[moby1974]

Hi
Ok it's not great, but I just don't have the cash for what is no doubt best .

I have the lcd2f , and I need a dac and amp or a combo that does both.

Tone wise I like a little warm. and anything to help with sound stage.....but here is the problem, I have £200 at the most, total, there might be a chance to get bigger and better second hand, but for now. Can anyone recommend either amp and a dac or a combo unit.

If there is something a little more please say as I might fall lucky on likes of EBay.

Thanks

 

[moby1974]

Ok make that £300

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi
Ok it's not great, but I just don't have the cash for what is no doubt best .

I have the lcd2f , and I need a dac and amp or a combo that does both.

Tone wise I like a little warm. and anything to help with sound stage.....but here is the problem, I have £200 at the most, total, there might be a chance to get bigger and better second hand, but for now. Can anyone recommend either amp and a dac or a combo unit.

If there is something a little more please say as I might fall lucky on likes of EBay.

Thanks

Ok make that £300

http://www.headnhifi.com/amplifiers/OBJ_O2_ODAC_digital2

 

[moby1974]

Yeah, one of the 1st I saw.

smsl m6
aune x1s
aune x7, has xlr but its just amp
teac ai-101da

Have found others but either old and not stocked, on Ebay but not in UK.

The schiit jotunheim and mjolnir look perfect, but unless I find one second hand, they are out of my reach.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Yeah, one of the 1st I saw.

smsl m6
aune x1s
aune x7, has xlr but its just amp
teac ai-101da

Have found others but either old and not stocked, on Ebay but not in UK.

The schiit jotunheim and mjolnir look perfect, but unless I find one second hand, they are out of my reach.

Or you can use the LCD-2F with whatever you have in the meantime and just save a bit more, then get the ODAC and the Meier Jazz.

 

[moby1974]

Or you can use the LCD-2F with whatever you have in the meantime and just save a bit more, then get the ODAC and the Meier Jazz.

patience is a virtue....shame I dont have any lol

Just found a Oppo HA-1, can maybe get for £300 but reading its a little bright.

Well another day of looking, thanks for suggestions.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

There is a Chord Mojo in the FS section from UK that is on your budget:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/for-sale-mojo-uk.853164/

 

[moby1974]

Thanks, but now I have seen this, and now I am trying to read up on it but no reviews (worthwhile reviews) http://www.analogueseduction.net/mu...ity-v90-bha-balanced-headphone-amplifier.html

Can get even cheaper, it started off over £400 in 2015....just wonder on sound..and whats wrong with it lol

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thanks, but now I have seen this, and now I am trying to read up on it but no reviews (worthwhile reviews) http://www.analogueseduction.net/mu...ity-v90-bha-balanced-headphone-amplifier.html

Can get even cheaper, it started off over £400 in 2015....just wonder on sound..and whats wrong with it lol

170ohm output impedance, for one. That makes it problematic for driving low impedance headphones.

Plus MF replaced the popular X- and original V-series with the compact V-series that had ridiculously high gain for anything with a higher voltage output than an iPod. By the time this came out, Schiit, AudioGD, etc were on the scene on top of Meier and Headroom were on the scene. And even if they fixed the gain on the V90, there's still the high output impedance.

 

[moby1974]

170ohm output impedance, for one. That makes it problematic for driving low impedance headphones.

Plus MF replaced the popular X- and original V-series with the compact V-series that had ridiculously high gain for anything with a higher voltage output than an iPod. By the time this came out, Schiit, AudioGD, etc were on the scene on top of Meier and Headroom were on the scene. And even if they fixed the gain on the V90, there's still the high output impedance.

I see, how about thoughts on Schiit Asgard 2, from a quick scan, they say its on the warmer side.

Thanks to any who help, hard to read stuff with 1 year old who does not sleep lol

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I see, how about thoughts on Schiit Asgard 2, from a quick scan, they say its on the warmer side.

Not all that great with imaging, some find it makes high impedance Sennheisers worse. Otherwise it's great value for the money.

 

[moby1974]

Thanks

This is painful lol find one, either power is not right/or its bright sounding/or inputs are missing....even harder when 1 year old trys to help you click on reviews.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thanks

This is painful lol find one, either power is not right/or its bright sounding/or inputs are missing....even harder when 1 year old trys to help you click on reviews.

Given the LCD-2's high sensitivity it doesn't really need a heck of a lot of power, it's just that in your case your location is making pricing problematic. If you can save up you can just get the Arcam HeadAmp - a little expensive but at least you'd have local product support over there. And then just get whatever DAC Arcam or Cambridge sells.

Alternately there's the Meier Jazz FF. Meier amps are as quiet as the O2 but with a bit more power. And also more power than the Arcam. And while the Arcam is old school discrete components, the Meiers use op-amps that are relatively easier to replace and repair, though the volume control is a lot more complex. Still, that allows for finer volume adjustment, so the sensitivity of the LCD-2 or whatever other headphone or even IEMs won't be a problem if it's on low gain mode (even my 125dB/1mW ASG-1.3 worked fine out of my Meier Cantate; still works fine with Grados even on high gain mode). It will practically be all the amp you'll ever need. Plus Meier Audio's in Germany and they're easier to deal with than, say, AudioGD.

 

[moby1974]

Well the Arcam rhead is £200 (have £300 to spend) Jazz FF will be more like £400

I find it odd (maybe just me) but the Arcam has XLR balance in, but no out, seems a missed opportunity, but its said to be slightly warm which is good, but average sound-stage.

Sound-stage is bugging me, I have been through so many reviews of different amp dac/amps for the £300 budget, all say the same thing "sound-stage is average when compared to others in this budget range" yet to find one that says that item has great sound-stage, is it a cop out, just say it about them all lol

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Well the Arcam rhead is £200 (have £300 to spend) Jazz FF will be more like £400

The thing is that the Jazz FF's pot is more precise in case you use anything with high sensitivity, which in this case can include the LCD-2. Not that I suspect the RHead will have that problem, but if you plan on using very high sensitivity headphones or especially IEMs, the Jazz FF is a safe bet.

I find it odd (maybe just me) but the Arcam has XLR balance in, but no out, seems a missed opportunity, but its said to be slightly warm which is good, but average sound-stage.

Not really - they're thinking more about the possibility of somebody with a studio console or some other balanced output gear who won't necessarily pay double just to double the parts for an actual balanced drive amp.

Sound-stage is bugging me, I have been through so many reviews of different amp dac/amps for the £300 budget, all say the same thing "sound-stage is average when compared to others in this budget range" yet to find one that says that item has great sound-stage, is it a cop out, just say it about them all lol

That really depends on what they're comparing it to, but in the case of the Asgard, back when it came out the Gilmore Lite was still around, and there were still Meier HeadFives floating around. Neither are around right now so as far as similar price range is concerned the Asgard really only has the RHead to compete with. Besides that, those who really notice how closed in it sounded were using it with 300ohm Sennheisers, and for people who have those and probably have higher sensitivity Grados for more casual listening, they'll just cough up another $100 for the Valhalla.