[counterpoint85]

 
Hey all,
 
I'm a complete headphone amp noob. I'm looking for a headphone amp that has RCA Line In/Out and that turns off the line out when the headphones are plugged in. 1/4" headphone jack and optical input with 24-bit 192KHz support would also be nice.
 
So far, I only know of the NuForce Icon HDP that has all of those features I'm looking for. the NuForce Icon HD is also an acceptable option if I chose to go without the RCA and optical/coax input. So anything along those lines I would be interested in. But it must switch off the RCA output when the headphones are plugged in!
 
Are there any others?
 
 
Thanks.

 

[counterpoint85]

bump

 

[estreeter]

You dont want an amp - you want a DAC/amp which allows you to bypass the internal amp. That is normally the case when the unit also functions as a preamp for a speaker amp - is  that what you are trying to do ?? Peachtree and CEntrance both make kit which will do this, but they are up around 2K - are you prepared to spend that kind of money to have preamp functionaity ?

 

[counterpoint85]

Quote:

You dont want an amp - you want a DAC/amp which allows you to bypass the internal amp. That is normally the case when the unit also functions as a preamp for a speaker amp - is  that what you are trying to do ?? Peachtree and CEntrance both make kit which will do this, but they are up around 2K - are you prepared to spend that kind of money to have preamp functionaity ?

 
Ya you're right I want a DAC/amp. The NuForce Icon HD and HDP do exactly what I want. I'm just wondering if there are any others out there. $2k is way out of my budget. I want to keep it under $500.
 
Thanks.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

 
Ya you're right I want a DAC/amp. The NuForce Icon HD and HDP do exactly what I want. I'm just wondering if there are any others out there. $2k is way out of my budget. I want to keep it under $500.
 
Thanks.

 
I think Matrix may have what you are looking for, but you still havent answered my question re preamp functionality. Why is it so important that the DAC/amp have line-out capability ?

 

[Mrtn77]

Quote:

 
Hey all,
 
I'm a complete headphone amp noob. I'm looking for a headphone amp that has RCA Line In/Out and that turns off the line out when the headphones are plugged in. 1/4" headphone jack and optical input with 24-bit 192KHz support would also be nice.
 
So far, I only know of the NuForce Icon HDP that has all of those features I'm looking for. the NuForce Icon HD is also an acceptable option if I chose to go without the RCA and optical/coax input. So anything along those lines I would be interested in. But it must switch off the RCA output when the headphones are plugged in!
 
Are there any others?
 
 
Thanks.

 
Hi. I bought the HDP just a week ago, looking for the same features you're interested in (a single all-in-one sound hub for use with a pair of HD600 headphones and a cheapish Onkyo minisystem), and I'm still hesitating as to whether I'll send it back or not. The thing works fine, no issue other than a sound signature that's not quite ideal for all musical genres. For some reason, it doesn't sound that good through my Onkyo, leading me to believe that the HDP dac section might well be bettered by the Onkyo (based on a Wolfson WM 8740, I believe).
Bear in mind, I paid the HDP 450 euros, quite a bit more than USAers have to pay for it. And also more than what I paid for the Onkyo with speakers.
As to other similar models, being rather unwilling to buy on Ebay, I've found nothing with the same features.

 

[counterpoint85]

Quote:

 
I think Matrix may have what you are looking for, but you still havent answered my question re preamp functionality. Why is it so important that the DAC/amp have line-out capability ?

 
I need the pre-out capability for external amp/speakers. The next closest solution would be a full blown receiver but I don't know how good their headphone amp sections are. Or hook it up to an external straightforward headphone amp. I don't think the Matrix M-Stage turns off the pre-outs when you plug in headphones.

 

[tme110]

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