Help me decide :) M500 or KTB w/ JDS Atom or Heresy for LCD-3

[worldburger]

I'm stuck and I thought I'd open a thread for feedback. First off, what a place. I don't remember how I fell into this forum, but I'm glad I did. The reviews are amazing. Anyhow...

I was interested in the Atom or the Heresy as starting points, but wasn't sure what to get as far as DAC's go. The SMSL M500 looked interesting, but so did the Khadas Tone Board. I had considered the DX7 Pro, but it seemed I could accomplish most of what I wanted for less $.

This is essentially something to drive my LCD-3's at my desk on my computer. I suspect I'll possibly fall deeper into the rabbit hole, but I don't even know how or what at this point. Mind you, this is a relatively new world to me so there is much I'm confident I do not know so feel free to steer me with your suggestions outside of the bounds of what I've mentioned

Edit: Bonus...am also mildly interested/curious about the Schiit Hel (or any other device that also has a mic input), but don't know how that fits into the calculus above.

 

[Swtoby]

There is the Mayflower Arc, https://mayflowerelectronics.com/arc-mk1/, as an option with mic. Between the Atom and Heresy, I'd go for the Atom because it can double as a good preamp with 2 inputs, if you don't need remote, simplifying your system.