[SpirosG]

  Hi, my configuration is currently composed of a NAS synology DS213J -> SOTM SMS 100 -> Asus Essence STU -> Hifiman HE-500. I plan to upgrade my dac/heaphone amplifier, the Asus Essence STU, and after reading a lot of forums, 4 names came in :

1. Benchmark DAC2 HGC
2. Oppo HA-1
3. Mytek 192 DSD
4. Fostex HP-A8C

 
And now, i'm a little bit confused with the power needed to drive the HE-500 (can they do the job), any advice is welcome

these are all excellent units, but mainly as dac ... they don't have the power needed to properly drive the 500s ... For mine, I finally picked an Audio-Gd product... fantastic sound and enough power at a low price ... however, there is no such a thing as a free meal ... Audio-gd has buggy as hell  (I mean the drivers) usb input ... if you can play with spdif you should go ahead ...  

 

[guido]

  Hi, my configuration is currently composed of a NAS synology DS213J -> SOTM SMS 100 -> Asus Essence STU -> Hifiman HE-500. I plan to upgrade my dac/heaphone amplifier, the Asus Essence STU, and after reading a lot of forums, 4 names came in :

1. Benchmark DAC2 HGC
2. Oppo HA-1
3. Mytek 192 DSD
4. Fostex HP-A8C

 
And now, i'm a little bit confused with the power needed to drive the HE-500 (can they do the job), any advice is welcome

Do not forget the B.M.C. Puredac!!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/657108/new-b-m-c-puredac-digital-to-analog-converter-balanced-headphone-amp-preamp-1690-and-free-ground-shipping-in-the-u-s/30#post_11063648

 

[SpirosG]

  Do not forget the B.M.C. Puredac!!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/657108/new-b-m-c-puredac-digital-to-analog-converter-balanced-headphone-amp-preamp-1690-and-free-ground-shipping-in-the-u-s/30#post_11063648

hmmmm, this should be an excellent dac/amp, however, I noticed some reports about  usb anomalies ...

 

[hifimanrookie]

Hi, my configuration is currently composed of a NAS synology DS213J -> SOTM SMS 100 -> Asus Essence STU -> Hifiman HE-500. I plan to upgrade my dac/heaphone amplifier, the Asus Essence STU, and after reading a lot of forums, 4 names came in :

• Benchmark DAC2 HGC
• Oppo HA-1
• Mytek 192 DSD
• Fostex HP-A8C

And now, i'm a little bit confused with the power needed to drive the HE-500 (can they do the job), any advice is welcome

and dont forget the ugly duck of the audio world from the outside , but within its a beautiful swan soundwise its soundquality is surprisingly good..and very affordable!!

http://www.bluecircle.com/page81.html




And a new product i just found...ON BATTERIES!

http://www.bluecircle.com/page82.html

 

[microspock]

Thx for the answers...

I do some research about audio-gd and there's a lot of models with very good reviews, which ones should be able to boost my HE500 ?

 

[SpirosG]

all the models have the juice to power up the 500's ... check what is available according to your budget ... personally, i bought a cheap dac/amp (NFB 11 (2014) ) but if i had the money, I'd go for something more expensive in their range ... however, remember my remark about the buggy usb input / drivers ....   

 

[elwappo99]

and dont forget the ugly duck of the audio world from the outside , but within its a beautiful swan soundwise its soundquality is surprisingly good..and very affordable!!

http://www.bluecircle.com/page81.html


 
 

 
 
 
 
Looks like they hired the same guys from Coconut audio! 
 

 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPCl_ez0Hio

 

[hifimanrookie]

Looks like they hired the same guys from Coconut audio! 





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPCl_ez0Hio

Lolz..is that a monkey mp3 player
I know it looks tacky..but what do u prefer..good looks and medicro sound OR less (but very sturdy!!!) looks and all the money u pay for goes into the internals to make it sound as good as possible for that money? I know what i would choose for..oops..i already did....just check out my filtering stuff...looks familiar huh to this round tube???
They also make classy stuff..but, using the words of gilbert the owner, u pay premium for premium looks. :rolleyes:

 

[guy3134]

anyone here tested modi with their setup?
 
i'm quite sure i'll get g109s, but haven't figured dac yet. for its price it has all the features i need i think

 

[daerron]

  anyone here tested modi with their setup?
 
i'm quite sure i'll get g109s, but haven't figured dac yet. for its price it has all the features i need i think

 
What is your budget for a DAC?

 

[guy3134]

   
What is your budget for a DAC?

100-150$
 and i don't want usb dac, i want it to have power source

 

[Acapella11]

Received a pair of Focus pads. I ordered the "non-A" ones. Looking at them, they are asymmetric. Which orientation is the best in your experience?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

  100-150$
 and i don't want usb dac, i want it to have power source

The Modi is a USB-powered DAC. I used the Modi for nearly a year and it worked pretty well. 

 

[JoeDoe]

Received a pair of Focus pads. I ordered the "non-A" ones. Looking at them, they are asymmetric. Which orientation is the best in your experience?

Thicker part at the back of your head.

 

[Acapella11]

Thicker part at the back of your head.

 
Thanks JoeDoe