First Hi Res headphone build - need some advice please.

[LDfades]

Hi all, new member here, wonder if someone can give me some advice on a Hi Res streaming setup I'm looking to create?

I'm currently using FiiO KA2 lightning dongle DAC with my iPhone and some Truthear IEMS. Since updating to iOS18 the volume is really low unless I have it at like 90%, plus I think I've had enough of the IEM form factor too.

So I'd like a Hi Res streamer for Tidal and/or Apple Music, that I can connect some decent (£100?) wired headphones into, and use my phone to choose music on Tidal and/or Apple Music.

Doing some of my own reading I've got a potential kitlist of: Topping DX3 Pro+, WiiM Mini, Sennheiser HD560S.

...but am open to making this less units (WiiM Ultra?) and definitely open to general advice on what might make a better setup in general.

Thanks for taking the time to read, hopefully I'm not coming across as the complete beginner that I am. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[LDfades]

The more I read, the more I get confused.

One minute I'm convinced on the FiiO SR11 + K11-R2R combination, then I go reading about the WiiM Pro Plus which changes my mind... not really getting anywhere...

One thing I'm really uncertain of is what bitrate to expect from any of the streamers when I'm connecting my phone wirelessly via an app. Is that dependent on what output I use to connect to the DAC?

Any thoughts advice most welcome...

 

[LDfades]

OK so I think I've got the short list down to the SMSL C200, DL200, or RAW-MDA1.

I'm not going to stream content (for now), I'm going to use Apple Music on my Windows laptop to connect to the DAC/amp. Headphone wise probably something like the Sennheiser HD560S, but always open to suggestions on this front...

Any thoughts on the DAC/amp shortlist?

 

[Gaius Helena Moheim]

I have been looking at dac's the last week and i ended up buying the Raw Mda1. It's on its way. Reasons are: internal power supply, 1.4w good quality headphone amp, excellent connectivity and excellent measurements.

 

[LDfades]

I have been looking at dac's the last week and i ended up buying the Raw Mda1. It's on its way. Reasons are: internal power supply, 1.4w good quality headphone amp, excellent connectivity and excellent measurements.

Presume you've had delivery? If so, what's your early impressions? I'm still pondering...

I'd gone around the houses and landed on the Schiit Magni Unity, but now i'm struggling to justify £220 on that unit when I can get the RAW MDA1 for an extra £20 with a bunch more connectivity that I don't need as a priority right now, but feels like I'm more future proofed vs the Schiit... I do intend on adding wireless streamer to the system as and when ££ becomes available...

 

[Gaius Helena Moheim]

Yes I did and I am quite satisfied. The build in headphone amplifier sounds better than the THX AAA one in my Btr17 in desktop mode and the software is mature. Something that can not be said about the Btr. The amp is more dynamic imho. Do keep in mind that this is my subjective impression.
It feels heavy and well build. It has no problem driving my more power hungry headphones and it has a completely dark noise floor with sensitive iem's.
As for your streamer. Have you considered a cheap Raspberry Pi music server with a SPDIF board like the Hifiberry Digi 2 or a 12 usd AliExpress clone? This is how I do my music streaming. The SPDIF is a bit perfect way to stream your files to your dac. There are different software solutions available. I use Volumio. It has a very nice interface for your phone or tablet and it works perfectly with the streaming services, local network NAS or local storage. This is really easy to build and configure without soldering. On YouTube you can find step by step instructions on how to do this. Maybe another way to save some money without sacrificing sound quality in any way?