This is just me hypothetically experimenting with smaller form factors and aesthetics.
Which amp would pair with a SMSL M300mk2 to use with a ZMF Verite Closed?
Xduoo Xdo5 plus
IFI Black label?(providing you could get one discounted or used)
Originally thought about using the smsl m500 as a dac, but no need for MQA.
EDIT: Okay this has left the lands of hypothetical. Proceed with caution, giant leaps of 
on my part.
So are you looking for something compact or portable? And do you already have the smsl?
Hi @M0N so this is more of a âfor funâ sort of a question. Its a potential route i could go down, so i wanted to explore it and have an answer incase I do.
This is more about trying to match something with smslâs form factor(so yeah compact really) whilst having similar aesthetics and the capability to drive the VCs. If I were to colour coordinate they could all be black and either could stack neatly on top of the m300.
I just wondered what everyone thought would be the more capable pairing of the 2. (The fact that they happen to both be used portable is just a happy coincidence. Didnât think about it, until you said 
)
I mean honestly if you went with an ifi micro bl that has a pretty great dac too so you wouldnât need the smsl. That would be the warmer, thicker, more fun pick imo
The xd05 plus is nice, but if you were to go this route, I would also suggest a burson opamp to improve sound quality (but I might say the micro bl would be on a higher tier of performance, but the xd05 would be a bit more neutral warm leaning here). Also the xd05 plus also has itâs own dac internally so it would also remove the need to run the smsl dac (although the smsl would be slightly better in this case)
Generally I would say that you could get much more performance out of the vc with some of the higher end gear, but I would assume you would want to stick around the 500 ish budget range for an amp?
Yeah exactly. Being fairly new to game, the VC still would be a shock to ma wallet. So I probably wouldnât go any higher.
And I know it sounds a silly thing to get hung up on, but the smsl has a clearly laid out display(not to mention a remote- even if it can a little cumbersome at times).
I mean if I was to get off my pervbial " how it looks horse" for a minute, another alternative might be the Xduoo TA 20( even TA 10) but then weâre bringing tubes to solid state fight.
What headphones have you had before just wondering?
A remote can always be handy
with a vertie closed imo if you could find a eddie current jr around the 300 mark that would be a pretty compact tube amp. The ta20 and ta10 are solid state hybrids, so not quite tube and imo still a pretty fair comparison. I guess I would want to ask like how small would you want things to be lol
Iâd take a Crack + Speedball if you can find one for a reasonable price used or build one over the ZDT Jr for a Verite C. Iâd take an SW51+ over both - but those are I believe now officially made of unobtainium.
The issue with the ZDT Jr and the Verite that the Verite is extremely sensitive and tends to expose the Noise floor in the ZDT Jr (even with the fix), and if you canât listen past it, it can be quite a frustrating experience.
My Crack and the SW51+ are basically silent.
Keep in mind there are size constraints here lol, otherwise I would def agree thatâs a great choice for something on the fun side (and a pretty good value)
Yes, if you ever find one on the used market itâs easily worth picking up
I guess something like a cayin ha-1a would work if you have vertical space to spare, but other sub 1k tube amps I like with the verite tend to be on the larger side for sure and probably arenât feasible if you need something smaller
Very true. When life gives you lemons, get a remote?
No bigger than the actual â brickâ that is the m300.
Basically I think of audio gear like pokemon right.(Pikachu is bae btw!) Requirements keep evolving, but there is a final form- that headphone endgame! All of this is subjective to each individual.
The advice iâve had on the forum has been solid but my requirements and use case have changed again since then. Originally I was going to upgrade to a zmf anyway, so i got in touch and we eventually came to the conclusion that the Verite Closed was the way to go. Those will very likely be my personal endgame but Iâm still gonna stick around because Iâve found a great bunch of people!
Anyway what did I have before? Well the reason I fell down the rabbit hole, to replace my Vmoda Crossfade Wireless gen 1 that fell apart. Currently I have a pair of Sony 1000XM3s.
