shleepy
100+ Head-Fier
I'm a little surprised that such devices aren't more popular, now that standard headphone DAC/amps are so mainstream.
What I want:
What it would be connected to:
My previous setup (still in my signature, for now) included a DR.DAC2 as the DAC, a SOHA II hybrid tube headphone amp, Beyer DT770-600 headphones, and (powered) Audioengine A5 speakers. I switched my headphones to Audio-Technica W1000X's, which I absolutely adore, and I find that they sound better with just the DR.DAC2, which has a solid-state headphone amp, in addition to the DAC. Moreover, I'd like to trade up my A5's for some powered speakers, and I therefore need an amp (in the meantime, I'm borrowing my friend's T-amp and speakers). Headphone sound quality takes precedence, though, and I definitely don't plan on loudly blasting the speakers at any time.
The main goal, therefore, is to get an integrated device that includes all of my "wants" above. Honestly, I just find it annoying to quickly switch between headphones and speakers with two or more devices, and that's something I do very often. What I'm looking for from you fine folks are suggestions for devices I haven't found yet, or opinions on my list of candidates.
My candidates thus far:
There are a couple very high-end options, as well, such as Peachtree Decco2. However, that one's around $800, seems to only have 1/8" headphone output, and is a hybrid-tube amp. I'm questioning whether tubes would sound good with my W1000X, after the SOHAII. I would probably just prefer a solid-state solution.
Thanks for your input!
What I want:
- USB DAC
- 1/4" headphone out
- 2x powered speaker out (not necessarily too powerful, but would be nice to have something that could drive floorstanding speakers at fairly low volume)
- Relatively compact size. This will be on my PC desk, so I can't fit a huge receiver.
What it would be connected to:
- Desktop PC with Windows as the source
- Audio-Technica W1000X headphones (and I don't foresee using any others with this setup)
- Speakers, TBD. Not too powerful or pricy. At least bookshelf size, or possibly efficient floorstanding ones.
My previous setup (still in my signature, for now) included a DR.DAC2 as the DAC, a SOHA II hybrid tube headphone amp, Beyer DT770-600 headphones, and (powered) Audioengine A5 speakers. I switched my headphones to Audio-Technica W1000X's, which I absolutely adore, and I find that they sound better with just the DR.DAC2, which has a solid-state headphone amp, in addition to the DAC. Moreover, I'd like to trade up my A5's for some powered speakers, and I therefore need an amp (in the meantime, I'm borrowing my friend's T-amp and speakers). Headphone sound quality takes precedence, though, and I definitely don't plan on loudly blasting the speakers at any time.
The main goal, therefore, is to get an integrated device that includes all of my "wants" above. Honestly, I just find it annoying to quickly switch between headphones and speakers with two or more devices, and that's something I do very often. What I'm looking for from you fine folks are suggestions for devices I haven't found yet, or opinions on my list of candidates.
My candidates thus far:
- Ordo USB T-amp / headphone amp - The shadiest and cheapest of the bunch, at ~$100. Chinese-made, seemingly by the makers of Muse amps. Components seem OK, but certainly not ultra-high-end. I fear the speaker amp might be a bit weak, if I decide to get some decent speakers... but then, T-amps are supposedly fine for most situations.
- Lead Audio LA-200 (review by project 86) - seemingly good, but I'm worried about the "OK" / not great sound with low-impedance headphones that the reviewer mentions. This is why I switched away from my SOHA II. At ~$550, this is still affordable, but on the high range of what I'd want to spend.
- MUSE DT-50A - another relatively shady Chinese contender, but with a higher price tag and more powerful speaker amp. Also by Muse. I wouldn't mind spending $240, per se, but it would be a shame to waste that much on something that's potentially awful.
- Onkyo A-5VL - probably too big for my desk. Moreover, it only has coax/optical inputs, so I would get a USB>coax/optical adapter. There might be similar devices, though, that are slightly smaller than most receivers and have some kind of digital input.
There are a couple very high-end options, as well, such as Peachtree Decco2. However, that one's around $800, seems to only have 1/8" headphone output, and is a hybrid-tube amp. I'm questioning whether tubes would sound good with my W1000X, after the SOHAII. I would probably just prefer a solid-state solution.
Thanks for your input!