Need advice to pick the perfect Amp/DAC stack for my headphones

[flaviouz]

Hello everyone,

After working very hard for the last few years, I finally managed to get myself a very nice bonus at work and plan to use it on audio gear.
Bear with me... I am a total newbie but a friend of mine is selling me his Meze Audio Empyrean headphones for cheap so... I'll start with that.

I do have a plan to buy either the "Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE" or the "Focal Utopia (2020)" headphones on top of that so my first question is: any of you having an opinion on which one I should go for?

Secondly, I am on the market for a great Amp/DAC/Streamer (AIO or not) and have narrowed it down to those so far:

• Niimbus US 5 Pro
• Matrix mini I3 Pro
• Naim Uniti Atom
• Headamp GSX-Mini
• Chord Dave
• Benchmark HPA4
• dCS Lina

As you can see, I am not so budget constrained but would of course love to get the best bang for my buck. I believe it'll be about synergy with my headphones in the end.

Some requirements:

1. Not too bulky (I own a small apartment, I don't have room for an entire piece of furniture)
2. I would love to be able to just plug speakers instead of my headphones if I ever move or decide to buy speakers (although I know that's a tough one)
3. Must be somewhat stylish (it'll be in my living room)

From the reviews, it looks like spending the big bucks for the dCS Lina might be worth it but I'd like your opinions as it is a huge amount of money and want to be 100% it's the right call before pulling the trigger.

I love the Dave but I feel like it's getting a bit old now...

And lastly, if you have any advice on what cables / power supply to use to have the best result, I'll take that too.

That's it, thank you very much for taking the time

 

[staticV3]

The best bang for your buck you will get with a separate streamer, DAC, and Amp. They can be very small though and take up less space overall than some of the AIO units in your list.

For the best bang for the buck I'd get a Raspberry Pi 4b as a streamer, a Ugreen 80583 as DAC, and a Topping L30II headphone Amp (or A90D if you want to be set for life).

That would be about $250/$700 with the stronger Amp and the sound would be identical to your boutique Chord/dCS/Naim stuff.

 

[Astoneroad]

Hello everyone,

After working very hard for the last few years, I finally managed to get myself a very nice bonus at work and plan to use it on audio gear.
Bear with me... I am a total newbie but a friend of mine is selling me his Meze Audio Empyrean headphones for cheap so... I'll start with that.

I do have a plan to buy either the "Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE" or the "Focal Utopia (2020)" headphones on top of that so my first question is: any of you having an opinion on which one I should go for?

Secondly, I am on the market for a great Amp/DAC/Streamer combo and have narrowed it down to those so far:

• Niimbus US 5 Pro
• Matrix mini I3 Pro
• Naim Uniti Atom
• Headamp GSX-Mini
• Chord Dave
• Benchmark HPA4
• dCS Lina

As you can see, I am not so budget constrained but would of course love to get the best bang for my buck. I believe it'll be about synergy with my headphones in the end.

Some requirements:

1. Not too bulky (I own a small apartment, I don't have room for an entire piece of furniture)
2. I would love to be able to just plug speakers instead of my headphones if I ever move or decide to buy speakers (although I know that's a tough one)
3. Must be somewhat stylish (it'll be in my living room)

From the reviews, it looks like spending the big bucks for the dCS Lina might be worth it but I'd like your opinions as it is a huge amount of money and want to be 100% it's the right call before pulling the trigger.

I love the Dave but I feel like it's getting a bit old now...

And lastly, if you have any advice on what cables / power supply to use to have the best result, I'll take that too.

That's it, thank you very much for taking the time

Sit tight. The responses that you're about to receive from the members will rattle your world. I suggest that you open up your brain to the possibilities that weren't previously on your radar... because they're coming. Enjoy the trek.

 

[flaviouz]

Sorry if I gave you the impression that I was looking for an AIO. If it is a good option, it does have the convenience of not being bulky but... I am all ears.
Original post edited to specify it is not the case.

 

[flaviouz]

Thanks a lot, I'll look that up and add it to the list

What I want to avoid is buying some gear now and finding myself wanting to change in a year because I simply heard something much better at an audio store. (I know, I just have to avoid audio stores to achieve that but... that's not the point!)

I also understand that "throwing money to get the best audio experience" is not how things work in this world and that is why I am asking this forum for some advice.

 

[staticV3]

What I want to avoid is buying some gear now and finding myself wanting to change in a year because I simply heard something much better at an audio store. (I know, I just have to avoid audio stores to achieve that but... that's not the point!)

Rather than avoiding audio stores altogether, familiarize yourself with the ways your mood, senses, time of day, and all sorts of biases can affect your perception of audio quality.
That way, you can avoid being tricked by salesmen that use expectation and confirmation bias to make you spend big bucks.

 

[Dunring]

I've got the Topping A90/D90 stack and never heard anything better. The one that comes close is the budget friendly JDS Atom+ DAC+ stack which is for me the best value for money in stacks.
Also the Topping stack looks great and isn't as big as it looks. There's a remote and preamp to go to powered speakers.

 

[flaviouz]

Thanks a lot guys, I'll definitely try the A90/D90

But really... You're telling me that if you had 10-15-20-25K$ to throw into the nicest possible set up, you would use A90/D90?

If that is the case, then this is definitely a strange market. Btw, I have read the Chord Dave review by the amirm and he definitely convinced me not to go down that route...

