[phantasmag0ria]

hello

now that i got some IEMs, ( thie audio hype4 ) , i wanna buy some gear. preferably, i would like something that is a dac/amp and had ports that i can connect speakers too.

i been doing some research, watching some reviews, and the ones im looking at right now is

Mytek Liberty DAC II
ADI-2 DAC FS
burson funk or playmate 2 ( with upgraded opamps ) ( trying to figure out the difference )
Jotunheim 2 ( with multibit dac )
gershelli labs stack js2socket ( with ak4499 chip and burson v7 opamps ) and Archel 3 Pro amp.

or should i save a little more and get a Benchmark DAC3 (with hpa2 amp )

or if there are any better suggestions,

right now i have a sound blaster X7. so i need something better than that. i thought about upgrading the OPamps on it, but i don't want to risk messing it up, or run into cooling issues, this device is running almost 24 7 being used as a sound card for my pc. if i leave the shroud open, it will collect dust. looking to get a dedicated headphone amp later on after i get some nice over ear headphones, and i want to have a legit dac. the cheaper the better but if its really worth it, i can muster something up. i cant find too many reviews for the benchmark dac3. if anyone had some insight on that or the brand in general, that would be appreciated.

thank you

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[dunring]

For IEMs it's all about low noise floor. On audiosciencereview Amir does a 50mv test and anything that hits a 95 or higher is worth shopping for.
The best I've ever heard 10ohm IEMs was a Topping E50 DAC on optical and a Topping L30 II amplifier. That pair also frees up the balanced out for powered speakers. At any price that is IEM Nirvana.

 

[phantasmag0ria]

For IEMs it's all about low noise floor. On audiosciencereview Amir does a 50mv test and anything that hits a 95 or higher is worth shopping for.
The best I've ever heard 10ohm IEMs was a Topping E50 DAC on optical and a Topping L30 II amplifier. That pair also frees up the balanced out for powered speakers. At any price that is IEM Nirvana.

i will look into it. is the topping brand good quality stuff that will last a long time?

 

[Ioanast]

Welcome phantasmagoria! I am a newbie here too.
I haven't heard Gershelli or Burson, Topping is always measuring well in AudioScienceReview so you can trust it.
I have very good experience of Mytec and RME devices though, very solid structure and both built to last as you want.
From Benchmark I had a kind of "bad" experience from DAC 2, from a failed resistor connection that troubled me a lot
before I understand what was going on. Nothing severe, it was fixed and then was working perfectly, but I am still afraid.
That doesn't mean anything for Benchmark of course, maybe it was my bad luck.
I would say, even after the recommendations here (which you can trust), LISTEN before you buy if you can.
This is a subjective hobby. Cheers!!!