[juantendo8]

Hello all. I am going to purchase the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohms and power it with a vintage Kenwood integrated amp, possibly (hopefully) investing in a tube amp later. The source will be coming from my desktop computer which only has a terrible stock sound card. For this reason, I want to get a decent DAC that can keep up with the rest of the equipment in my soon to be rig. To help me on this search, I have a few questions that I would like to ask.
 
 
1. Is a DAC likely to bring better improvement to SQ than investing in a well-matched tube amp? Although the Kenwood may not be the most ideal match, I at least know that it has enough grunt to quell the hunger pangs of the Beyers.
 
2. What DACs in the $100-$180 range (tentative) are competitive? It needs to be able to be used with both my desktop and my laptop computer. High bit-rate playback as an option would also be preferred, but not necessary.
 
Edit: After a little looking around I have another question.
3. Does an amp/dac like the Uber Muzik Tiny Tube or Audinst HUD-MX1 work as both a headphone amp and dac at the same time if they are run to your computer from USB or are they limited to only one job at a time?
 
 
Please help this DAC noob out with his quest for audio satisfaction. Any informative and enlightening responses would be most greatly appreciated. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[dyl1dyl]

Nuforce Udac? Not great but a good start.

 

[Head Injury]

I'd avoid the uDAC.
 
Since you're using your computer as your source, would you be able to plug in an ASUS Xonar Essence STX (if you have a PCIe slot) or ST (if only PCI)? They could double as a headphone amp, though I don't know how much power they pack at 600 ohms. You could at least try it and see if you get high enough volume. The Creative X-Fi Titanium HD is another solid choice, but probably won't cut it as an amp.
 
You could go cheap and get a Behringer UCA202, which is $30 and will do as good a job as other standalone DACs under $100, and many over $100 as well. Another option is the Fiio E7, which will double as a capable portable amp for in-ears and sensitive headphones if that interests you.

 

[dyl1dyl]

Quote:

I'd avoid the uDAC.
 
Since you're using your computer as your source, would you be able to plug in an ASUS Xonar Essence STX (if you have a PCIe slot) or ST (if only PCI)? They could double as a headphone amp, though I don't know how much power they pack at 600 ohms. You could at least try it and see if you get high enough volume. The Creative X-Fi Titanium HD is another solid choice, but probably won't cut it as an amp.
 
You could go cheap and get a Behringer UCA202, which is $30 and will do as good a job as other standalone DACs under $100, and many over $100 as well. Another option is the Fiio E7, which will double as a capable portable amp for in-ears and sensitive headphones if that interests you.

Why would you avoid the udac? Its decent for the money, the behringer and fiio e7 are good too. IMO, if you can save up a bit more, then go for the bifrost or nuforce hd.
 

 

[juantendo8]

Thanks guys, I've decided that I will just get an amp/dac so that I can use it by itself or attached to another amp if I only need the dac. I would take it all over the place and the size of the Kenwood makes it impractical for this purpose. Because of this I am raising my budget to ~$250. I am looking currently at the Audio-gd NFB-12 and the Uber Muzik Tiny Tube dac as they both seem to have a sound signature that complements the Beyers, have a decently powerful amp, and are in the same price range. Does anyone know which one of these would power the dt880 600's more easily?
 
Edit: I would rather avoid using a soundcard since I will be switching between the computer systems that I use on a fairly reqular basis. I also never listen to music on the go. I will always plonk myself somewhere in the vicinity of an outlet so I would rather not rely on battery power.

 

[trog]

Fiio E7 + E9 combo if sticking to cans all the way?

 

[juantendo8]

I know that the E7+E9 is excellent, but the general consensus seems to be that both the dac and amp on the NFB-12 is superior to that combo. It also seems to have an appropriate sound sig for my Beyers. I'm willing to spend a bit more to get this improvement. OTOH, I can hardly find any info on the tiny tube dac other than the headfonia review. A budget tube amp/dac is really an enticing proposition and I love its appearance.

 

[Stinky Fart]

Quote:

I know that the E7+E9 is excellent, but the general consensus seems to be that both the dac and amp on the NFB-12 is superior to that combo. It also seems to have an appropriate sound sig for my Beyers. I'm willing to spend a bit more to get this improvement. OTOH, I can hardly find any info on the tiny tube dac other than the headfonia review. A budget tube amp/dac is really an enticing proposition and I love its appearance.

same here, I'm also torn between the two. Btw, headfonia had done a review on the NFB-12 which is mainly negative. Although I encourage you to read the posts here http://www.head-fi.org/t/524263/audio-gd-nfb-12/1440 . Basically, Mike from headfonia used the weakest possible setting and thats why the review wasn't favorable...