[B-Dawk20]

Finally decided to take the next step in my pursuit for better audio and I am saving up for an amp. I have a few requirements though so bear with me.

- Must be under $250
- Must be a USB DAC and AMP combo
- Must be able to power cans like the K701 and HD650 at least. I plan on getting one of those two in the future along with some alessandro MS1s for my next can.

I know those might be hard to find some quality products in but it is my first amp and I am not willing to spend a great deal so far. I wanna take smaller steps in making my setup better. That, and I'm pretty short on dough heh.

So far I've been looking at the head-direct EF2 and Maverick D1. Any other good ones?

 

[BIG POPPA]

WOW....

 

[MomijiTMO]

Look I'll just come out and say that no product will deliver all your needs for that price. This is only because of the last point -> driving both of those headphones is not easy and both don't sound the same unamped compared to just a low-fi amp.

This is your first amp/dac so I'd advise you to get a FOTM so you can sell it as you upgrade. Out of those two, I'd toss a coin

.

 

[B-Dawk20]

The reviews I've seen have said both amps drive the HD650 well and I know the maverick can do the K701 nicely according to the people I've seen in the D! thread. I'm not looking for the best synergy in the world, but from my research though there are only a few of them, there are some good amps that can do some of these cans at this price point.

 

[Edoardo]

AKG k701 and Sennheiser HD650 are both difficult to pilot but... one is a difficult low-impedance phone... the other is a difficult hi-impedance phone...
They need very different things, which are both difficult to find in a phone amp.

You will be lucky if you find an amp that drives just one of them well for that price.

 

[B-Dawk20]

I feel you, and I knew that coming into the topic, it just seems that those two amps I listed had enough backing from what I've seen to fit my needs, especially the D1. I would be glad to see someone whose had experience with at least those two help me out here but even then, I'm sure those are what I'm looking for. The only other amp I could think of that might be what I'm looking for is the Zero amp/dac but i've heard some awful things about it.

Bottom line, as long as you can suggest something that at least does one of them well, I'll be fine with that because I know they are two different kinds of headphones and it does lead to problems. But without being overly picky, I'm 100% sure that if it is like the EF2 and the D1, then it couldn't do that bad of a job. But who am I to say I guess, I'm not as experienced as you guys here. So if it is that big of an issue, then don't worry about the third requirement.

 

[MomijiTMO]

What you need to find is someone with a higher end amp who has heard those 2 amps to actually know if they drive the HD650/K701 well. I thought the K701 sounded amazing out of the STX I had - then I upgraded and realised it wasn't.

This is Head-Fi - half the people are following each other and posting the impressions of others as their own. Be careful

Even 'experienced' members, which I am not, might not be trust worthy

.

 

[B-Dawk20]

Heh, very truthful. Thanks for your insight.

 

[Zeroblade]

I suppose a Beresford could satisfy the first two. If you could bump up your budget by like 100 or so Dollars, get the Audio gd FUN.

 

[B-Dawk20]

Naw can't do that.

 

[Zeroblade]

Oh, you could also get the nuforce uDAC, and then a little headphone amp worth 150 bucks.

 

[TheBigCW]

uDac + Headfive?

 

[B-Dawk20]

Oh, also momiji, I wanted to add to my statement and say the reason why I also am considering the D1 and the EF2 is that the best reviews were from people with high end systems who admitted that while their hifi systems are definitely superior, the low end amps they tested or had were definitely enjoyable.

Oh and that DAC looked nice and all but I'd still need an amp and at 150, I think I might find it harder to find one worth my time or that I see enough good things about for me to pull the trigger.

edit: oh didn't see the poster above me, I might look into the headfive. I remember seeing you in the maverick thread, how has it been treating you?

 

[Zeroblade]

Oh, here's something that might interest you:

USB Audio - USB Headphone Amp - USB DAC Headphone Amp - Fubar III USB DAC / Headphone Amplifier

It's an amp/DAC for about 230 bucks; haven't read anything about it though.

 

[unl3a5h3d]

Maybe the Audio GD Compass? It has an amp and USB DAC built in. A used one should be in your budget.