Excellent IEM desktop amp/amp+DAC? (<$1000)

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Headphone Amps
18

What DACs do you already have? What did you not like about the Mojo 2? I’ve tried a few sources and might be able to help add some options to your list.

At the moment, I would look at EF400, it’s got zero noise, mostly neutral sound with a smooth laid-back character which is still very Dynamic, it’s R2R so pretty Natural sounding. Only thing is, it is very powerful and usable volume range is limited for IEMs. You can use iFi’s IEMatch accessory or use a decent external Amp like Zen CAN (has some noise from Balanced Out) or Atom AMP+ (have not heard it personally) for IEMs with the EF400 as a DAC. I like the IEMatch option better.

1 Like
19

I do strongly suggest you watch Zeos review for the Topping A90D I linked. It is not like the other topping amps. It’s quite exceptional. And if you don’t like it, you can always return it by taking advantage of amazon’s return policy.

1 Like
20

(I mentioned I already have this :wink: )

21

oh! oops. my bad. i’m a bit distracted doing other things. Currently playing that Hogwarts Legacy game, it’s pretty great. It has something like 60 hours of music in-game. Normally I always turn off in-game music, because most of it is terrible. But this game has an exceptionally well done music.

1 Like
22

Just random stuff: Pre Box S2, Border Patrol, SMSL Sanskrit 10th MkII, and then whatever my next Big Upgrade DAC will be for my headphone system(Holo May L2?).

Mojo 2 is pretty solid, but didn’t have the magic of Mojo 1, so that was my reason to get rid of it. Nice and neutral, maybe on the warm side. Awkward as ever. I think maybe more detail and space can be found away from Mojo 2, perhaps.

I was looking at this… until I saw how high impedance it is lol. Seems to be quality sound, though! I didn’t have a good experience using my IEMatch+, also, so there’s that :\ EF400 might be a great DAC option here, though, huh? :thinking: (Or for regular use with headphones)

Other promising options that have popped up:

  • Questyle M15
  • Cayin RU6
23

Here are a couple posts I made about the RME ADI-2 that may assist you in getting a better idea of why/how that particular purchase ended the audio-upgrade game for me. The first one goes into detail about my experience buying the unit and where/how i got it.

This second post in the same thread, talks about the two schools of thought when it comes to audio equipment. It is also applicable when talking about how that unit ‘sounds’.

1 Like
24

@zenstrata I’m sure the ADI is a great DAC/Amp but it’s more than 1,000 USD.

The Cayin RU6 is a really nice option for portable use or Desktop use at it’s price range, for a slightly warm-neutral sound. It also plays nicely with IEMs and has no noise with my IEMs. Being the cheapest R2R, it does not have the refinement that other DACs have or the clarity but it’s definitely got that R2R magic and is a product worth giving a try. Again, it does not have the refinement of the other DACs, there’s a bit of a hazy character to the treble, Lower frequencies aren’t the most extended but it’s got a very natural sound, especially the Mid-Range and a wide soundstage with decent depth. Pair it with a neutral or slightly bright IEM that is fairly resolving and the setup works wonders. If you are using an Apple device, there might be some clipping cause some Apple devices don’t supply enough power to the RU6 due to a limit placed by Apple.

The M15 I have not heard it personally but have seen some reviews for it before. I don’t think it fits your requirement of neutral or slightly warm sound, it leans a bit towards brighter sound signature, atleast that’s the impression I get from the reviews. Darker gear like Honeydew, XENNS UP… might be better pairing here.

As for the Mojo 2, it has better extension on both ends of the frequency and sounds a bit bright neutral to me in comparision to the slightly rolled off and so, warm sounding Mojo. I don’t really listen to the Mojo 2 for music though, something about it isn’t musical and I can’t quite figure out what it is. I use it for gaming where it’s highly Dynamic Sound + pin point Imaging is a joy. I have other DACs for music.

I had the Zen DAC (OG) + Zen CAN (OG) and really liked them. They are a great beginner Desktop DAC/Amp combo for warm-neutral lovers. The stack works well for both IEMs and Headphones and also plays well with a wider range of Headphone/IEMs from warm to bright sound signatures. The sound improved a tiny bit with external power (I was using Allo Shanti) and then there is the amazing xBass ASP. The only issue is that there is some hiss with IEMs from Zen CAN, it’s not as bad as the hiss I get from Zen DACs output and not noticeable when music is playing but it’s not zero hiss. Maybe they fixed this with Signature varients?

Coming to the EF400, I uderstand the reluctance with using the IEMatch, I personally am not a fan either, I’ve tried it on Gryphon and micro iDSD Signature and it does something to the sound that I’m not a fan of. I still think that the EF400 is a better purchase and can be considered a true “upgrade” rather than side grades and different flavors that most of the other options in your list are. As for the output impedence, yes that sucks but considering that you’ll need to use Balanced Output for best sound quality and the Impedance on Balanced Outputs on this unit isn’t that high and in my testing with Hook-X, FD5, Blessing 2, IE 600… I didn’t think the sound was bad. EF400 + External Amp would be my rec for “upgraded performance”.

If you are just looking to try different flavours though, then RU6 or Zen Stack would be good products for a warm/neutral signature.

Finally, if you end up with an R2R DAC, keep in mind that they require a lot of burn-in to sound good. While most DS DACs only take around 20+ hours to sound good, in my experience R2R takes 50-70+ hours to start sounding it’s best.

3 Likes
25

This depends on where/when you purchase it. I got my adi-2 new for 942 dollars (and 49 cents) in October of 2022 (right around 4 months ago).

26

Nice…

27

Oh ok, it’s around 1,500 USD here so I figured it would be around the same price there as well.

28

Ah, you already have heard most of this! Great LOL. I suspect the Zen CAN hiss is from the shitty PSU, whereas the Signature provides an iPower2(!) and good USB/etc cables. Unless you swapped the stock PSU for a better one already?

Lots of great info!!! Thanks (:

29

Forza > Viking Weave : O

30

That is true! Depending on which unit you purchase, there are collaborative EQ settings specialized for those three pairs of headphones.

1 Like
31

I did switch to a Linear Power Supply. The Zen CAN wasn’t bad but I could still here a faint hiss on the Zen DAC (with IEMs). Maybe it was coming from the USB Cable and something like the iPurifier3 might have helped?

If I remember correctly, the Signature models have improved power or noise filteration so maybe there is no hiss on them.

1 Like
32

I’ll just have to return it, if there is noise!

33

I know you’re an imaging whore and the Zen DAC v2 while I absolutely love the xBASS or whatever, the imaging is ruined if you plan to game on them at all. I think its a mix of bad channel separation and a non removeable slow rolloff filter that just always skews imaging and staging. They’re a hard no unless they magically align with something I guess. Also they aren’t noise free…

2 Likes
34

Huh… Getting some bad vibes from this one, so let’s CAN it! Plenty of other toys to try here. (My Hook-X HBB just got here, also ^ ^)

1 Like
35

Ok one more all in one portable option EarMan Angel it’ll drive most stuff and comes with a black background apparently which it hard for most desktop set ups to do…

36

Portable! aV#$YAerYAErhvaefgchdkljrtch nPIUHPIHdjnkvsaa

I wonder if this MLP amp I just ordered will have noise with IEMs… It might just be the perfect amp lying around to use with the EF400 DAC

37

I think channel imbalance with IEM’s will be more of a problem than noise floor, I think passion for sound touched on that IIRC when he reviewed it?

1 Like