[econsumer666]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for a not very expensive solution (DAC with Headphone amp) for use in the office. My current headphones will be Sony MDR-CD900ST. In fact I'd be happy with the sound from the onboard sound card but they have a big jack and I'm not sure the cable length will be sufficient so I'm ok with buying an amp for convenience and maybe some sound quality improvement. 
 
Should I just get Fiio-E9? It has ok reviews and is not very expensive, however I feel like I'm paying for this slot on E9 for Fiio-E7 which I do not need at all. Maybe anything else?
 
Thanks

 

[econsumer666]

Annnnnnnnyone? )

 

[clarknova]

Fiio E7 for something low cost and portable.
 
But the Audioengine D1 is a nice upgrade at $169 , does async 96/24 from USB and supports 192Khz optical input. It also has a nice amp in it and is powered off the USB port. 
 
However if you ever wanna step up your cans to something with a higher independence than you'll need a better amp.
 
I own the Fiio E7/E9 combo and its fantastic but I'm stepping up to the Audioengine D1 at the end of the month since my 96/24 music collection is ever expanding. Keep in mind the Fiio E9 is ONLY an amp , it is not a DAC. It requires either the Fiio E7 or E17 or DAC via its line in port.

 

[mrpink44]

I've been very happy with my Audinst HUD-MX1 - I think I paid around $175 with shipping. It started as my home DAC/Amp and is now at the office where I can listen to tunes 8 hours a day
 
It can drive low and high impedance 'phones - I was using it with my Sennheiser HD600s on the "low" setting and it was able to drive them without issue. There is a jumper setting you can set for higher impedance cans. It does 96/24 from USB and has two HP jacks so you don't have to mess with an adapter. You can also roll the op-amp if that's your thing.
 
What I liked was the fact it has a well reviewed DAC and you can use it as a DAC only if you decide to get a better HP amp.
 
It ships from S. Korea, but I think it only took 4 days to get here!
 
Here is a review which sums things up pretty well:  http://www.headfonia.com/audinst-hud-mx1-dac/

 

[econsumer666]

Thanks!
 
I thought E9 is a DAC too?? it has a USB inupt, what is it for if it's not a DAC? Thank god I didn't buy it

 

[haejuk]

The USB input feeds the dock on the E9 which is where your E7 or E17 DAC would be docked.  This allows the E7 or E17 to act as a DAC and the E9 to act as an amp.  The USB on the E9 does nothing without an E7 or an E17 docked in it.