So, Ive recently gotten into upgrading my audio setup from laptop speakers to some dt 990s (Id used dt770s in student radio and wanted open back so they were a logical choice).
They sound very nice but I want more out of them than my laptop can provide, so I just went with a magni 3 heresy for an amp.
However, due to modis being out of stock in the UK for the forseeable future, Im not sure what dac to pair with it that would arrive in a reasonable time frame (All topping models arrive as late as may for reference).
I have found the smsl sanskrit but it seems to only be the mk1 (£67.99), and know it needs external usb power to do its best. Would this be a good choice still or are there any other possibilities for a relatively low cost (Under £100, at a stretch up to £150) dac that I can get in the UK?
The heresy is a solid clean amp, should be pretty nice
So imo the modi isn’t that great, it’s rather outdated and has it’s issues. Imo it’s peaky, unrefined, and has issues with dynamic range compression and not something I would personally recommend
A good alternative might be the topping d10 or smsl m100
dacs at this level of gear arent really a thing to be too concerned about in terms of pairing as long as it performs really well. right now the topping d10 and possibly the e30 seem to be the go to’s though they may not be available in the UK the smsl m100 is a good option .
Oh sorry, I went for the 250s, should have expected needing an amp tbf with those.
My main issue with topping stuff is while it all looks great amazon says to ship to the UK it could be from 30th April up to the 11th of May. If it was any faster I would have gone for a d30 or d10 most likely as they seem like very nice units.
As for the m100 I cant seem to find it in the UK unfortunately.
Just ordered the Zen as it seems like a very capable unit and for a pretty good price of £129. Should be here in the coming week along with the heresy and some rca cables to hook the two up.
May be a dumb Q but I assume crank the zen and laptop vol to max and use the heresy volume adjustment only?
Just wanted to give an update after a few months, the zen dac and heresy combo works great and the dt990s also sound very nice on them too, a very great pair of headphones for the price imo.
I have just taken delivery of a pair of hd660s I found for £250 on ebay in seemingly new condition/hardly used, and so far they sound great and are comfier than the 990s.
