I am thinking about replacing my E10K + Liquid Spark combo at some point and I started considering a 2-in-1. Currently I am using the HE400i (2020) and the Grado SR60e and I have a DT-880 CE 250 ohm which I’m not using much. I have modded the DT-880 single ended, but I can easily make it balanced.
My choices for AMP/DACs are currently:
Keep the E10K + Liquid Spark
Get the Zen Dac, balance mod the DT-880’s and get a balanced cable that would work on both the HE400i and the DT-880
Get the Topping DX3 (or MX3 but I feel like the headphone out of that one isn’t that great)
Yes is is, though I can still plug something into the headphone out of the E10K and use it if I’d want to.
I guess I don’t necessarily have a goal. I’m mostly curious whether it would make a difference in term of sound, I’d like it to look a bit more pretty than it does now and, just as a bonus, Bluetooth would be nice so I don’t have to move the USB from PC to laptop, though this is very very low priority.
Logically the LS DAC would make things pretty.
A bluetooth receiver that puts out optical would be of order, I know Fiio BTA30, but I wonder if there is something less expensive that could do the same, remotely. The BTA30 is a proper DAC (also an option)
The LS stack would give complimentary sonics to your current cans I think.
If I were starting from scratch, I’d do a tube hybrid amp and separate DAC.
Problem is that the Liquid Spark Dac is relatively expensive and I would have to order it from another country. Also I fear that it would colour the sound a bit too much, since the amp already adds warmth and I’ve heard the DAC does that as well.
I looked at that one, but I couldn’t really ding how good the DAC is. I don’t need Bluetooth that badly that I would spend money in a lesser or equal DAC than the E10K.
If I were to get a zen DAC, dx3 or mx3 I would sell the liquid spark and keep the E10K for when the offices open up again.
