Thank you for your reply classicalguy!
Exactly, i don't need two preamps. Do you have any other suggestions for good dac's that DO have a "fixed" line out? (around 200usd)
My old Senn 580s are way too soft (possibly too in-driven). Upgraded them to 650s that sound ok from a crappy E-MU 0202 external soundcard. (possibly the main reason why i can withstand the sound is that the 650s are on the softer side too. so the amp compensates for that). But what i'm really looking for is a good amp for my grado 325i's and the E-MU just trashes my ears with them.
I don't really listen to classical music in particular. Some great expressionists or impressionists from around 1900 like Ravel, Debussy or Stravinsky do get my appreciation though. This is why i have the senn 650s as back up. But that music i rarely listen with a high fidelity perspective. I need to have my prog-fusion sound great!
The problem with that music is that it's usually very fast, and it has a huge repertoire of instruments (and with them, notes!). Huge amounts of different nuances. AND, the greatest records weren't so greatly mastered, and thus i'm not able to enjoy them for very long periods of time since they inevitably crack my skull, at least with the E-MU. sigh* (This is what seperates good amps from bad amps)
Thus far the best amp for this music (that separates the instruments from each other and gives them room to breath, gives good kick and extensive bass, smoothes the top) has been the Lehmann Black Cube Linear USB. I loved that for those specs. Though with some kind of music it lacked a touch warmth and sweetness, that could, apparently, only be solved by tubes. And boy did i get excited when i read that one guys review of the Bada ph12.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/bad...ann-bc-134242/
I got the Benchmark DAC1 USB for a testdrive and the headphone amplifier in that was fabulous (smoothed the tops, gave a good kick and bass. plus awesome soundstage and dynamics). Plus i got to hook my active genelecs into that, and even they sounded much better from that, than from my current E-MU. But it's too expensive
So a dac+(possibly Bada ph-12 or some other tube-consisting amp)
Any suggestions?
Thank you