[hp1]

I looking to buy a cheap amp for my macbook air 11. My budget is $100 or less, I have been looking around for product and review and I find  three that really interest me:
The Audiophile Products Fireye II USB DAC/Headphones Amplifier at $95
The NuForce Icon uDAC2-HP (Black) Headphone Amp and USB DAC (24bit/96kHz) at $99
and the FiiO E7 USB DAC and Portable Headphone Amplifier (Black) at 94.59
I read a lot of review about those three they each have their strength and their weakness but which one of them is the best?
-Please help me chose one.

 

[kiteki]

Audinst HUD-MX1 =p

 

[hp1]

thanks but it's not really portable!

 

[kiteki]

It is, it can run off USB power.
 
Hmm if you want something tiny though, E7 seems like the popular choice.... I'm not sure... check headfonia.com that site is pretty into reviewing amps it seems.

 

[hp1]

Thanks, that web site is very useful!

 

[TheRealBoat]

From what I have read on here...The E11 seems to also be a great and portable amp for around $65

 

[Rongster]

Quote:

It is, it can run off USB power.
 
Hmm if you want something tiny though, E7 seems like the popular choice.... I'm not sure... check headfonia.com that site is pretty into reviewing amps it seems.

E7 Is better used as a DAC E11 is better for a portable amp.
 

 

[Mkubota1]

What headphones are you using?  I'd recommend the E7 in a heartbeat.  However, it does not have a whole lot of power.  So I'd only recommend it for IEMs or efficient cans.

 

[hp1]

I am using the Koss Ur29 that i got for like $10 at a local store.

 

[Ikelmonster]

Gary's PA2v2 is fantastic, and only $60.00 new, and has lifetime warranty

 

[kiteki]

Ikelmonster what's your avatar from?

 

[Chris_Himself]

I like the uDAC2, the form is very appealing and if it's even 1/5th as good as the HDP is, it'll be very good. 
 
I piggyback an iBasso D3 on my laptop with velcro straps and run a headphone out of it. That setup has brought me much happiness over several years! I had to replace the internal battery because of how much I was using it/charging it but other than that I think the uDAC might be a really good choice! It's more or less the same DAC as my D3 and the amp section should be powerful enough for most moderate headphones!

 

[mikeaj]

If you have $10-20 headphones, you're much much better off getting $100 headphones before thinking about a better DAC/amp.
 
That said, more is known about the FiiO E7 and NuForce uDAC2 than the Fireye.  The uDAC has a couple weird issues including bad channel balance at low levels, depending on whether or not you get unlucky with the potentiometer you get.  (Granted, there seem to be occasional bad QC with FiiO.)  If you don't need the slightly extra power into higher-impedance headphones, the E7 should be better than that.

 

[Omnirai]

Spending that money on a headphone upgrade will do much, much more to improve the sound compared to getting an amp.