[pompal]

Hi All,

I am looking for neutral DAP with enough power to support most of full open-back headphones on the market.
As a classical music fan I am going to listen almost only to this kind of music. I tested AK Alpha and I am not satisfied with sound signature of this one - in my opinion midbass overwhelms many lighter parts of my tracks. My budget is max. 1400$. I am interested only in not secondhand devices.

Regards,
Pompal

 

[originalsnuffy]

Sorry to say there is nothing about your request that goes beyond "I need a good high powered dap for my open back headphones". It matters not whether you are playing heavy metal or classical.

There are many good choices. FIIO, Cayin, Shanling, HiBy, ibasso, and many others offer excellent solutions. There is a good diagram of many available choices somewhere on this forum (sorry no link). You probably should look at the chipsets. If its classical, you might find some vendors that are more to your tastes than other.

TLDR; forget about classical. Just look for a good unit. Probably one that is high resolving and drips power.

 

[gazzington]

Add lotoo paw 6000 to your list also

 

[pompal]

@gazzington, Lotoo is excellent choice but it lacks power, only 300 mW. I have Lotoo but I can not find good headphones for it. No matter which open-back ones I use I feel the lack of power during my listening sessions, because of it I am thinking about selling it.

 

[gazzington]

In that case, how about the fiio m17. Pretty neutral and it has loads of power. Not that portable though. More transportable

 

[pompal]

Heh... look at my budget.

 

[gazzington]

Lol an amp to go with your lotoo

 

[Nostoi]

Second hand Hugo2 is what you want. Failing that, Mojo2 would be an option.

 

[bigbeans]

Second hand Hugo2 is what you want. Failing that, Mojo2 would be an option.

Agreed, Mojo 2 and Poly ideally. Be open to buying used and hunt for a deal, or wait and save longer.

 

[pompal]

Guys, I was thinking about DAP solo without additional boxes. Let's focus only on that.
If I had no choice I would buy topping a90 - but please do not consider additional options at this moment. Only DAP if it is possible, please.

 

[LoryWiv]

I am a predominantly classical listener, very pleased with HiBy RS6. Often on sale for around $1200 .

 

[KittySneeze]

I’d recommend the iBasso DX240 and with the additional budget purchase the Amp8 Mk2 module to go along with it.

Alternately, for about $200 more you can also look into their latest flagship DAP, the DX320.

Good luck with the search!

 

[msr13]

I listen predominantly to classical and jazz. Got the A&K Kann Alpha and wasn’t that happy. Rock was super. Jazz was great, but I felt classical— particularly chamber recordings were a bit thin. After reading up on the Max, exchanged the Alpha. Very happy with the change. I use Focal Clear MG and it is glorious. YMMV, but I’m happy.

 

[LoryWiv]

I listen predominantly to classical and jazz. Got the A&K Kann Alpha and wasn’t that happy. Rock was super. Jazz was great, but I felt classical— particularly chamber recordings were a bit thin. After reading up on the Max, exchanged the Alpha. Very happy with the change. I use Focal Clear MG and it is glorious. YMMV, but I’m happy.

I also use focal Clear MG with HiBy RS6...sounds like the original poster has some good options to select from!