DAC/amp to improve a pair of 599s

[FoxEye]

I've tried asking this on several audio forums and all but one banned me "for asking questions as a new user" (seriously!) which apparently is a big no-no on audio forums. These places sound like a lot of fun. The only place that didn't immediately ban me is ASR, who seemed friendly enough

Tbh the learning curve for this stuff is too freaking high, and I really need an abridged version. They tell you to "spend time looking around" but there's a fricking butt ton of graphs and stats, and people using language which is so floral they could be wine tasting, to describe something they are hearing which I might not. And frankly I can't understand half of it.

What the actual Frank does it mean when something "sounds rounded", for instance? Like, what?

So I'm hoping (mostly because this is the only place I'm not banned from yet) that you guys are audio pros

Current setup: PC (mostly YouTube) -> $5 usb soundcard -> 599. That's what I'm using atm. I'm not sure if it sounds good or not, because I have nothing better to compare it to. That's half the problem, I really need a good (neutral) frame of reference. I'm absolutely not a bass-head and I listen at low volumes.

So I think I'm supposed to buy a DAC/amp now to improve the sound of the 599. I'm not sure what's wrong with it atm, but the general consensus is everything sounds better with a DAC/amp? It must do because everyone buys one.

Whatever I do I will not really understand any of it, and I'm a) perfectly fine with this and b) not expecting to take this very far. Audio is not my #1 hobby and never will be, but I want a decent setup that I will not be worried is some kind of bottleneck to sound quality.

Does that make sense? I'm putting my ears in your hands, because I don't have a the faintest clue about any of this, nor do I want to become an expert.

Was thinking of the L30 but lots of them have blown up and so now I'm not.
Was thinking of the Schiit Fulla 3 but ASR seem to hate them based on their measurements.
In general it's next to impossible to get hold of US-made products, like Schiit or JDS Labs.

If I buy something for £50 and can't hear any improvement (over the $5 sound card) I'll simply regret not spending more. Budget is about £200 for DAC+amp.

Suggestions welcome. Bans not so much.

 

[FoxEye]

They loved the Schitt Heresey. Don't know why people get so bent out of shape over them.

P.S. I've always wondered what your sig is on about

 

[FoxEye]

In most cases, nothing at all. Even average quality modern audio amplifiers are good enough to be effectively transparent in double-blind tests. If it's not transparent, such that you actually can describe the sound of the amp in words, then it's not good enough.

Right. And I'm very conscious of (wary of) subjective descriptions of what people are hearing.

I guess I'm a bit biased *towards* the mentality of ASR, because I can't see how measurements can lie.

 

[FoxEye]

Not sure if this has been recommended already but I swear by the JDS Atom stack (some people dislike the atom dac for the lack of input variety but if you're just gonna use it with USB then it's nothing to worry about).

I've been trying to get my hands on an Atom Amp for ages.

JDS say they are only available in the UK at hifiheadphones.co.uk. They are *always* "Sold Out" there. Mostly because they are not selling them through their site, preferring instead to sell via eBay for 50% more.

Everybody is taking the **** during this pandemic.

The website price is £95-£115, they're instead listing them on eBay for £140-£150.

It's a **** 99$ amp.

I hate how everybody is trying to scalp everybody right now. It sucks. I refuse to be any part of it.

JDS won't sell direct to the UK after Brexit. So I guess I'm taking the Atom off my list. Scalpers can blow me.

 

[FoxEye]

Sitting here with a D10s and Atom Amp.

It's sounding really beautiful, but there's a twist...

I'm not listening to my HD 599s, I'm using my Koss KSC 75s

That's right, I'm pairing a £12 set of headphones with a ~£200 DAC/amp. And it sounds lovely.

I've always loved the Koss but this setup sounds even better than before. I'll still use the 599s I'm sure, but the amazing all-day comfort of the Koss can't be beat for a glasses wearer, and the sound is even better than it was before.