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I want to buy a great DAC + head amp (in one box).
It will be used for my desk setup with headphones only (no speakers) and a laptop as the source.
My headphones are Sennheiser HD 800 S, which sensitivity is 102 dB at 1 mW and impedance is 300 ohm.
The have been measured by Audiosciencereview (link) and @solderdude (link).
Comments regarding the DAC + head amp:
(a) Must be in one box.
(b) The dimensions should be quite small (height may not be small).
(c) Low price is a great, preferably below $ 2000 (but may be willing to pay more for an amazing product, but hopefully less).
(d) Remote control not needed.
(e) Good build quality.
(f) The importance is mainly its ability to drive Sennheiser HD 800 S excellently (not other headphones).
(g) DAC measurements only matters up to transparency, that is: I don't care about a DAC being better as long as it is not audibly better.
(h) Good measurements of the headphone amplifier part for driving Sennheiser HD 800 S.
(h) It must have a 6.35 mm (1/4 ") headphone output.
(i) I do not care about features and inputs/outputs which I do not need (bluetooth etc.).
(j) It shall not support MQA.
(k) Great customer support, serviceability, repairability, good manual and tidy and informative home page of the manufacturer is all a plus.
(l) The colour of the box must be silver or (and) black.
(m) A good volume knob is appreciated (and it shall be in from the unit, not on the top).
(n) The product should not have EQ-functionality (like RME ADI-2 DAC for instance. Note: RME is a brand I have high respect for).
Candidates so far:
Topping DX7 Pro+ Pros: low price (given that its serviceability/build quality is OK), small size, good measurements. Cons: Uncertainty regarding serviceability/repairability/build quality Owners report far too many problems/issues with Topping's products. Brands with poor history regarding quality and serviceability are of no interest.
Violectric DHA V226 Pros: OK price (ca $1600) , small size, good build quality. Cons: Not measured by Audiosciencereview (or other sites as far as I know), the 6.35 mm (1/4") output is a little bit close to the volume knob (but this may not be an issue). The product's manual is not on Violectric's home page, but I have attached it to this post.
Tell me if you think there are some candidates that I have missed. I will update the candidate-list if I find other products which seems to meet my critera.
It will be used for my desk setup with headphones only (no speakers) and a laptop as the source.
My headphones are Sennheiser HD 800 S, which sensitivity is 102 dB at 1 mW and impedance is 300 ohm.
The have been measured by Audiosciencereview (link) and @solderdude (link).
Comments regarding the DAC + head amp:
(a) Must be in one box.
(b) The dimensions should be quite small (height may not be small).
(c) Low price is a great, preferably below $ 2000 (but may be willing to pay more for an amazing product, but hopefully less).
(d) Remote control not needed.
(e) Good build quality.
(f) The importance is mainly its ability to drive Sennheiser HD 800 S excellently (not other headphones).
(g) DAC measurements only matters up to transparency, that is: I don't care about a DAC being better as long as it is not audibly better.
(h) Good measurements of the headphone amplifier part for driving Sennheiser HD 800 S.
(h) It must have a 6.35 mm (1/4 ") headphone output.
(i) I do not care about features and inputs/outputs which I do not need (bluetooth etc.).
(j) It shall not support MQA.
(k) Great customer support, serviceability, repairability, good manual and tidy and informative home page of the manufacturer is all a plus.
(l) The colour of the box must be silver or (and) black.
(m) A good volume knob is appreciated (and it shall be in from the unit, not on the top).
(n) The product should not have EQ-functionality (like RME ADI-2 DAC for instance. Note: RME is a brand I have high respect for).
Candidates so far:
Violectric DHA V226 Pros: OK price (ca $1600) , small size, good build quality. Cons: Not measured by Audiosciencereview (or other sites as far as I know), the 6.35 mm (1/4") output is a little bit close to the volume knob (but this may not be an issue). The product's manual is not on Violectric's home page, but I have attached it to this post.
Tell me if you think there are some candidates that I have missed. I will update the candidate-list if I find other products which seems to meet my critera.
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