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Turki

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Hi

I am looking for DAC and AMP for my hd6xx. I will use it for games and movies.

My budget around 300$

I did some calculations, and according to the budget. This is the best amp and dac I can buy (they are all from the company's official store). The price includes shipping:

SU-6 + SH-6 = $298

SU-6 = 175$

JDS atom stack= $259

atom amp+ = 137$

TOPPING E30 II+TOPPING L30 II = 306$

Topping E30II = 153$

I can buy a little dot mkii for 160$ but I don't know the right DAC for it.

I can't buy from schiit because they don't ship to my area.

What would you recommend for performance with the HD6xx?
 
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staticV3

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For $300, I would buy the Sabaj A20h at its insane sale price at hifi-express: https://hifi-express.com/products/sabaj-a20h-headphone-amplifier

It's got a relay-based volume control, so perfect channel matching at every volume.

Then just add an inexpensive, balanced DAC. SMSL DO100, D-6, or Topping D10B.

Whether it's worth spending $300 in the first place is another question entirely. For the HD600/650/6XX, imo it's not.
I can happily drive my HD600 from an Apple A2049.
 

Doodski

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I can't buy from schiit because they don't ship to my area.
Schiit ships globally. At the checkout a selection is available for country of destination and shipping estimate.
 

staticV3

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Schiit ships globally. At the checkout a selection is available for country of destination and shipping estimate.
International shipping and import taxes make Schiit's products rarely worth the money outside of the US.
For example, in Germany the Schiit Heretic costs an equivalent $180.
 

jae

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- MOTU M2/M4 (benefit here is that you also get multiple ADC/microphone inputs with monitoring if you ever want to use them, screen with output levels which is nice to look at, USB-C bus powered so no need for bulky power bricks etc, could be plugged in directly to other devices like phones or tablets)

- Topping DX3 Pro+/Topping EX5 (has bluetooth, so could be useful to use with a phone or tv wirelessly, more power, performs a bit better than the MOTU but more or less inaudible difference)

In my opinion there is absolutely no point in getting a "stack" (separate AMP/DAC units) unless you have a very good reason to, so many people do this when all they do is use these devices in front of a computer only with a pair of headphones and/or pair of speakers at their desk, at which point separates serve no practical purpose and don't measure much better if at all. If you only plan on using 6XX for the foreseeable future the MOTU will do great even with some headroom for EQ, if you plan on using harder to drive headphones in the future or think you'd enjoy some features like Bluetooth, get the Topping.
 
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Turki

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- MOTU M2/M4 (benefit here is that you also get multiple ADC/microphone inputs with monitoring if you ever want to use them, screen with output levels which is nice to look at, USB-C bus powered so no need for bulky power bricks etc, could be plugged in directly to other devices like phones or tablets)

- Topping DX3 Pro+/Topping EX5 (has bluetooth, so could be useful to use with a phone or tv wirelessly, more power, performs a bit better than the MOTU but more or less inaudible difference)

In my opinion there is absolutely no point in getting a "stack" (separate AMP/DAC units) unless you have a very good reason to, so many people do this when all they do is use these devices in front of a computer only with a pair of headphones and/or pair of speakers at their desk, at which point separates serve no practical purpose and don't measure much better if at all. If you only plan on using 6XX for the foreseeable future the MOTU will do great even with some headroom for EQ, if you plan on using harder to drive headphones in the future or think you'd enjoy some features like Bluetooth, get the Topping.
The topping DX3 pro+ will cost me 205$

The Topping EX5 will cost me 360$

Sabaj A20h + topping d10 balanced will cost me 267$

MOTU M2 will cost me 245$

MOTU M4 will cost me 291$
Is it still worth?
 
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Turki

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For $300, I would buy the Sabaj A20h at its insane sale price at hifi-express: https://hifi-express.com/products/sabaj-a20h-headphone-amplifier

It's got a relay-based volume control, so perfect channel matching at every volume.

Then just add an inexpensive, balanced DAC. SMSL DO100, D-6, or Topping D10B.

