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Best silver/aluminum headphone DAC and amp under $500?

Mr. Monday

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I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this, but I appreciate the focus on measurements that this forum has since I have received questionable advice on Head-Fi and Reddit.

The options I have been looking at are the Schiit Asgard 3/Modi 3+ or Modius, Topping A50s/D50s, SMSL SU-8/SH-8, and Aune X7s/X8. I have clearly been focusing on stacks because I like how they look but I'm also open to DAC/amp combo units as well as dongle DAC + desktop amp. Please let me know if there are other options I should be considering.

I don't need balanced but I do have high impedance and low impedance headphones so I need something that will work well with both. I plan to buy some $1k+ headphones in the future so I want something that will not have me thinking I need to upgrade anytime soon.
 

RickSanchez

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One option to consider is the SMSL M500 DAC/amp, although to be fair its case form factor is likely a love it / hate it thing. It does have a silver option. Output impedance is very low at 2 Ω.

The biggest question for you would be if it has enough power for whatever headphones you intend to drive. The power vs. distortion measurements (for both 300 Ω and 33 Ω loads) show the the headphone amp section is a little on the "light" side.
 
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