[kpier]

Hey everyone,

I'm going into college and am looking for a solid setup for a laptop. I own the Shure SE530's and Total Airhead amp, but i'm looking for something non portable.

Here's what (i think) i've decided on:

Headphones: Denon AH-D2000
DAC: NuForce uDac
Amp: Little Dot MKV
Recable: APureSound V3

Ideally:
Laptop > USB into uDAC > RCA-RCA to LD MKV > Denon D2000 (recabled)

Since i'm on a budget, i was wondering if this is a good combination and if one had to be omitted, which would be the best choice?

I was thinking about ordering the cans and DAC and connecting the DAC to my Total Airhead..

Would the LD MKV provide a significant advantage over the Airhead?

Do you think recabling or buying the amp is a better idea?

I'm sure its obvious that i'm pretty new. I'd really appreciate any ideas/opinions you're willing to contribute.

Thanks in advance!

 

[nyjets28]

a lot of what i've read is that the denon 2000 benefits most from a ss amp and not a tube amp. however, i've used it with a millet hybrid and personally i thought it sounded great. although i didn't have a ss amp to compare it with.

 

[noris83]

I would consider putting more money into than DAC rather than re-cabling. Just my 2 cents.

 

[kpier]

Alright. Thanks a lot. Your two cents is definitely appreciated

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noris83 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would consider putting more money into than DAC rather than re-cabling. Just my 2 cents.

I would agree with this. If cables do make a difference, that difference is small.

And do D2000 really need such a powerful amp? If you have that much money to spend, I'd downgrade the amp to something smaller (or the Airhead, but that might be too weak) and pass on recabling, then use that money to either buy a better headphone or a better DAC. Or save it, which might be the best idea of all!

 

[omniloathe]

the D2000 is much easier to drive than big juice sucking headphones like k701, hd600, dt880/990. I'm sure the sound would still improve with a good amp, but relatively less so compared to the 250ohm/300ohm phones.

since its easy to drive and uDAC already have an internal amp. i think u should be able to get great sound with just those 2. plus 3 components are a lot more portable than 4.

 

[kpier]

Thanks a lot, omniloathe and Head Injury. Does anybody have any suggestions regarding a slightly less powerful amp? The decent ones seem to be near $300

 

[J.Pocalypse]

For under $300, Music Fidelity V-CAN, FTW. I've never owned one, but I have read some good reviews about it.