Hi y’all. I’ve been digging deep and looking for a fairly basic AMP/DAC combo (whether in 2 part or 2 parts) that is 100$ or less (I can go up higher maxxing at 150 but if the improvement is marginal then it prolly isn’t worth it to me) but haven’t really come up with anything that seems to fit well. I don’t really care for portability as its going on my home PC rig and will never move from there, but if it is portable that isn’t necesarilly a bad thing, I just don’t see it as useful so if I would pay an extra 25-50$ for a non-portable but signifigantly higher quality DAC/AMP then I’d probably do it.
Really so far the only thing I’ve seen is the Schiit Fulla, outside of that I’m still looking.
That’s a pretty low budget for AMP+DAC. Shiit Fulla indeed might be your only “desk” option. But I would dabble into the portable market for that price.
Lots of good options from ifi and Fiio for the 80~120€ pricepoint!
So I didn’t really express that I CAN go up to 150$ but I would like it to be fairly cheap so I didn’t want to go much over the 100$ mark if the improvement was meh. In that range though what would you recommend? portable or otherwise. @toruc_macta
At $99 on Amazon (assuming you’re from the US???) the BTR5 keeps getting a lot of love.
Ifi Zen DAC is pretty clean but doesn’t provide the most power.
Ifi HipDac is great for bass lovers but is a little weird with it’s wires… but it works
How portable are we talking? Xduoo Basic is portable, but can be run as a desktop amp when fed USB power (from pretty much any USB-c phone charger) and USB input from computer.
Point was it didn’t have to be portable at all. I just can’t suggest anything good besides maybe the Fulla at that price that isn’t portable
Had bad experience with X-Duoo myself but know Z likes 'em
I like my Xdeoo. Its my little buddy, no issues, and works well velcroed under my desk.
I’d say, look at a ifi Zen Dac. Mostly because it’ll be enough power and give a touch of warmth to the HD560s because they can be a bit cold. Bass boost would be nice for some fun.
Otherwise, maybe a open-box or Amazon Renewed Fiio K5 pro. Same price, tons more power and arguably better DAC.
The Fulla would be fine, but I just can’t stand Schiit’s thinking with no adjustability or anything.
I haven’t heard the 560’s but if you say cold I’d say either HipDac with bass-button or, if you trust Xduoo. The P…20? The mini tube amp that I had with a basic usb to 3.5mm dac
@KeroseneSlickback How trustable/reliable are openbox/amazon renewed AMP/DAC’s I know a lot of amazon refurbished stuff is a fairly large difference from brand new but if its fairly resilient to damage (unlike a lot of other stuff that iver experienced with them) then I can’t imagine it would really make a huge difference.
Wow, thats what im looking for look/design/price wise, not sure about its specs though necesarilly for driving HD560S’ (although i imagine its probably competent). Would love to hear input from a couple people on it.
(not that the looks/design really matter all the much IMO)
It all comes with like a 90 warranty, so if there’s issues just return it. I say, to save some cash and reduce landfill, it’s worth a shot. Most the stuff I’ve bought seems lightly used, but still in pretty good shape. Hell, my router was a steal at like 50% normal price and runs like a champ.
All you get is a volume knob. No gain switches in case you want to use more sensitive cans with usable volume levels or effects (tho I don’t bother with them myself).
Personally, I gotta have gain switches. I run sensitive IEMs and thirsty headphones.
Yeah ive been looking at a few that ive basically narrow my search down to at this point. One question though is there software (whether its sennheiser as im getting HD560s or otherwise) that would allow me to throw some extra Bass at my cans if/when I desire to fairly easily? (say using an EQ) or would I be better off buying a DAC/AMP that has that feature built in?
Im narrowed down to a K5 Pro, XDUOO Basic, Zen DAC, and the DAC-X6
I like the K5 as it fits in with my basically pure-black aesthetic for all of my other PC stuff, but it doesn’t have any bass settings which the XDUOO and Zen both doo (the DAC-X6 is basically the budget option at this point).
You can do software EQing, and there’s specialized stuff out there. But that’s beyond me, so I suggest searching the forums. But I’d suggest this as a “occasional” thing. Better to choose headphones that match your preferred sound signature rather than twisting one to meet that IMHO.
I’d say Basic, but I’m biased because it’s the one I chose. K5 Pro has gobs of power, just not that great of a DAC. Zen DAC had a better DAC than the K5 Pro and the Burr Brown chips makes the sound less sterile but it is lower powered, but not as good as a DAC compared to the Basic and the Basic has more power.
For the HD560S, Basic or Zen would be good options. Enough power, clean enough DACs, and bass boost. The K5 has more power than needed (not a bad thing) just at the cost of a less refined DAC and no additional features. With the Basic as a desktop setup, gotta run USB-C power to it; the Zen works fine off USB input alone.
Zen Dac has the truebass button which feels more natural than the kind of EQ’s basi software will provide (though yeah you can tinker around for hours in 128-band software to get ‘dat perfect bass’)
I’m not meaning for my HD560s to do that as a main use, just when im in the mood for a more laid back, bassy experience, prolly with some music too. Not really in a place where I can buy two sets of headphones so going the software/feature route would be much better even if im comprimising.
Its my little buddy, no issues, and works well velcroed under my desk.
K5 Pro has gobs of power, just not that great of a DAC. Zen DAC had a better DAC than the K5 Pro and the Burr Brown chips makes the sound less sterile but it is lower powered, but not as good as a DAC compared to the Basic and the Basic has more power.