[Talai]

First of all, huge thanks to the Head-fi community for being so welcoming and helpful. You're awesome!

Secondly, after lots (and lots) of research I ordered a pair of Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs as my first "real" pair of headphones. They aren't here yet, but I'm really looking forward to them. Just one problem: I need a new amp and DAC to power them. If I could get some input and suggestions I would really appreciate it.

Some quick info: this will be for home use, I don't need anything portable. I've never had a tube amp before, but it could be fun. I mostly listen to electronic/EDM and some top 40 music.

I think I need both an amp and a DAC, but if I could get away with just an amp then somebody please let me know. Currently I'm looking at a budget of around ~$250, but I can push it a little bit higher if need be. Keep in mind that I'm looking to spend as little as possible here, as my wallet is already dying a slow death. With that being said, here's the list that I've put together so far (in no real order):

1. Schiit Magni and Modi
This combo seems like it would work well, and is overall a "tried and true" budget setup.

2. Schiit Vali and Modi
Some people like this setup better, though the Vali doesn't output as much power as the Magni (Mad Dogs love power, right?). If I could get clarification here that would be great.

3. Aune T1 Mk. 2
This seems like an interesting little combo, and looks kind of cool as well. The natural darkness of the MD should balance out the brightness, correct? Not too sure about Aune's customer service
however.

4. JDS Labs O2 + ODAC
Another all around favorite, I don't think you can go wrong here. Unless there's something better for the price. Moving on...

5. Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1 DAC/AMP
I don't really know anything about this one, but it's definitely on this list because of the reviews that it has. Is it enough to power the MD, and is it even a good pairing?

Those are the ones that I've come up with so far. If there something else I should be looking at, then by all means please let me know. If you have any previous experience with these setups then I'd love to hear your feedback!

Thanks again guys, I really appreciate it.

 

[cel4145]

A little over budget after shipping, but the Audio-GD NFB-15. This would be good if you ever wanted to add speakers, too, and would like to control them from the same setup. It has pre-amp outs for hooking up powered speakers or a speaker amp. It also has multiple digital inputs. The Tubemagic has that, too, but this is a better unit, IMO.

Anyway, the Modi/Magni would be my choice out of your list. Many consider it comparable to the ODAC/O2, so might as well save the money there. I think unless you know that you would like the hybrid solid state/tube amp sound better, no reason to choose the Vali. Just as likely you could like it or the Magni better. I own the TubeMagic D1 and used to own the O2/ODAC. I would not put the Tubemagic ahead of the Modi/Magni unless you want the pre-amp and multiple input capability.

 

[Talai]

Thanks for the suggestion - is there something different about that particular amp (aside from it being able to drive speakers) that makes it worth the extra cost?

If not I'll probably go with the Magni and Modi. Unless of course there's something better out there that nobody is telling me about

 

[cel4145]

The NFB-15 does not drive speakers. Reread what I said. It has a more powerful headphone amp