 

[Dunring]

Thanks a lot guys, I'll definitely try the A90/D90

But really... You're telling me that if you had 10-15-20-25K$ to throw into the nicest possible set up, you would use A90/D90?

If that is the case, then this is definitely a strange market. Btw, I have read the Chord Dave review by the amirm and he definitely convinced me not to go down that route...

I've bought and sold audio equipment for years and it's my daily driver. If something better comes along I'd switch, but it's the best combo I've heard. Also use a Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm which is nice if you don't go crazy with uber loud volume levels. I know people with the HPA4 and A90/D90SE stack and grudgingly admit if they did it all over they would just grab the Topping stack. The HE6SE with equalizer reduction of -7db is the limit though, any more of a push like the Susvara and you'd be better off going with the HPA4 (or a speaker amp, though I haven't tried that route yet).
For quality of sound the JDS Atom+ stack is right up there. Just little smaller soundstage and no balanced for extra voltage option. With balanced cables the Hifiman Ananda sounds so good on this as well.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

RME ADI-2/4 Pro SE

 

[Berwhale]

I would buy the Matrix Mini-i Pro 3...

Matrix Audio Mini-i Pro 3 Review (Streamer & DAC)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Matrix Audio Mini-i Pro 3 balanced DAC, streamer and headphone amplifier. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me for testing and costs US $1,025. The Pro 3 comes in the usual high quality casing from Matrix, weighing a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Turambar]

I would spent the best part of your budget on the headphones. You have already in mind pretty good candidates like the Expanse or the Focal Utopia. Of course there are others but you can't go wrong with either.

Then the DAC/Amp stuff you don't need to spend a lot, once you are more or less in the $1000 ballpark, you are not going to get anything extra. The Topping combo is a very solid suggestion. The RME too, especially if you are planning to use EQ.

About the source, the Raspberry Pi 4b or a WiiM Mini are fine and cheap. If you want something more stylish, you can buy a Bluesound Node. I wouldn't go beyond that in terms of price.

And enjoy the music.

 

[ocinn]

1) D90/A90 if you want the objective kings.

2) RME ADI 2/4Pro SE if you want to use built in EQ, or want the ability to use an ADC.

3) if you insist on a higher end stack, Benchmark DAC3B / HPA4 are both ultra high performance and definitely carry the status and brand prestige you might be looking for vs. topping etc…. Completely audibly transparent and the HPA4 is a powerhouse.

 

[flaviouz]

1) D90/A90 if you want the objective kings.

2) RME ADI 2/4Pro SE if you want to use built in EQ, or want the ability to use an ADC.

3) if you insist on a higher end stack, Benchmark DAC3B / HPA4 are both ultra high performance and definitely carry the status and brand prestige you might be looking for vs. topping etc…. Completely audibly transparent and the HPA4 is a powerhouse.

Ok this sums it up really well, thank you so much. My friend (who's selling me the empy) has the Naim Uniti Atom so I will have a try of his set up too, and then I'll go around in music stores trying all of those. I will eventually let you know my choice!

By the way, do you guys have a strong opinion on Focal Utopia vs Expanse?

And lastly, do you have any advice on cables / Power Supply? I've heard people using "Sonore Optical Rendu" to lower the noise etc... for example. Basically... what do I need once I bought the Topping/Benchmark/RME stack?

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Under no circumstances will you benefit from fancy/expensive cables, power-conditioners, or audiophile digital sources like the Sonore. If you look at any of Amirm's reviews for those products, you'll see that they offer no measurable benefits.

The Expanse is a technical favorite on this forum, but you should really audition both of them before dropping 4k.

 

[flaviouz]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to revive this thread a little bit just to let you know that I finally chose the "RME ADI 2/4Pro SE". I compared it with a few DACs/Amps with various cables (low end, high end) and I must say the device just blew my mind.

It outperformed the Chord qutest (with the pricey power supply), the Toppings stack (by a large margin), the Naim Uniti Atom and was on par with the Denafrips Terminator Plus.

For about 2.5K€, you get a very light and portable device that is able to be as good as 7-10K€ DACs AND can have two headphones plugged in (absolutely great when you have a friend over, or with a girlfriend).

I kept my Meze Empyrean (love them, very comfy and the sound is beautiful) and purchased a Focal Utopia 2022 (after many tries, including the Expanse and Hifiman products).

I am now the happy owner of a set up that never fails to blow people's mind when they come over, and which helps me travel universes in my own time
Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Next step, learning the EQ functions!

 

[flaviouz]

Happy to be guided if you have a link for beginners

 

[luisma]

I'm late to your thread but it's great you're happy

Anyway, I'm looking for a DAC too and the 2/4 it's one I have been waiting for for quite some time, but, no where I have found the rate it could do DSD direct (native)
Based on the specs it does 768 PCM but don't know native DSD what it is
Anyway based on your thread, since you have the equipment already I would tell you to try free hqplayer which is a pre processing software (paid if you want the full version) used to work great with previous rme don't know about yours yet

Edit, BTW you came to the right place, most YouTube sites and other audiophile sites will recommend thousand of dollar combinations that are purely snake oil, here you can save money and get good true equipment recommendations from the community

 

[Monosauras]

1) D90/A90 if you want the objective kings.

2) RME ADI 2/4Pro SE if you want to use built in EQ, or want the ability to use an ADC.

Is this still the current recommendation?
I'm considering a Naim Uniti Atom Headphone amp (currently $3150AUD on special)

D90/A90 stack would be $2328AUD
RME ADI 2/4 Pro SE would be $3699AUD