Depends on where you draw the line 
wise…hinders is probably the wrong word, as you go up tiers then yes portability is at a disadvantage due to size restrictions and power demands…but some Dap’s and portable Dac/Amps do perform well all be it a tad more expensive compared to their desktop buddies…I was just offering another option and generally shooting the breeze 
They are never a a worthwhile choice for planars due to there inferior current offets. Even the dialbo cannot compete with a desktop stack at 70% of the cost. Good for dynamics, but not for anything like the abyss stuff.
For portable,Abyss recommends at least this:
I agree with Jeffrey, that the ares is about the best you are going to get under $1000. The $500 to $1000 space for audio equipment has become so lucrative that manufactures like denafrips that would normally price such products over $1000, have decided to take a piece out of that market, with the consequence of their higher end stuff losing value. But the bifrost 2 is another consideration, having significantly higher end parts than its predecessor, but at the same cost. That’s just how competitive this market has become.
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thats way way too little power. I don’t think you understand why planars need high current. Its why a magni 3 with 3w at 32ohm is hopeless at powering very easy to drive planars like the lcd x. Will it get loud on that? Yes, but it will still sound compressed, and the bass will not be as defined as it can be. The ifi high power portables like the black label are the only ones that might have the power to drive these, but still nowhere near as good as an equivalent priced desktop unit. For the cost, its not worth being able to go portable with it, imo. Also, the Diana’s are open back. I know they market them as “probable”, but getting on a train with these things is the last thing you want to do.
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Man I got dissed for rec’ing the Diablo don’t think the xCAN’s gonna cut it 
the diablo can absolutely can. But you are paying a hefty premium for it being portable. If it was trying to be competitive as a desktop amp, it would cost $700, not $900.
and it still would not perform as well as amps like the cayin iha-6 or flux amps with their massive toroidal transformers and capacitor banks. Mobile audio, as impressive as it is, cannot compete with that.
10 character 
lol
I’ve used the Diana on several portables, and while they might limit moreso than a desktop chain, there are a few that can do an admirable job. There is also an extensive post over on the L&P P6/P6 Pro thread giving a rundown on several portables. The ones I’ve tried are the Lessfox BX-2+ and Woo WA-11. The BX-2+ is the stronger of the two as an amp, but the WA-11 is a DAC/amp combo and gives a little more warmth. In the more (trans)portable space, I’ve tried the Woo WA-8 and Broadway, with the Woo again being a DAC/amp combo and not ideal for the Diana, but the Broadway is designed around the Diana. There are also things like the Mass Kobo 428, Phatlabs Phantasm II, and Cayin C9 that can handle the Diana, but I haven’t tried either of those.
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Yea, there are many products that can do it well. But there are others that can do it better for the same cost. No portable player is going to complete remotely with a big high current toroidal deaktop amp. The dianas are not really portable, but transportable. If the op stayed in hotels or other places a lot, those options see more appealing, but I think he wants to use it at home. Desktop systems are always better value in terms of performance if we are listening exclusively at home. A 7/10 is good, but that doesn’t make it equivalent with a 9/10.
Though i would love to hear them on the c9.
Me too. I almost pulled the trigger on one with the July 4th sale at Musicteck, but decided to wait.
Yeah, thanks everyone for the portable options but I’m looking for something for my home so portability is not an issue.
My current choice is the FA-22 with the Ares ii. Unless someone has a better idea at the $1500 price point.
You could also consider a used Violectric V220 and Soekris 1421 or even 1321.
I don’t have experience with that combo, but I did really enjoy the Cayin iHA-6/iDAC-6 MkII combo when I had it, and depending on sales/used market, it should be attainable in the <$1500 range. I might have slightly preferred the Soekris 1541 to the iDAC-6 for the increased depth and separation, and the more analytical signature was balanced pretty well by the iHA-6 slightly warmer than neutral signature. It required moving up from the V200 to V280 to the Vio V281/1541 stack to convince me to sell the iHA-6/iDAC-6 stack.
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that would cost way more than $1500, though.
You can get them used either within that budget or slightly above when they do come up, would be much more likely to easily begin budget with the v200/1321 or 1221 setup.
last time i heard a soekris was the 1421 and was definitely outclassed by the ares.
The 1321/1421 tends to get recommended for the vio amps more due to how good their synergy is rather than their performance on their own, not that they’re bad dacs at all.