Hmmmm I was going to get those headphones because I wanted something that’ll be really good after 5 years hahaha. Sadly I do that with most things hahaha. Would the LCD X or something of similar caliber be a better fit for these? Also sorry if I came off a little blunt or coarse wasn’t my intention 
haha.
Not a problem at all, just wasn’t expecting it haha. I’m sure the Emperyean will sound great on that setup. Not sure if the Atom has enough power for the LCD-X
I know the LCD 4 are hard to drive i guess almost anything audeze is haha. hmmm I think i’ll hold off on the meze if they’re considerably overkill hahaha. Thank you for all your help maybe the drop mystery box will give me the headphones I seek ;0; hehehe.
LCD-X are easy to drive. Atom has plenty of headroom for those. I had the combo for a while.
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Oh nice! So you would suggest that combo then haha.
I stand corrected, thanks for the info!
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I’m surprised there has been no mention of the Klipsch Heritage or Monolith THX AAA. If you can blow a load on platinum headphones, why not pair them with an endgame combo?
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Z using “it” must not be in your criteria. Zeos, like everyone else, has his own favorites in sound qualities. What might like Zeos, you might dislike it. So I guess, you’d better look for your own sound quality-preferences, which device is capable of what…
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I guess I just disagree. I would bet 99% of people couldn’t tell a difference in a blind A/B test between the two, especially someone new to the hobby. The D50 doesn’t have any extra inputs or outputs. No need spending $160 more for minuscule differences just because.
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I think these lovely people are saying that just starting out it might be overkill. Buying those headphones are overkill it seems Haha. I got the d10 and the atom so I’m pretty excited to try those out Haha. And thanks to lol I learned headphones aren’t exactly like computers where they are obsolete after a few years. So I think the meze are not in my immediate future Haha.
Very good point everyone has their own flavor, but I was going to get those headphones so after 5 years they’ll still hold up to a high standard. LOL has enlightened me however that headphones tend to do well and dont really get obsolete like computers.
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We did mention them at the beginning! hahaha
Deleted my comment because I thought he’d be using a DAC with like 85dB SNR, with a 140dB SNR amp. Nevermind. The D10 DAC is good.
D50 has dual ESS chips, though? (And looks good. 
)
DAC/amps, too, especially. Like AVRs, you buy one and it could last 50 years.
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Haha fair enough! Firm handshakes!
This thread has the All Time "HaHa’ record…
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Haha sorry about that
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personally I’d go with separate units, unless space was at a premium. AiO’s work well enough, but if anything fails, you lose all the devices. if you have individual units, you only swap out what’s defective.
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It is situational really…AIO are great for simplicity and tidy desk…I use them as work audio stations.
But at home I prefer individual units, so I can mix and match to suit my mood or find synergy in different audio chains.
At $270 ($250 if you find a sale) the Monoprice THX Portable is one of the best values for money with regards to DAC/amp combos. You can leave it on a desk, take it portable, it has enough juice to blow up just about any headphone on the market, and the linear THX amp tech is the best you will find in anything near that price range. it is a very flexible option for the budget. Doesn’t offer a ton of connection/output options, but there are some sacrifices you will have to make when considering a budget in play. I stand by the THX Portable forever. It is my permanent portable solution. Almost renders my entire desk setup useless - that’s how good it is.
Also I thought you were on a budget, but I read the rest of your initial post and realized you’re talking about the empyreans. never mind.