I’ve been looking for a DAC/Amp combo for my HD6xx for a while now and have recently came across the SMSL M100/SP100. Both can be picked up from Aliexpress for around £115/$145. I’ve always wanted to try tubes and although it’s only a hybrid, Zeos reckons this gives you a good amount of the tube sound for what it is.
Would these be able to drive the HD6xx comfortably or are there any other alternatives that I should consider? I don’t want to spend too much, but if it’s worth extending my budget to £160/$200 then I would definitely pay up. Also I’m not totally stuck on tubes, happy for solid state suggestions as well.
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.
The Topping D10 is also a good DAC and may be found cheaper. The Dark Voice tube amp is considered the standard for beginning tube amps. I would recommend those 2. The headphone you have pairs very well with tube amps. dont think you’ll find a solid state better than that. Also Xduoo makes pretty good tube amps. and Little Dot.
What are you looking to improve upon the sound?
For example, personally, I own the HD600 and I love how flat they are, but there are times where I feel like they are boring or sterile. Due to that, I use an OTL tube amp and an R2R-based DAC to complement and warm up the sound. I think the headphones shine the best when you add tubes and R2R to the chain, but that’s up to you.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve seen the D10 get recommended a lot and it seems reasonably priced so that sounds like a good option for me. The Dark Voice and Little Dot MKIII are a little out of my budget and the MKII seems to be difficult to get hold of here in the UK. There is the MK1+ for £90, but I’ve never really heard of it before. Also found the Xduoo TA-05 for £90. Will have to do a bit more research and see if they’re any good. Thanks again!
1 Like
In terms of what I’m looking for, I’m really just trying to start using my HD6xx’s again haha. I bought them a while ago and just used them directly from my PC’s onboard audio. They don’t sound bad, but they just sound a bit flat and dull. It’s not the HD6xx, I find every pair of headphones I try with my PC tend to sound pretty lifeless. I’ve been using them with my XDP-300R which is able to drive them a lot better, but I can’t really use them with my PC. So I’ve decided to try and invest a bit of money in a budget DAC/Amp for my desktop.
Thanks for the tips on the OTL tube amp and R2R DAC, do you know of any budget friendly examples?
You might want to try used. Ebay or Hifishark might help you there. But yeah i’m not sure how the budget Xduoo and little dot compare to the SP100. maybe someone here can answer that. I admit it would look nice to have that pair on your desk. especially in blue lol
Unfortunately, a decent OTL and R2R may be outside of your $200 budget, so I think I take back some of my advice. Personally, I think I would save up to buy something of quality that would be enjoyable. If you want something immediately and add some warmth, I’d recommend the Liquid Spark SS amp + D10 combo. Should give you good oomph and add some warmth, but not to the amount of tubes.
1 Like