• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Best DAC with headphone AMP under 150?

spankjam

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2021
Messages
83
Likes
14
What's in your opinion the best DAC + headphone amp combo for under 150?

I'm looking mainly for a transparent and linear sound without color.

My main DAC and headphone amp is a Lynx Aurora (n) which I mainly use for studio tasks and critical listening:

1000062220.jpg


However, the above mentioned setup is supposed to be for gaming but since I'm coming from a studio background I want something transparent I can put on my desk that has enough juice to power dynamic Sennheiser headphones and planars like Audeze.
 
For that price your best bet is to stick to the secondary (used) markets, and go for Topping/SMSL/JDS Labs. Conversely, the Audeze Maxwell is a great all-in-one solution.
 
For that price your best bet is to stick to the secondary (used) markets, and go for Topping/SMSL/JDS Labs. Conversely, the Audeze Maxwell is a great all-in-one solution.
I dunno, compared to the Sundara, the Maxwell is really a big step down I feel and should be price-wise somewhere more 150ish.

I currently am actually testing the Maxwell and haven't drawn a conclusion yet.

I thought something like the Focusrite Scarlet Solo would be nice but they seem to the small studio type interfaces seem to lack when it comes to headphone amp quality?

Second hand market I try to refrain from. I only had bad experiences when it comes to electronics, passive speakers would be fine.
 
Your budget limit may not allow you to get a dac/amp that could drive the Sundaras. You’ll need to compromise on the budget or the gear.
 
Your budget limit may not allow you to get a dac/amp that could drive the Sundaras. You’ll need to compromise on the budget or the gear.
I guess the Topping seems to be the best option. It seems to be a really good converter that also competes with things that are in the 1 to 2k price range.

I opened up 2 new topics for it, one of it is about OTG, that I have 0 clue about.
 
The SMSL C200 or DL200 used on Amazon will fit in budget and sound great. I have both and form factor is a difference, and the DL200 is a 5 volt DAC instead of 4v for the C200.
 
Back
Top Bottom