Where to upgrade now? (From Thx)

I come to conclusion to upgrade my current system. Now I have:
Drop Thx AAA 789
Aune S6 Pro
Focal Clear
Audeze LCD-2C (maybe want to upgrade that to a LCD-x or to an Arya little bit too warm and dark for me, I like the big sound but the Clear is way better in every other aspect)

I really like my Clear I really don’t planning to sell it and buy something else (maybe later). So I looked amps for the Clear, lot of people recommended the Questyle Cma 12 cos its pairs nicely with Focal cans but I’m a bit perfectionist and really want to buy the 12 Master but its out of my price range is it worth the extra money over the regular 12 or should I save more? My other worry is the AkM 4990 chip is a bit outdated isn’t it? Also considered a Topping A90 and D90 stack. Can it be a upgrade from my current setup. Im welcoming any other recs my budget is around 1500 dollars. I’m living in Europe so everything is a bit harder to sell and upgrade here so I have to think twice bofore I buy anything.

according to @M0N, the jds labs atom is an upgrade from the thx amp

lol that would be cheap investment, but it would be nice something with balanced output

you use your s6 as a balanced dac right?

isnt the GESHELLI stuff balanced?
ah no, but theyre coming out with one
https://geshelli.com/erish-balanced
edit:
maybe thiiiis? idk
TOPPING A90 Discrete / A90 Headphone Amp – Apos

i’d rather have a rebelamp for that price though

It ships in about a month. Hopefully it ships directly from Violectric and arrives quicker.

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I’ll check the rebelamp, yeah im using with xlr cables but the s6 its not truly balanced

pretty sure the rebel isnt balanced
its just a class A beast

The Lcd2c sounds spectacular with the Monoprice Liquid Platinum, a hybrid, warmth, soundspace, lush sound. I bought both following M0N’s recommendation. That is for balanced use, the single ended is not as good. Also bought the RNHP which is like a cult here. Also amazing, I use the Fostex TH-X00 and Better DT1990 with it. They speak highly about the Vioelectric. Maybe in the future…

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the problem is im from eu and taxes would 200-300$ extra

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I think the violectric v280 is a really good match for what you have imo, and if you pair that with a soekris 1421 down the line it would be real sweet imo. It is a very good amp for the clear, and will also work well with the audeze

Moreso an alternative lol

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Thanks the recs guys, and what about the cma 12 compare to v280? i can get cma 12 300€ cheaper and it has a dac in it. Is the vioelectric worth the extra money over the questyle?

So I think the v280 has more drive and control, and also is more accurate sounding than the questyle imo, but the questyle presents more options in terms of a dac. That being said, with both of these caliber if amp you would want to upgrade the dac as well, so even if you went with the questyle I would recommend going for a higher tier of dac as well

@M0N I’m ready for you to listen to the RebelAmp so that it can make some of your recommendation lists.

I’m waiting to get ahold of one lol, a friend has one but won’t sell it lol. I might be able to convince him to trade a topping a90 lol, or alternatively I will keep waiting until they sell again

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and maybe the Spl Phonitor 2? its same price as the vioelectric and seems like more bang for you buck.

So personally I am not a fan of the phonitors, they are nice, but I think they lack spatially and tonally for the price, the detail, speed, and impact is there, they are pretty neutral, but I don’t think they recreate space as well as the vio gear, and the timbre is good but not great. The 2 has lots of features, but many that most people using it for listening will not use or benefit from imo. I think if you did go for a phonitor the best value is the phonitor e as it removes the features you pay extra for with only a slight hit in sound quality but it’s more attractive at the price you can find them used for than the 2 or xe imo

Headamp GS-X Mini!!! It’s 100% an upgrade from the THX. It’s a bit spendy however.

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Yes, I would much prefer the headamp mini over the phonitors imo, they go for a kind of similar sound

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