Just another Amp/Dac suggestions thread for the EU boys / girls

Hi,

I’m fairly new to audio gear and I’m looking for a nice AMP/DAQ combo, an AIO solution or just suggestions in general. I’ve been reading on-and-off about the topic these past few weeks, and honestly, there seems to be a lot of good choices which makes it almost impossible for me to choose.

This is what I have in my posession:

  • Beyerdynamic DT990 pro
  • Sennheiser HD650
  • no dac(just motherboard output)
  • no amp.

I should also mention that I am from the EU (Belgium) and it’s quite difficult to get American brands.
geshelli for example seems impossible.

I had ordered the Magni 3+ and modi 3 stack from their European resellers but they cancelled my 2 month old order due to corona. Even though I really like their aesthetic, this is no longer an option due to availability

These are some other options:

  • Topping D30 A30: Easily available for €210
  • Fiio K5 pro: €150
  • JDS Labs Atom: €150 from the UK (not sure about the new tax rules regarding Brexit)

I’ve read some bad things about the topping A30, so I’m not so sure about the stack.
About the Atom, I have no idea what DAC I should pair this with.

I would mainly use them for Music (varied genres, mainly rock & post metal) and gaming (just a better audio experience, don’t really care about perfect imaging).

I also use a modmic and have been thinking about the scarlett solo as an interface (and use it as a dac) and combo it with some other amp. However, this is just for discord and I don’t really care about improving this aspect.

Honestly I couldn’t tell you what my preferences are in terms of audio, as I’ve never experienced good quality.
Budget: €200-€300

another fyi: I could resell the HD650 as they are brand new. So I’m not “stuck” with this particular headphone.

Thanks!

What ohm is your 990? I think an atom would be sweet, but for a dac you would grab a topping d10 or smsl m100. The fiio k5 pro will also be a really solid pick. Depending on the ohm of your 990, you could actually pick up a tube amp like the little dot mk2 or something, as that would be a fun relaxed pairing for the 650 and possible 990 (but not the best for gaming)

Monoprice has a European store which sold the liquid spark voor €104 until recently. You could send them an email whether it will get back in stock. One of the few “$100 products” I’ve actually seen going for about €100 in Europe.

A liquid spark is pretty sweet, actually that would be my first pick, didn’t know they had an eu store

Yeah they have a UK store as well. As a matter of fact that one has the liquid spark still available, however it’s a bit more expensive at £103.
AFAIK the Brexit does not yet affect the prices of buying from the UK but I’m not 100% sure.

They are 250 ohms.
The tubes suggestion caught me off guard, I’ve never considered them as they give me the impression that the sound they produce is really love or hate. Which inherently makes them a risk to buy (?).

Especially if I would have to order from Alieexpress) haven’t done much research but they don’t seem thàt easy to acquire.

I didn’t even know this. Nice!

Then if you are concerned about that, then imo the liquid spark + the d10 or m100 or the atom with the same dacs would be my pick

German and UK Amazon is also a good place to look if you’re buying in Europe, they have pretty good return policies afaik.

Are there any significant differences between the topping d10 and d30? The price difference is €10 and i would opt for the d30 for aesthetics.

The d10 is the newer dac and only takes input via usb, imo it’s a bit cleaner than the d30, but if you need optical or just prefer the look of the d30 you can just go with that and be fine

Since we don’t have any sensitive IEM’s here I’d go for Topping DX7 Pro.
If you can spend little more tho: Topping E30/Khadas Tone Board + Heresy

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the dx7 pro way over budget, and the amp + dac stack actually reasonable

Pardon me I’m retarded sometimes. I meant DX3 Pro.

Jds atom to expensive imo for eu. Much better value in the spark for instance. Have you checked the used market? Just an option. Schiit stacks for sale all the time.

I’m really glad that I’ve found this discussion, similar problems here.

At first was opted for D30/ Atom combo but import cost of Atom is +50% of it’s price.

Also if understood correctly D10 (88 euro in Poland) isn’t worse than D30 (120 euro in Poland)?

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Geshelli Labs
“We now ship to select International Countries.”
Belgium is on the delivery list…?

Hoping the “impossible” ain’t just going to web shop and click buy & order. lol

Buying internationally ain’t a issue usually.
Just needs bit more work and money but you can get what you want.

Customs can cost as much as a product in a whole other league would, that’s the real issue, not shipping. It takes a lot more than just “a bit more money” unfortunately.

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Point being still ain’t impossible like it was suggested or pointed out.
Need bit more work as in finding the seller and channels to get product moving.

Money side is a different issue in my mind.
I don’t see it (money) as a issue. Work more, save more = get more, spend more.
Modern peeps just want everything right now. Do not want to wait until it is possible in reality.

Some people do see it as an issue when they are paying over 150% of the MSRP. Products that are good value for $100 aren’t always good value when you’re paying over $150…

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