Dac/amp - usb needed
- Thread starter 413x
- Start date
Soldato
Do you want 'gaming' features?
Nah, don't really game that much. It's not a priority
depends how much you want to spend and which headphones you use i'd say, no point chucking loads of power or money at low ohm headphones
take a look at "audio science review ,audio electronics reviews and measurements index" third google result down its the one where you can set all the product filters
I think you're better off buying the best dedicated headphone amp you can and best separate dac for the budget not a fan of jack of all trade products theres a few decent budget headphone amps and dacs floating around at the mo, ifi zen, creative xg6, the smsl and topping stuff.
Sounds maybe like an external soundcard would suit more if you're running 2.1 pc speakers.I wouldn't throw over £100 at it if you don't use high end headphones.
Last edited:
Soldato
schiit heresy and magni dac stack i'd say
schiit heresy and magni probably the best up to a certain price still
z reviews on youtube reviews all dacs and headphone amps worth a watch to decide
those are classic great headphones, i'd use audio science to make your choice some love the ifi zen dac but measurements don't lie
schiit heresy and magni probably the best up to a certain price still
z reviews on youtube reviews all dacs and headphone amps worth a watch to decide
Last edited:
Soldato
If the the Topping goes pop, where do you do?
Soldato
Don't hold too much importance in measurements, they only tell a part of the story. I'm neither a subjectivist nor an objectivist - I appreciate meaningful measurements but also trust my ears.
Amir at audio science review has a hard on for Topping, he gives everything they GIVE him a glowing review and the distortion measurements are totally meaningless as they are well below the level of human hearing.
Zeos (Z Reviews) is a decent entertainer but a lousy reviewer - he also gets given a lot of Topping and SMSL (same company) gear.
Personally I would go with either the ifi Zen DAC, which sounds good, has good features, such as MQA should you wish to listen to Tidal and a very usable bass boost button. It's not the most powerful amp out there but will be plenty for the Denon D2000.
If you do want lots of power for (future) harder to drive headphones, then the Schiit stack of Modi 3 (DAC) and either Magni 3+ (amp) or Heresy (amp) can be yours for just over £200. The difference between the Magni 3+ and the Heresy is that the former uses discrete components in it's circuitry while the Heresy uses op-amps (chips). The Heresy was built to see if an amp designed and built purely to measure well could also sound good and it turned out to sound so good Schiit put it into production alongside the Magni 3+. As for which sounds best, well that's subjective as it's totally down to people's preferences but both seem to be selling well.
Amir at audio science review has a hard on for Topping, he gives everything they GIVE him a glowing review and the distortion measurements are totally meaningless as they are well below the level of human hearing.
Zeos (Z Reviews) is a decent entertainer but a lousy reviewer - he also gets given a lot of Topping and SMSL (same company) gear.
Personally I would go with either the ifi Zen DAC, which sounds good, has good features, such as MQA should you wish to listen to Tidal and a very usable bass boost button. It's not the most powerful amp out there but will be plenty for the Denon D2000.
If you do want lots of power for (future) harder to drive headphones, then the Schiit stack of Modi 3 (DAC) and either Magni 3+ (amp) or Heresy (amp) can be yours for just over £200. The difference between the Magni 3+ and the Heresy is that the former uses discrete components in it's circuitry while the Heresy uses op-amps (chips). The Heresy was built to see if an amp designed and built purely to measure well could also sound good and it turned out to sound so good Schiit put it into production alongside the Magni 3+. As for which sounds best, well that's subjective as it's totally down to people's preferences but both seem to be selling well.
Soldato
throw it in the trash and buy something else - it will probably be cheaper than sending it back to China
wont be any good for headphones they rarely have headphone amps
wheres the ifi zen made ?throw it in the trash and buy something else - it will probably be cheaper than sending it back to China
Soldato
I think it's built in China but the distributor will be in the UK as ifi is a British company.
I had a Topping VX1, it lasted about three years but I think one of the relays failed. Would have loved to get it repaired but I enquired with a few electronics/hi-fi repairs places and it just didn't seem worth the cost, hence why I got the SMSL AD18.
To be hones , this seems like the easiest option. One device and it does both. Seems to have fairly good reviews