So I bit the bullet on an Ultrasone Edition 11, and I’m now looking for the perfect DAC or DAC/AMP.
This is a limited edition handmade German mini version of Beyer T1.2 for the same price (got it for 900 USD equivalent, but supposed to be about 1100ish) but only 32 ohms, easy to drive, has angled drivers and an ultrasensitive membrane. Detachable cables, walnut wood casing, velour pads. It’s U shaped with a lot of bass including subbass, and a somewhat 8k peak. Good stage, and great imaging. My use case is competitive gaming – COD: AW, an old COD–, but I post here because I need advice from DAC experts.
I want a DAC that has optical input, low latency (built in femto clock would be nice), good detail for this high end can, and I especially want a great stage and imaging. I have a final, weird wish: I want the dac to have rolled off bass, or a filter for that, the less bass below 60-80 hz the better for me. These cans are among the best subbass/basshead cans, but I’m in a weird minority: prominent low bass rumble annoys me and gets in the way of my use case of gaming as well. (I’d prefer not to EQ, as I’m deathly afraid of even a single millisecond delay, and of imaging/staging getting messed up).
Budget: obviously, the lower the better, but I’m willing to consider up to 2-2,5K.
RME ADI-2 would probably be a good fit, but I wonder if there is some hidden gem out there that’s as good or better for my use case.
I’d be very thankful for any suggestions.