Advice on new headphone amp + speaker amp + dac

[thingul]

Hi guys, I've been lurking for some time and now need some advice on what to buy.

I currently have a o2/odac from headnhifi with a sennheiser hd800 (single ended cable), I also have a densen b-200/b-300 pre/amp with audiovector m3 speakers.
If possible I want to replace the o2/odac and the densen stack (which is almost 20 years now) with something newer with digital inputs.

What I'm looking for is either an all in one or seperate devices that can drive both the hd800 and the m3 speakers (they are about 90/91 sensitivity I think) with optical input so I can connect my tv/tuner, usb input from my pc and a remote. Stuff like coax, bluetooth (one or two way), display, wifi/lan etc. would be nice but are not essential.

I haven't decided on a budget but max 800$ ish, I live in Norway so there will be import tax on stuff outside of my country (25% I think).
Either new or used is fine as long as it is isn't obsolete.
I have been googling and looked at measurements but can't decide on anything, it doesn't have to be the best measuring dac/amp but "good enough", I'm sure my almost 40 years old ears are not in their prime

The small design of topping dx3pro is nice but unsure which amp I would use with it, I looked at nad d3045 which had lots of cool stuff but seemed weak for both speakers and headphones.

 

[nightfishing]

If you are not opposed to separates, there are a bunch of low price options for DACs, that according to "the Boss" should be transparent so you can pick and choose what function you want (inputs/outputs/formats etc) and that will solve half your query pretty simply. depending on what features you want, Topping will get you there from $50 to $200.

That leaves you enough budget for a bunch of great headphone amps.

the 800s can be tricky to find a good match for so I would keep reading. focus on trusted sources using those headphones to narrow your list down a bit. I am one who puts a lot of weight on form factor for my headphone setups. Some folks don't care as much, but a nice hefty, smooth volume knob makes a big difference to me when it comes to headphone amps. Not so much for amps driving my speakers lol. LEDS/Power switches etc come in to play, too. In an arena where there are plenty of good "sounding" choices, feature shopping can help make the choice easier.

 

[twsecrest]

I would say to just keep using the Densen b-300 speaker amplifier and current speakers.
Densen b-200 pre-amplifier is something that you may or may not need (more like not).
The Topping DX3 Pro could drive your headphones and also provide a DAC function to the b-300.
I've been check out the Topping DX7s DAC/headphone amplifier myself, as I'm looking into using balanced headphones and run a balanced connection to my studio monitors.

 

[thingul]

Yeah I was thinking of retiring the old densen stuff anyway, the amp is getting really hot from no use so probably something is not 100% but after 20 years I think it has done its share.
I see some local options for Topping dx7s for around 410$ used and a Pioneer u-5s for 350$ ish, unsure if the amp in the Pioneer is powerful enough though.
There are a few normal receivers but on those the headphone amp looks more like something they threw in just to have it there.
Does anyone have any experience with Nad c368 ? I can get those for around 800$ used but dunno if it is any good.
I found a review which said it had CLC2059 op amps with around 700mw in 32ohm so maybe that would be decent for hd800? https://nadelectronics.com/product/c-368-hybrid-digital-dac-amplifier/

edit: oh nvm it doesn't have the ability to connect via usb to a computer

 

[twsecrest]

You might also try posting your questions on AVSforum and AVforum websites.
Both the Pioneer U-5 and topping DX7s seem to be good options for you.
But if I was you, I would look into getting a modern A/V receiver, as it could be used with both 300-Ohm headphones (HD800) and your speakers.
AVforum is located in the UK, so you should be able to get good advice there (like for the best value in A/V receivers).

 

[thingul]

I went to a local store and bought a nad d 3045, got a 30 day free return window so going to test it out and see if it fits my needs.

 

[thingul]

An update after returning from easter vacation, I don't have the proper tools to measure anything (unless I can do something with a multimeter) but subjectively both the speakers and headphones play more then loud enough for me.
Volume has been at around -20db for speakers from the tv/tuner for movies/series and a little lower for headphones use from pc (via usb), so I guess I have some more power to go ?

So far quite impressed with this little plastic box and what it can do, mostly been using it for pc gaming/music and some game of thrones watching.
Tested both the bt send and receive functions, aptx worked nicely with my momentum m2 and s7 edge, range also looked like it was plenty for my apartment. You can only send or receive which is probably the standard function with these devices(?).

At first I found the switching between sources quite slow but a firmware update fixed that (was at 2.06 and upgraded to 2.07).
The update process was quite straightforward, download a file from nad, put it on a usb stick, turn the amp off (unplug power), insert the usb, plug in power and after some blinking from the power light it was done.

One other thing I would like is the ability to mute speakers when using preouts for an external headphone amp, right now it doesn't seems to be possible, you have to manually disconnect the speakers, I sent them an email asking if this might be coming in a future software update.

Lastly the remote could have been a little nicer looking and maybe worked from everywhere via bluetooth or something.
Still got 3 more weeks to decide if I'm keeping this 800$ all in one box, I know it will be hard to go back my previous setup though, at least for the old pre/amp, the convenience and form factor is quite agreeable.

 

[TankTop]

Yeah I was thinking of retiring the old densen stuff anyway, the amp is getting really hot from no use so probably something is not 100% but after 20 years I think it has done its share.
I see some local options for Topping dx7s for around 410$ used and a Pioneer u-5s for 350$ ish, unsure if the amp in the Pioneer is powerful enough though.
There are a few normal receivers but on those the headphone amp looks more like something they threw in just to have it there.
Does anyone have any experience with Nad c368 ? I can get those for around 800$ used but dunno if it is any good.
I found a review which said it had CLC2059 op amps with around 700mw in 32ohm so maybe that would be decent for hd800? https://nadelectronics.com/product/c-368-hybrid-digital-dac-amplifier/

edit: oh nvm it doesn't have the ability to connect via usb to a computer

I'm a noob here, I'll stop by the welcome section and say hello.

NAD MDC BluOS2-2i upgrade to the C368 gives two USB ports and the NAD VM300 gives 4k pass through, ethernet and USB although both are expensive. I have been looking at the NAD C388 but once upgraded I may as well get a full AVR or M10. I actually found this website and hoped I'd find bench testing for the C388, after upgrades it looks like on paper it is better than almost all the other all in one streaming players both more and less expensive.