[Failed Engineer]

It's been often said that these types sound fantastic out of the headphone out of various portables, but that they also scale tremendously with desktop class amps and DACs.  After trying out various full-size headphones over the last couple of years, I just keep going back to my JH13s due to comfort, and of course also the sound.
 
I've decided that I want to build a proper computer based summit-fi setup around the JH13.  Budget I'm trying to stay around is 5K for the DAC and AMP, but less is better.
 
I specifically have the JH13, but I'd like to hear from all of you that use the various elite customs (JH16, UERM, Heir 8.A, Starkey SA-43, UM Merlin, Melody, Miracle, UE18, Westone ES5, MG6Pro, Spiral Ear 5way, among others) with TOTL desktop gear.

 

[Maxvla]

You and I are in the same boat. I also love my customs (UERM here) in a home system. Since I just got my UERM last fall I've not really played around too much with different DACs and amps, but that will be changing very soon. The DAC/amp I expect to do the best with the customs is NwAvGuy's ODA+ODAC combo, really. I'm just waiting for it to be available before I buy or build one. Other options I'm exploring (along with bringing in an HD800) are the Bryston BHA-1 and mid-tier Schiit components, the Mjolnir (balanced amp) and Gungnir (balanced DAC). I'm getting balanced cables made for both UERM and HD800.

Currently I'm using the Schiit Bifrost and Woo Audio WA6. One or both of these I feel are holding me back. Right now I'd lean towards the WA6 because when I had a SR-007 and SRM-323 a few weeks ago, the Bifrost sounded quite good through them. I think the UERMs are capable of much better given proper amp selection and more refined conversion.

I'll update when I get new stuff in. I look forward to any comments others have, for sure.

 

[sridhar3]

If you wanted to build a desktop setup to drive IEMs, you actually probably wouldn't need to spend a ton.  If you could find a used Gilmore Lite (preferably with Dedicated Power Supply) on the FS forums, that'd probably be a damn good amp.  For a DAC, maybe a Lavry DA11, or you could commission a Buffalo III, if you wanted to go all out.  That'd be an incredibly neutral setup.

 

[n3rdling]

sansa clip+

 

[project86]

I've owned roughly a dozen sets of customs, from entry level to flagship and everything in between. So I figure I have enough experience to answer.

You are correct in that customs can (usually) sound quite nice from a simple DAP, but also really show the differences, flaws, etc. of top level gear. That's one reason I've moved away from my higher end big headphones and gravitated instead towards customs. 

They are tricky though - you really have to watch output impedance with most of them. So tube amps (even flagship models) are not always the best choices. My Analog Design Labs Svetlana 2 does an excellent job with my Earproof Atoms (70 ohm) and Heir 8.A (35 ohm) but not so good with my UM Merlin (12 ohm). Your JH13 is 28 ohm so it is not as bad as Merlin but still a tricky load with wild impedance swings. 

The best all in one units I've found are the Resonessence Labs Invicta and the Anedio D2. The Invicta goes for $4k and the D2 for $1500. Guess which one I recommend more heartily? The D2 replaced my D1 as reference for customs. Average Joe (who has more customs than I do!) uses a D1 as reference too.

For another option, the combo of Violectric V800 DAC and V200 amp is a very potent choice at $2300. It will drive the most sensitive customs with an inky black background, yet can also power pretty much any of the planar models out there as well (2.7 watts per channel into 50 ohm load). So if versatility is desired, that combo is a great option. But for purely iem use only, I'd say go Anedio and be done with it. Also the Anedio D2 has a top level USB solution where the Violectric is merely "very good" but not quite reference caliber.