Alternative combo for dx3 pro

[cidel fastro]

Hello , after I decide to take the risk and ordered the dx3 pro v2 the seller replied to me that after too many returns of faulty units they stopped selling it so this was a sign for me to move on and look for an alternative - I’m looking for dac amp desktop combo around 200$ that will connect to my hd58x and he4xx and in the near future the sundara or the verum 1 will join the fam.
After reading here a lot of reviews I’m still dazed and confused about what unit will fit me best. I’m currently leaning towards the Aune x1s and the massdrop lcx which both is a bit more than I intended to spend.

Ps - I forgot to mention that I’m mostly using the headphones for refrence for my productions on ableton so I need the unit to be as much as neutral / analytical/ revealing and not warm or pleasant for listening

Hope to hear from you guys thanks

 

[Berwhale]

Does it have to be in one box? A Topping D10 + JDS Labs Atom would fit your budget. Splitting the DAC and Amp gives you flexibility to upgrade or replace either at a later date.

 

[cidel fastro]

Hey thanks for the fast response. I did thought about this split but the thing is I will need to pay double the shipping and taxes which will eventually lead for reaching over my budget too

 

[Cahudson42]

IMO, for $200 you can't beat a NIB LG V20 ($120)for streamer/DAC, followed by a Liquid Spark/Atom. ($100..) Don't be put off by the similar ASR LG G7 review comments on the 'amemic' amp output. This is easily overcome w/o rooting with an impedance adapter. Check the recent new V20 thread...

 

[Killingbeans]

the seller replied to me that after too many returns of faulty units they stopped selling it

Did they mention the nature of the faults? I'm thinking about getting one as DAC/digital preamp for my speaker setup, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the headphone amp being the only part failing. Sorry for the off-topic

 

[thomasjast]

Putting in a vote for Topping D10 + Atom. The Atom's amp section is much better than the DX3's and feels nearly limitless to any sane person.

 

[cidel fastro]

Did they mention the nature of the faults? I'm thinking about getting one as DAC/digital preamp for my speaker setup, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the headphone amp being the only part failing. Sorry for the off-topic

Not really, here's what they wrote to me:
"Thank you very much for purchasing the DX3 PRO.
We are sorry to learn from TOPPING that this batch of DX3 pro machines has technical problems, and the TOPPING factory is checking and repairing. This may take a long time to supply properly. We apologize for the inconvenience, we don't want to waste your time. We are a responsible seller. We will cancel this order for you. You will get all money. Of course, we will contact you as soon as we resume normal supply. You can choose to buy again at our store."