Whether it's worth spending $300 in the first place is another question entirely. For the HD600/650/6XX, imo it's not.
I can happily drive my HD600 from an Apple A2049.
I found it on aliexpress for the same price but I will save on shipping. But I don't know what kind of power outlet it is. I use a UK 220V-240V power outlet.
 

JanesJr1

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Hi

I am looking for DAC and AMP for my hd6xx. I will use it for games and movies.

My budget around 300$

I did some calculations, and according to the budget. This is the best amp and dac I can buy (they are all from the company's official store). The price includes delivery:

SU-6 + SH-6 = $298

SU-6 = 175$

JDS atom stack= $259

atom amp+ = 137$

TOPPING E30 II+TOPPING L30 II = 306$

Topping E30II = 153$

I can buy a little dot mkii for 160$ but I don't know the right DAC for it.

I can't buy from schiit because they don't ship to my area.

What would you recommend for performance with the HD6xx?
 

JanesJr1

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Atom stack works well with HD6xx. (I have it.) JDS gets you top notch domestic service as well as performance, unlike Asia OEM's which may have slow or inferior response to technical or warranty issues.
 
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Turki

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Atom stack works well with HD6xx. (I have it.) JDS gets you top notch domestic service as well as performance, unlike Asia OEM's which may have slow or inferior response to technical or warranty issues.
I won't get much customer service because I live outside the US. for me all of them will be same for me.
 
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Turki

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Schiit ships globally. At the checkout a selection is available for country of destination and shipping estimate.
This problem exists in my country only because they closed it and did not open it since the days of Covid-19. I tried to contact them but they told me to use third-party-shipper.
 

JanesJr1

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I won't get much customer service because I live outside the US. for me all of them will be same for me.
Ouch. I guess, ask each vendor how warranty repair would be handled. Meantime, I still like the Atom stack.

Only thing, the power supplies are on the power cords, not inside the DAC and Amp, so the stack is very light and will move on your desk. This is easy to fix with velcro on the bottom and between the stack layers. My Atom stack has been reliable, sounds neutral, and is robust in handling even difficult-to-drive headphones. (Either high impedance, like the HD6xx, or low-impedance/high current, like my DCA's.)
 

jae

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DX3 pro+ is much better value than the EX5/other stacks you mentioned. $200 shipped.

If you're interested in the MOTU, theres 2nd hand options available:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275595607485 (M2, $100 no bids yet)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165853144375 (M4, Used $200- can probably offer them less like $140-160... brand new it's ~$267+)

Do you really want to deal with this monstrosity let alone all the associated cables on your desk? :p

index.php
 

Dunring

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With the JDS Atom Amp+/DAC+ you can't go wrong, had that and loved it, support is epic. The Topping E30/L30 II is a good choice as long as nothing goes wrong with it. I have the Sabaj D10b stack too, and with the 6.35mm to XLR cables it stacks neat. Also enough power for the HE6se with a -4db preamp reduction to equalize, but that's it's limit. The single end side has enough for the Beyerdynamic DT990 600 ohm, and I don't think they need a ton of eq, so it's good for them too. The digital volume is nice, but the plugs being in the back is inconvenient.
PXL_20221223_213919423.jpg
 

don'ttrustauthority

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Hi

I am looking for DAC and AMP for my hd6xx. I will use it for games and movies.

My budget around 300$

I did some calculations, and according to the budget. This is the best amp and dac I can buy (they are all from the company's official store). The price includes shipping:

SU-6 + SH-6 = $298

SU-6 = 175$

JDS atom stack= $259

atom amp+ = 137$

TOPPING E30 II+TOPPING L30 II = 306$

Topping E30II = 153$

I can buy a little dot mkii for 160$ but I don't know the right DAC for it.

I can't buy from schiit because they don't ship to my area.

What would you recommend for performance with the HD6xx?
The topping dx3+ pro is as good as you need for those headphones. It's also a great amp that likes higher impedance headphones according to Amir.

If you anticipate buying some planar magnetic headphones with low impedance, then get the Topping Ex5 instead.
 
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