I posted this in another thread but I was told to send this here
Im thinking of picking up the K7 to use as a preamp and a Dac, I’ve already got a Schiit magni 3+ and a tube amp so I would like a more nuetral sound to even out.
I was also wondering if I should go for the jds labs atom stack or go for the k7.
Also are there any other amplifiers with multiple se inputs with a se output or a Dac with a preamp that is in this price range worth looking at?
Around 250$ is my price limit
JDS stack is solid, maybe a Topping DX3 Pro+ would fit the bill as well? I have the old DX3 Pro and find it to be pretty neutral too, I use it for as my DAC and for IEMs with my PC. It also works well as a preamp, but I actually ended up with an extra Atom amp which I use as a preamp instead (which, while redundant, also gives me the flexibility of having both 1/4" and 3.5mm jacks at hand with no swapping or adapters).
What head gear will you be wearing?
I have an Element 3 and it is a bit pricy at 400 or so, but it’s a good all-in-one with what most reasonable people could ever use. JDS AMOS stack would be just as good and give a great deal of flexibility. I think if I had to recommend to someone something around 200 go for the atom stack. I had a K7 from Fiio But it kept overheating and I had to return it but I liked the sound of it.
I mainly use akg k712 and hifiman sundara for headphones
iems
open audio witch pro, hbb qkz, and moondrop ssp
I was looking at the element but since I have a record player I want a se input with the unit
neutral? then you want something from Geshelli Labs. 
Your record player has a full line-out via its RCA, as opposed to a low-voltage phono output? That’s a good thing.
Schiit Saga-S is a very versatile unit to use as a pre-amp.
I’m not looking for a preamp, mainly just a headphone amp or a dac amp combo with multiple se inputs
thanks for the rec tho
I decided on the fiio k7 just does everything I was looking for and it’s use as a preamp makes it killer aio solution
It is hard to beat at its price point, and to get a decent bump in performance over that you have to spend a lot more. Happy Listening!