[eric343]

Hi all, it's been a while since I posted here so apologies if this is the wrong forum.

What are the current options for a really good, really portable DAC/amp that can do justice to the HD800?

 

[ecva]

Recently acquired the hugo 2 and i was floored by how *good the hd800 sounded out of them. But then again still nothing compared to a true powerful balanced amp.

 

[Senndo]

Hi all, it's been a while since I posted here so apologies if this is the wrong forum.

What are the current options for a really good, really portable DAC/amp that can do justice to the HD800?

100% the Moon 430HAD. Haven’t heard better.

 

[ubs28]

How portable should it be?

When I tested the Chord Hugo 1 versus HDVD 800 (Sennheiser their own DAC / AMP for the HD 800, I walked away with the Chord Hugo 1. So the Chord Hugo 2 will be hard to beat.

 

[eric343]

Recently acquired the hugo 2 and i was floored by how *good the hd800 sounded out of them. But then again still nothing compared to a true powerful balanced amp.

Thanks. The Hugo 2 looks good. Are there any portable balanced amps out there worth looking at, in your view?

100% the Moon 430HAD. Haven’t heard better.

The Moon looks like a wonderful piece, but it's not even remotely portable.

How portable should it be?

When I tested the Chord Hugo 1 versus HDVD 800 (Sennheiser their own DAC / AMP for the HD 800, I walked away with the Chord Hugo 1. So the Chord Hugo 2 will be hard to beat.

Good to know! I would say the Hugo 2 is about as large as I'd like to go for any one component. I'm open to adding a dedicated headphone amplifier. Not everything worth listening to, begins with a digital source.