Is the SMSL SU-8 still a great value pairing for the 789, anything else I should consider?

Downgrading my headphone setup. I currently have the RME-ADI 2 Dac and 789. I don’t listen to my headphones as much as I used to and spend a lot more time listening to speakers.

The RME is pretty incredible. As much as I love it, I don’t use half the features and think I could probably still enjoy the hell out of music with something more modest. I am thinking of downgrading to the SMSL SU-8. Are there any other Dacs in the 200-300 price range that I should consider?

If anyone has owned the RME and SMSL SU-8, can you do a short comparison of the two, things I should lookout for, will I regret it lol?

This setup is for IEM’s, planar and dynamic headphones.

I would say the su8 is pretty great with the sound and also it’s fair amount of features. I still think it’s pretty competitive. Something else that I think is a bit better sonically but not as much features would be the enog 2 pro

Regarding the su8 vs rme, the rme is the winner here, it’s an improvement in almost every aspect, but that being said, I think for the price, the su8 does hold up very well and is hard to not recommend for a solid dac

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Thanks for the reply. I think I am actually going to hang onto my RME and 789 and sell off some headphones lol. I know I will regret getting rid of the RME. I think I am just waiting for the right closed back to come to market, audiophile limbo.

Gotcha. Also higher end dacs are a slippery slope lol. What type of closed back are you looking for (just curious)?

The topping D50 competes with the Su8 if you change your mind.