If you were to spunk £2-3k on a dac and amp to use with a pair of £2k iem’s what’s your rec
The RME-ADI2 has one of the best DACs you can get, and has a dedicated IEM output for sensitive IEMS. They’re are a better amps that you can connect of course and use it solely as a DAC but you’d have to find one that has no hiss at very low impedence, I don’t know of any. Perhaps the iCAN pro?
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is on the list I like ifi 
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For iems thought that might be a bit crazy lol
Honestly the chord Hugo 2 is pretty good for iems imo
I agree but with a bit of future proofing headphone possibilities built in …so what do consider a high end iem Dac Amp set up?
Something at least portable like the Hugo 2 or another high end portable dac/amp. Can work well for headphones too, the pro ican just has a lot of power lol
Dang throw down some tia Fourte’s, Abyss’s and Empyrean’s and there is a day or two gone lol.
Well, since you asked and I happen to be listening to IEM’s (albeit cheaper, $495 MSRP) I just got my hands on something called the Comet +, made by Exogal. This thing also has a built in headphone amp and is completely different technology wise from anything else I have auditioned in my limited but rapidly growing experiences. I assume @M0N may have experienced this unit and can better articulate what I say.
The Comet w/ the upgraded power supply is a bit beyond your set price range, $4K MSRP retail, but I am sure can be had for less (haggle/barter/trade/use cash) bringing it in line w/ your limits.
I’ve only got about 6 hours w/ this DAC and I’m completely stupefied that there can be such a visceral difference in sound from what I came from. This is just another league completely and even the deafest, most untrained ear can distinguish the immediate difference in both speaker and headphone sound when I do direct A/B comparisons. I say this because I poo-pooed my dealer when he insisted i take this unit for my particular needs and desires. We have developed a very close relationship and he knows my equipment and developing likes and desires well since we discuss this stuff often via text and phone. I was not particularl to such a boutique item, but its design lineage is unquestioned so I finally acquiesced and honestly could not be happier. The detail and smoothness is like liquid gold flowing through a mold, it fills every crack and crevice of your auditory synapsis and your mind is blown hearing things on well known songs that you may have previously allowed to go unoticed. There is no fatigue associated with it and when mated appropriately is just an experience unto itself. Bro, good luck there’s so much out there in this price range, this thing is really cool tho. Hopefully @M0N or someone else can give up the negatives in sound this thing has, I haven’t experienced. them yet.
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I’m not going to spoil any negatives for you lol, in that performance class it really comes down to preference lol
Also I’ve only heard it briefly so I can’t comment on the sound really, there wasn’t anything stand out negative when I heard it
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Thank you I appreciate that, I know this class of stuff has particulars. I much rather would just be blissfully ignorant and enjoy what this thing is offering.
Yeah, enjoy it to its fullest lol, it’s a great piece of gear and hopefully it has taken your setup to the next level 
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I’m genuinely upset that there was such an immediate difference in sound, It really just spoiled many budget level items for me. The huge difference is in what it does for my Falcon speakers and the others. I can’t stop listening…to everything. And you can simply swap out between this and the Project DAC or the laptop DAC and directly experience the difference in performance. I’m happy but not, if that makes any sense.
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Yeah, I mean I am eying an absurd dac lol, but it’s a massive price jump from where I am dac wise unfortunately, but it might be worth it, but who knows
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24 hrs ago I would have poo-poo’d you and said, bah, your stuff is friggin awesome leave it alone. Today I’m like, “Yeah $20k DAC’s are worth it if your set-up can handle them.” 
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Exactly how much can one spend on a DAC…if one gives no financial fucks?.. I know high handmade recored deck cartridges are stupid money but I kinda understand that but??
I mean all in for the dac and upgrades it would be around 35k USD, but I’m sure you can go much higher
This is an absurd hobby, the sky is the limit with all these boutique mfgrs. out there.
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