grzzlo
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2005
- Posts
- 135
- Likes
- 10
Sorry to do this, but I need help. I'm about to buy a headroom micro dac and now I'm wondering what amp to buy.
My hope would be to use this as my source mainly at home, but also in a semiportable set-up w/ my h140. My main concern is the home set-up, since I'm not sure my portable phones (portapros, ksc-35, px-100, ha-d990, er-6i) are worthy of a dac right now (though I also want to get a really good pair of iems to replace the er6i's and use with the dac).
So my set-up would look like this: computer(usb)/h140 -> micro -> ? -> hd580's/hf1's. I like listening to rock most of the time. But I also really love listening to jazz--particularly w/ piano--particularly Thelonius Monk. It would be nice to have something that could do well with classical, also, but I guess this is least important. So I guess my question is - would I be happy w/ a portable amp that could take care of all my needs, or should I start out w/ a home amp and worry about the portable later?
Right now I've got a headroom Little connected to a Denon DCM-370 and that's really the only headphone set-up I've ever heard, apart from portables (players, not amps). I like the crossfeed on the Little, and would be interested in another amp w/ crossfeed, but I guess it isn't necessary. (I guess my h140 has crossfeed now, so it might not be necessary in the amp, but I remember not being very impressed w/ rockbox crossfeed, so...)
I was looking at the gilmore lite and saw it going for $200 in the fs forum. Would that sound better than a $300 portable? Or might the hornet or supermacro be better? In which case I could just use that at home and on the bus. And maybe get some more expensive home amp down the road (unless I gain some sanity and decide to get out while I still can...)
I know that there's no one answer to a question like this, and everybody likes different things. But since I have no way of trying before I buy, I just have to rely on someone else's opinion. So do any of you have an idea of what I should do?
My hope would be to use this as my source mainly at home, but also in a semiportable set-up w/ my h140. My main concern is the home set-up, since I'm not sure my portable phones (portapros, ksc-35, px-100, ha-d990, er-6i) are worthy of a dac right now (though I also want to get a really good pair of iems to replace the er6i's and use with the dac).
So my set-up would look like this: computer(usb)/h140 -> micro -> ? -> hd580's/hf1's. I like listening to rock most of the time. But I also really love listening to jazz--particularly w/ piano--particularly Thelonius Monk. It would be nice to have something that could do well with classical, also, but I guess this is least important. So I guess my question is - would I be happy w/ a portable amp that could take care of all my needs, or should I start out w/ a home amp and worry about the portable later?
Right now I've got a headroom Little connected to a Denon DCM-370 and that's really the only headphone set-up I've ever heard, apart from portables (players, not amps). I like the crossfeed on the Little, and would be interested in another amp w/ crossfeed, but I guess it isn't necessary. (I guess my h140 has crossfeed now, so it might not be necessary in the amp, but I remember not being very impressed w/ rockbox crossfeed, so...)
I was looking at the gilmore lite and saw it going for $200 in the fs forum. Would that sound better than a $300 portable? Or might the hornet or supermacro be better? In which case I could just use that at home and on the bus. And maybe get some more expensive home amp down the road (unless I gain some sanity and decide to get out while I still can...)
I know that there's no one answer to a question like this, and everybody likes different things. But since I have no way of trying before I buy, I just have to rely on someone else's opinion. So do any of you have an idea of what I should do?
