[AudiophileTigger]

Greetings everybody!

The subject summaries my predicament; I’m planning to buy Edition XS and it appears I’ll be needing an amp to go with that.

I’ve heard good things about MacBook’s internal DAC so I’m trying to save money via directly hooking it up to a budget amp.

Questions:

3V output to DAC — Will line out on my MacBook be able to provide 3V to amp? Considering input impedance of amp is going to be at least 1k ohm, it should put the dac in high impedance mode that churns out 3V. Need confirmation here
AMP Recommendations — I’ve done some research and apparently Topping is very transparent and thin whereas I’m looking for a bit warmer sound, so I’ve narrowed down my choices to:

1. SMSL HO100
2. FiiO K5 Pro ESS
3. Sabaj A20h

I’ve heard a lot of praise on sound dynamics of FiiO, but it lacks the power other 2 have. Also, can’t really find a lot of reviews on the A20h.

My overall budget is ~$500, getting EDXS for $370 so it gives me almost $150 to select a decent amp.

Any help is highly appreciated!

 

[nioh]

IFI Zen DAC V2 - close to your price and has a nice warm sound with extra bass boost button if needed.
I have one of the Topping DAC/AMPs, it’s actually warm in sound, not thin at all. I find Fiio very thin and reference like. Never had the other two that you mentioned.

 

[AudiophileTigger]

IFI Zen DAC V2 - close to your price and has a nice warm sound with extra bass boost button if needed.

Thank you. Zen DAC v2 at $200 is a bit out of range and don’t you think ZEN CAN would be a better choice here as I intend to use mac’s internal DAC?

Do you have DX3 Pro+? How do you compare it with Zen DAC?

Also… which headphones are you driving with this setup?