[Kaeru]

I bought a pair of Denon AH-D7000 headphones a while ago and I'm quite happy with them. I used to use a cheap combo DAC + Amp, but it didn't last too long before dying completely. I found a very reasonable price from someone nearby on a HRT Music Streamer 3, so I decided to purchase it, but I don't have any way to use it without a headphone amp. However, I'm not on a very big budget (just spent a lot of money on a new PC). Can anyone recommend a good headphone amp to use with this DAC in the 100 ~ 200$ range? I don't want to get anything too expensive as I plan to upgrade it, but I want something to use in the time being. Solid state is preferable since I want it to last a while and I don't have the money to put into a tube amp right now.
 
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[FastAndClean]

magni 2

 

[yoyojoe]

NuForce HA-200 would be pretty good for your d7000. They show up on massdrop every now and again for about $200.

 

[PurpleAngel]

FiiO A3 (E11K) headphone amplifier, $60.

 

[MannerPylon]

A magni or O2 are an easy budget amp recommendation, it's also good to just have a "cheap" amp around just in case you need something in a pinch or for travel.
 
I've got a nice little Gilmore Lite that I keep around and am very happy with. They're good for the money if you can find them second hand and they've got the charm of not being in mass circulation.

 

[Kaeru]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I probably won't be doing any traveling anytime soon, but I can definitely see the advantages of having a smaller/cheaper amp for the portability. I've found a magni 2 that's lightly used for 160 cad (121 usd). There is also a "Lake People G109-S" for 600 cad (455 usd) in very good condition (used for one month apparently). It's out of my budget, but is that a good value? I'm not sure what either of these cost brand new (when not marked up) and I wouldn't mind spending the extra money if it means a really big difference in audio quality. If neither of those are great deals though I think I'll try to find a brand new magni 2.

 

[MannerPylon]

Never had any experience with the GS109. What would your eventual budget for an amp down the line be? Also need to think about if you're ever planning to go balanced in the future before you splurge on a SE only high end amp.
 
Where in Canada are you located?

 

[Kaeru]

I live in Toronto. I have no problems with computer parts, but I don't know much about finding deals on audio stuff. About my eventual budget: it depends on how much I can save. I don't think I'd spend more than 500 usd though. At that point I'd rather first upgrade my headphones before moving onto a better amp. I was thinking I could compromise and get something in the mid-range now rather than a cheap amp and an expensive one later on. That way I can enjoy decent sound quality sooner rather than later and put the extra money towards a new pair of headphones or something else.  

 

[theveterans]

Schiit Fulla 2 should suit you well.

 

[MannerPylon]

  I live in Toronto. I have no problems with computer parts, but I don't know much about finding deals on audio stuff. About my eventual budget: it depends on how much I can save. I don't think I'd spend more than 500 usd though. At that point I'd rather first upgrade my headphones before moving onto a better amp. I was thinking I could compromise and get something in the mid-range now rather than a cheap amp and an expensive one later on. That way I can enjoy decent sound quality sooner rather than later and put the extra money towards a new pair of headphones or something else.  

Haha, I asked specifically because I'm from Toronto. Livving in the US now but coming back to the area over the holidays.
 
Your audio journey doesn't sound terribly different from when I started out and made the jump into mid-fi. Ended up with my modded LA2000's, HE-5LE's and an M3 for an amp to start. Not sure how the Toronto head-fi community is now but there used to a good number of head-fiers in the area. I'd offer to be the mule for your amp if you find a good US deal but I'm flying back this time so I'm limited on packing space.
 
If you want to check out some Canadian companies, Bryston is good (though they're more on the hi-fi side) and also check out resonessence labs