[theyazzern]

Hey all, I am currently in the market for a reasonably priced(sub 400 $) tube amp/dac combo for home use.
 
My criteria are as follows:
 
1) The aforementioned price limit.
2)a decent DAC Topology.
3) Ability to compliment a wide array of headphones.
4) Ability to plug straight into a pc.
5) tube " roll-ability"
 
pluses: general Good looks, neutrality, without sacrificing the depth and soul of tube amps.
 
My gear I would use it with:
 
1) Sennheiser hd595
2) Sennheiser momentum
3) t90 Tesla
4) K550 AKG
5) DT 1350
6) Audio-Technica ad700
7) Sony mdr ex1000(iems)
 
you may notice that I tend to gravitate towards headphones with a flatter signature, which is the generally the case. The momentums are really the black sheep in this lineup.
 
 
I searched for a comparable thread before starting this one.
 
ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME!!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Is this PC audio setup for music? movies? gaming?

 

[theyazzern]

well mostly music,  maybe a little movies. and no gaming.

 

[theyazzern]

Patience is a virtue......

 

[PurpleAngel]

Maybe the Little Dot Mk III tube amplifier?
Schiit Modi USB DAC
I'm guessing you will end up mostly using the T90 Tesla headphones.
My T70s have great clarity.

 

[Rem0o]

Tube amp under 400$ that fits a wide range of headphones? Well, you might want to narrow down your criteria because you won't find any good answer with such a wide post. What headphones do you use when you are at your desk/listening station? Why do you absolutely want a tube amp? There isn't that many choices in that price bracket and here are the main ones that I know (note that it is very unlikely that any of those will fit all of your expectations).

Used WA3/6
Little Dots mk3/4
Schiit Valhalla/lyr
Darkvoice 336
MP-301

Check them out properly and see if you can find what you want there. I'm not in a position to recommend any of those, so I suggest you read a tad bit about each and then take your own decision.

Cheers

 

[theyazzern]

Hey Remoo and angel, thanks for the timely reply.
 
well, I like headphones with flatter,(somewhat dry) frequency responses, although I listen to just about every genre sans rap, I like to hear an accurate recording whenever I can. I had a schiit asgard at one point which I adored, but I gave that to my brother. who lives overseas, and I currently only have a broken zo2 as a mobile amp and an e17 alpen for plugging into my pc as a makeshift dac. I really like the alpen's dac but I feel that it could do with a bit more clarity, moreover, it doesn't seem to sound that good with my audio technicas or my akg's. they both sound too dry and fatiguing to my ears. I am interested in tube amps because of what I've read about them  bringing out a warmer, fuller, sound for my more analytical sounding cans( k550, t90, hd595), but I am open to all suggestions of any alternatives.
 
oh and the above mentioned three are my cans for my desktop and what I listen to mainly.
 
genres( jazz, classical classical, and modern classical, some rock, lots of house and melodic rave, and pop)
 
requirements: punchy, detailed, tight bass( hate bloated bass). detailed, extended highs. good mid frequency presence, and sound stage.\
 
I realize that this combination is not very realistic(at this price), but there you have it.
cheers.

 

[theyazzern]

BUMP?

 

[TrollDragon]

Tube DAC/AMP Combo less than $400 hmmmmmm...
 
Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11 for $375 or up your game to the ALO Audio The Pan AM for $499
 
I have not heard either of the above units.

 

[theyazzern]

Thanks guys, I'm getting a general picture of what I need, keep it coming!