to cart and it doesn't list a price.
If I could buy it somewhere it should be about twice the price of the Hel 2 and it looks like what it offers is less or at best it's equal to the Hel 2, maybe it's higher end equipment (I don't even know) but it lacks features in comparison. That's not to say it's bad, it's getting good reviews. It definitely fits what I was looking for, until I realized the Hel 2 offers features I didn't even consider.

It could be that I'm suffering from confirmation bias... I mean I must be to some degree as I clearly have become a bit fixated with the Hel 2.
Nonetheless I can't find good arguments to go for anything else unless it's something higher end that also has more features like the Topping DX7 Pro or something significantly cheaper that only cuts away stuff I don't need yet.

What do you say, am I missing something? Or do I just go for the Schiit Hel 2?
If the mic input actually does work through S/PDIF (it doesn't... right?) then I think that's just the final nail even though it won't matter until I decide to buy that arm-mounted mic...
If it doesn't work, I'll need to give it some more thought but it still seems like a great option.