Thanks for the interest and suggestion, but I might feel a bit on edge using something with a name like that 
Nah, seriously Iâm not sure about tubes. I feel a little uneasy about something that could generate so much heat. Then again maybe Iâm just basing that off Zâs TA-30 vid and not all tubes are like that, but at the mo I think the closest I would go is hybrids.
You are really limiting your options here, but potentially also look into a matrix hpa-3u+ or perhaps a rnhp on itâs side lol? I guess the lake people g111 might be a good as well but could be a bit overly neutral for some. But getting that same size just isnât attainable with most high preforming midrange amps, and for high end amps you just canât get something that small lol.
I mean while you can make that jump, I personally wouldnât recommend going right away to a vertie, you are taking a pretty sizable risk going in blind for something that high end if you havenât heard anything higher than a 1000xm3. Really I would suggest you check out some of the midrange options first to actually figure out your preferences and needs more accurately. I highly doubt many would be dissatisfied with a verite if they havenât heard anything at that level, but if you are spending that much money you really want to get hands on experience with at least some of the more midrange to entry level high end to make a safer choice and actually figure out what you like. Also itâs no fun jumping close to the top from the bottom, you miss out on so much that way lol
Some hybrid or solid state amps can put out more heat than a full tube amp lol, depends on the design. But for the most part, tube amps are out of the question on a pure size basis if you are looking for something small
I guess there is the Woo portable tube amp and the Korg Nutube based amps⌠
I generally agree with Mon, part of it is the Journey, get a $1000 Headphone, an Eikon or a Clear or something, that justifies some experimentation with electronics, pick up a Haggerman Tuba, or get an RNHP, or a used Violectric âŚ
Figure out what you like and enjoy it for a while, then look at 2K+ headphones.
I was actually going to recommend the woo wa8 but I just assumed it was out of budget lol, thatâs actually really good with the verite from my experience for the size
Fair point Mon. The Smsl was there because I wanted a display and a remote for quality of life purposes. I know I can get that in a Dx7s or Sabaj D5, but to me those are my failsafe options. I wanted to see if I could find something similar in a smaller and less chunky form factor beforehand.
HmmâŚinteresting. The idea of tubes is sounding less and less likely.
So circling back to the original 2 suggestions (because I feel like this may make its way back to combo terrority). They would both work adequately with the Verite, but the ifi Black label might get a bit more performance out of them?
I understand. You must be like âwhaaaattttt?!â But trust me , I have meticulously thought about and had this very conversation with myself. I wouldnât be taking such as massive jump if I wasnât sure.
Also the zmf ofc cable, I know that terminates in a 4 pin xlr. Does that necessarily mean its balanced?
You can always get an XLR to 1/4" adapter to run from single ended amps.
Personally I wouldnât day those would be my first choice with a verite
Yes I would say so. It also depends on what sound signature you are going for. If you are going for something neutral look elsewhere, but if you want a bit warmer fun the micro bl is pretty solid (and I also think it has a better dac in there than the smsl does)
I donât think a conversation is really enough but thatâs just me lol, but pretty sure I canât change your mind here lol
You can get a 1/4 inch ofc cable. A 4 pin xlr would be a balanced cable
Fair Enough, if its any consolation I likely wonât upgrade from the Verites.
Okay, noted(Can you guess why they were both there- yep screens and remotes 
) Would you take the ifi BL over these?
Are there any other combo units you would suggest for a similar price or is the ifi BL probably the limit consider price range?
Definitely warmer and fun sound signature.
@FiCurious and Mon thank you for clarifying.
If you arenât after something really neutral then yes.
I mean if you are after a remote then I do have some options that are around the 1k ish range that I really like but I have a feeling that would be more than you would want to spend (but I do think it would be worthwhile) I like the holo cyan, questyle cma800i, and while I havenât heard it yet I do know a friend has been liking his matrix mini-i pro 3, those all should sound pretty solid with the verite and have remotes.
The matrix mini i looks like a good contender. I could wait for a sale for the mini i Pro 3 and have the ifi Black Label as an alternative and pair it with a Fiio Btr5.