Please help me choose a DAC+headphone amplifier.

[dizzydevil]

Hello!
I have a problem choosing a DAC+amp for headphones.
The thing is that I have Sony mdr-ma900 headphones, they are low-impedance
(14 ohms according to measurements on one site, but there is also information on other sites about 12 and 16 ohms).
I really like these headphones, they are very light and fit my head very well. I also have even cheaper HD518 headphones.
In the future I would like to try HD450 pro, but for me at the moment it is expensive,
although it seems to be the closest replacement for my open MDR-MA900 headphones,
if you know a cheaper alternative, please write!
On paper and in tests I like the Topping E2x2 audio interface, but it seems that its DAC part is slightly lower class than its competitors,
while it has a good headphone amplifier on board.
I don't care about line-in, spdif, coaxial inputs at all and don't need microphone inputs.
But I would really like to be able to separately adjust the volume on the line outputs,
since the amplifier for my stereo speakers does not have a volume control.
As far as I know, the Topping DX1 does not change the volume on the line outputs.
And I really wouldn't want to take the headphones out of the jack to control the volume on the line outputs.
Could you recommend me the best DAC+headphone amp combo at a reasonable price, close to or preferably less than the Topping E2x2?
I plan to use it on a computer with Windows 10.
Thanks everyone in advance and sorry for wasting your time!

 

[whereisbrian]

i use a Sabaj A20D 2023 version with a AKG K702 headphone.

i think, if it's possible, that the best way for you, is listening to your headphone with the future dac, before buying.

 

[dizzydevil]

i use a Sabaj A20D 2023 version with a AKG K702 headphone.

i think, if it's possible, that the best way for you, is listening to your headphone with the future dac, before buying.

Thanks for the info, I started studying this device. I would be glad to get information about other devices to compare.

 

[Roland68]

Hello!
I have a problem choosing a DAC+amp for headphones.
The thing is that I have Sony mdr-ma900 headphones, they are low-impedance
(14 ohms according to measurements on one site, but there is also information on other sites about 12 and 16 ohms).
I really like these headphones, they are very light and fit my head very well. I also have even cheaper HD518 headphones.
In the future I would like to try HD450 pro, but for me at the moment it is expensive,
although it seems to be the closest replacement for my open MDR-MA900 headphones,
if you know a cheaper alternative, please write!
On paper and in tests I like the Topping E2x2 audio interface, but it seems that its DAC part is slightly lower class than its competitors,
while it has a good headphone amplifier on board.
I don't care about line-in, spdif, coaxial inputs at all and don't need microphone inputs.
But I would really like to be able to separately adjust the volume on the line outputs,
since the amplifier for my stereo speakers does not have a volume control.
As far as I know, the Topping DX1 does not change the volume on the line outputs.
And I really wouldn't want to take the headphones out of the jack to control the volume on the line outputs.
Could you recommend me the best DAC+headphone amp combo at a reasonable price, close to or preferably less than the Topping E2x2?
I plan to use it on a computer with Windows 10.
Thanks everyone in advance and sorry for wasting your time!

If you are looking for a HPA for low-impedance HP, we can recommend the Topping L30 II. @amirm measured it as stable down to 12 ohms. It also has a preamp output that you can switch at the front.
Together with the SMSL SU-1 you have a good combination with excellent measured values and high performance.
As there are currently offers for both devices, it should be within your budget.

 

[Apesbrain]

SMSL RAW-MDA1 seems a worthy candidate.

 

[dizzydevil]

Thanks for the info guys!