Headphone DAC/AMP combo up to 150$

[Viktor277]

Looking for something that can drive Audeze MM-100, since they're planars they could use more power than the onboard from the prime x370 pro.

Found two dac amp combos so far that look appealing especially for the price:

Ifi Zen Air and Aiyama A5 pro from aliexpress, whats interesting about A5 is that it can deliver 400mw at 32ohms compared to 280mw at 32ohms with Zen Air, but the Zen Air has the bass boost option which i found lacking on MM 100 running with X370. If anyone has better options at this price point, please advise.

[saintlouisbagels]

I would get the Atom Amp 2 for $129. You would connect to the amp via 3.5mm cable from motherboard Line Out to the 3.5mm Line In. Although, I prefer converting from 3.5mm to L/R RCA and connecting to the RCA In, but that's just me.

 

If it looks too boring, look at Schiit, Topping, or SMSL for silver/aluminum aesthetics.

FiiO has a gorgeous new K11 if you really want a DAC/amp combo.

[rice guru]

For this price range I love recommending a apple USB c dongle DAC connected to any of the ~$100 amps like the magni 3+ which seems to have gotten a huge price drop at $69USD. More power than you need but Greta amp for the price. https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-plus

[saintlouisbagels]

8 hours ago, rice guru said:

For this price range I love recommending a apple USB c dongle DAC connected to any of the ~$100 amps like the magni 3+ which seems to have gotten a huge price drop at $69USD. More power than you need but Greta amp for the price. https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-plus

Dang, that's a crazy price!

and I love the Apple USB-C dongle  currently using it on my Mac Studio and Windows desktop.

[Viktor277]

14 hours ago, rice guru said:

For this price range I love recommending a apple USB c dongle DAC connected to any of the ~$100 amps like the magni 3+ which seems to have gotten a huge price drop at $69USD. More power than you need but Greta amp for the price. https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-plus

Is Apple dongle really better than ALC1220?

[Cocococo]

1 hour ago, Viktor277 said:

Is Apple dongle really better than ALC1220?

Yeah, there's no point in looking for certain components anymore tbh. It's just so hard to beat the humble Apple dongle, unbeatable price to performance, readily available from pretty much anywhere. It is a North America only recommendation though, apple dongle is VERY mediocre outside of USA, android only gets 60% of potential volume at most, and the output power is halved globally, that's why you'll see me recommending the Abigail CX1993, same capabilities as Apple dongle but none of it's drawbacks at a still very reasonable price (plus it means not giving money to apple if that's a bonus)  

 

Unless Schiit or JDS Labs have a big sale going on i don't really advise getting a desktop amp anymore, if you're running speakers or electrostatic headphones that need a massive energiser then an amp is very much needed. For headphone use the little Qudelix 5k is the best headphone amp i've ever used, even much bigger Audeze headphones run just fine off a 5k (i've tried LCD2, LCD5 and the creator spec LCD-X on it) EQ adjustment is so good that if i were buying an amp today (and didn't have speakers) i'd skip pretty much any desktop DAC and amp and just use my Qudelix. Looking at the deals posted further up it would be stupid to not go for the old reliable Schiit Magni or JDS Labs Atom, however if you can see yourself wanting to use your wired headphones on the go (even with some fancy wireless headphones i still normally just plug something in my 5k and use that instead) then 5k is unbeatable 

[cmndr]

On 4/1/2024 at 8:39 AM, saintlouisbagels said:

Dang, that's a crazy price!

and I love the Apple USB-C dongle  currently using it on my Mac Studio and Windows desktop.

Those things are DARN good for their price. 

They're the example that I give when I say "DACs are a solved problem" to "audiophiles"
The electronics got 10-100x cheaper in the last 40 years. 

[Psittac]

Where yall getting your Apple Dongle Dac's?  Cause the ones I got from Amazon are garbage, they don't even show up on Amazon search anymore.

[Cocococo]

2 hours ago, Psittac said:

Where yall getting your Apple Dongle Dac's?  Cause the ones I got from Amazon are garbage, they don't even show up on Amazon search anymore.

Apple dongles suck outside of USA, its why I recommend Abigail CX1993 all the time, if you're on android you get a max of 60% volume and really clunky volume sliders. In USA though the Apple Dongle is absolutely untouchable