Headphone dac/amp

Lakeland · 19 Oct 2020 at 20:59

Does such a thing exist for circa £100?

Headphone dac/amp that will drive hd650s
Needs to have volume control on the front (no remote)
Switchable output - headphone / balanced output to active studio monitors (would make do with rca out if necessary)

Lakeland · 19 Oct 2020 at 21:14

This looks like what I'm after, just 3x too much! Any recommendations for cheaper alternatives?

https://www.richersounds.com/camb-dacmagic-plus-b.html?refSrc=10104

hornetstinger · 19 Oct 2020 at 21:22

Ibasso? Schmitt? Topping? SMSL?

lucid · 19 Oct 2020 at 23:21

Lakeland said:
Does such a thing exist for circa £100?

Headphone dac/amp that will drive hd650s
Needs to have volume control on the front (no remote)
Switchable output - headphone / balanced output to active studio monitors (would make do with rca out if necessary)

You're asking for it to do too much for what you want to spend.

Maybe set your sights a bit lower and drop the requirement for balanced outputs. That, or buy some balancing transformers or get far better shielded unbalanced cables if RFI/EMI noise is a real problem.

Is second-hand a viable option for you?

Lakeland · 20 Oct 2020 at 07:59

lucid said:
You're asking for it to do too much for what you want to spend.

Maybe set your sights a bit lower and drop the requirement for balanced outputs. That, or buy some balancing transformers or get far better shielded unbalanced cables if RFI/EMI noise is a real problem.

Is second-hand a viable option for you?

I thought balanced outputs might be too much so I'd be ok dropping that for RCA out. Volume control of the line out would be a huge plus though.

I have a project headbox 2 headphone amp but it is rca in/out only so the only way to run it is from the audio jack output from the motherboard. If I had a dac to rca module I could use the current amp although it's not great sq wise.

Second hand is completely fine. I was using a edirol fa101 but it's firewire and a PITA to keep going so I need to move on!

NickK · 20 Oct 2020 at 18:36

Lakeland said:
Does such a thing exist for circa £100?

Headphone dac/amp that will drive hd650s
Needs to have volume control on the front (no remote)
Switchable output - headphone / balanced output to active studio monitors (would make do with rca out if necessary)

It depends on the monitors you want to drive - it may be better looking for a monitor amp with a headphone socket.

I’m just looking at designs for a tube headphone OTL amp able to drive low impedance. Probably a 6SN7 and 6AS7 based as two mono boards, then expand into a tube-DAC later.

Lakeland · 20 Oct 2020 at 19:25

NickK said:
It depends on the monitors you want to drive - it may be better looking for a monitor amp with a headphone socket.

I’m just looking at designs for a tube headphone OTL amp able to drive low impedance. Probably a 6SN7 and 6AS7 based as two mono boards, then expand into a tube-DAC later.

The monitors are active - KRK Rokit 6 so just need line in.

Sounds like a nice project, there’s something cool about tube amps.

Sgt_Pepper · 21 Oct 2020 at 21:35

Was thinking ifi Zen Can, but its £170, had a play with one the other week, great little thing.

NickK · 22 Oct 2020 at 00:45

You could diy - perhaps diyaudio headphone forum could give you a schematic or pcb then build one?