oh man…hmmmmmmmm
Tubes do the same thing as solid state devices. They amplify a small signal into a larger one. If you’re putting sound through it, it will be just fine.
That may be the going price for BUYING one. Likely the majority of that goes to the middlemen. Selling one is probably a tiny fraction of the sum. But probably enough for an end game system 
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…you seem to know much about this
It’s econ 101.
ok buddy
10 char
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more expensive amps and dacs have better psu’s, which means they can handle massive voltage swings brought by the dynamic range of the music, this makes them sound less compressed than cheaper models. They also have much better separations and instrument staging than cheaper ones. Lastly, more expensive amps and dacs can have better tonal balance, which makes them sound more natural and smooth than say a cheaper saber or akm based dac from the likes of smsl or gustard. However, the music you like to listen to dictates about 70% to 90% of audio equipments perceived performance. That, and how you listen to music. If you only listen to modern radio pop, then anything i just said would be inaudible. Also based on your experience, its likely at first you wont appreciate more expensive gear for the perceived performance gains it offers, because the brain only really perceives differences when you get used to it, then revert back to what you had before. I agree with the other commentators, though. Its best now to save, as your amp and especially dac wouldn’t have to be replaced so early, if ever.
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I do have a 20 year old speaker amp which has a headphone jack. Will it be a good test case if I plug the Diana to it?
I’m trying to gauge how much better the sound will be to decide how much money I should spend…
It’s obviously pretty unwise to spend a big chunk of money just because a few random strangers on the internet say so, but personally I’d say, with a 500USD amp such as the Liquid Platinum mentioned will let you witness how much change it will bring, then you can decide whether you want to go up. On the other hand, there’s also a chance that you might not hear the improvements at all. Some people are either naturally less sensitive in their hearing, or, because various experiences, haven’t been able to train their critical listening to pick up the differences. I’ve friends who put on my Clear for the first time and told me they feel they’ve never listened to music before, and also got friends who told me the Clear is just marginally better than their Bose/Beats. If you happen to think there isn’t much improvement, then stay with a 500USD amp and be happy with it.
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if you can’t appreciate any difference in the music you listen to, then I would say yes, though I think your main bottleneck there is the receiver will just not have enough power. It’s a long journey. I started off listening to a PlayStation headset (at the time, it was dramatically better sounding than most other gaming headsets), I really loved it for aggressive electronic music and when i gor better headphones, i actually thought they sounded worse only to realise later on the heavy amount of compression the PS headset making everything unnaturally loader was why i enjoyed them. Now i wouldn’t be able to listen to anything on them with any enjoyment because I have a better awareness of technical aspects of my gear.
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Watch this review by golden sound on it. I concur with his findings, but he describes it better than I ever could. Topping A90 Review - Mr Clean would be proud - YouTube
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Here is something that was recommended and falls within your price until/if you decide to buy something that would be a more price appropriate match. FYSA he just dropped his asking price to $350 which is particularly enticing. Good luck
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Another good option at your price level is the Jotenheim 2 with a DAC card.
Personally I might stick with the DAC of the K5Pro tbh, the DAC card has awful and outdated USB and has a lower output voltage, but otherwise Jot 2 is an alternative. Altho I’m probably of the view that it’s better to spend a lot more on source or downgrade the HP, lol
That looks interesting, I’ll look into that.
What about RNHP? I saw many mentions of it in this forum. Anyone tried it with Diana V2?
I don’t think the RNHP has the current needed to drive a planar as demanding as the Diana. RNHP is a great amp, though.
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What you want is current which usually comes in the form a balanced circuit. Some of the best designed amps for planers are the Cayin Iha-6 or if you can find them used, the flux fa-10/12 or the kinki thr-1. They are all a cut above a singxer, Jotenheim 2, liquid platenum or a90. They also cost more, but are about the same price on the used market. For me the cost is 100% worth it for any hungry planar like all abyss headphones. Those are really the ones I would look at for the diana’s over all others.
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I would agree with those sentiments. I had a a90 and a jotenhiem 2 that I was a/b against a flux fa-10. And for anything planar related, the fa-10 absolutely destroyed both the other two. 100% worth the extra $300, but you can find it used for around the same price. You can also get it with a dac module which would be an upgrade from yours.
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I would agree that the iHA-6 is a good pairing, as I’ve owned and used that combo. It also case a current mode. You can occasionally find them used in the $450-$500 range. Questyle amps are also current drive amps, but may be too warm/smooth for some preferences. A CMA400i might be found used around $500 and is a DAC/amp.
I don’t, though, know that balanced circuitry really makes much if any difference in current delivery as much as the overall circuit design. I’m no engineer, though. However, if you have an amp with a balanced output, you should use it, as that’s the one that gets the attention in design.
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