Advice on headphone amp

JANDL100

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The Behringer looks really interesting.

Can it be used without the DAC i.e. if I fed it an analogue signal, can I output analogue without it going AD and then DA via the eq's internal DAC?

Is it XLR in and out only or does it except RCA?
The Behringer only does its stuff in the digital domain. So it does an AtoD and back again, and tbh the DAC and ADC are midfi.
All digital and it is transparent.

So, yes, it accepts analog inputs by XLR, but I doubt you'd want to go there.

But for a digital system it's a marvellous box of tricks. A very flexible and comprehensive equaliser, it's even got a stereo width adjuster which can be remarkably useful for some classical music recordings where things can get too widely spaced.
 
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brian.davidson.5817

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Well, just to report back, I ended up buying two quite different amps, both second hand but in mint condition and combined cost £300. The first is the Little Dot Mk11, which was also supplied with a variety of Russian and Chinese valves for flexibility. A remarkable amp for the £, fantastic build quality, and importantly a lovely warm sound. Really good value considering the 3 sets of valves in addition. The second is a Massdrop THX 789 - quite an analytical and revealing amp, and again in mint condition. Both will be well used and offer slightly different listening experiences. I can’t really see me moving away from these.
 

Lawrence001

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Well, just to report back, I ended up buying two quite different amps, both second hand but in mint condition and combined cost £300. The first is the Little Dot Mk11, which was also supplied with a variety of Russian and Chinese valves for flexibility. A remarkable amp for the £, fantastic build quality, and importantly a lovely warm sound. Really good value considering the 3 sets of valves in addition. The second is a Massdrop THX 789 - quite an analytical and revealing amp, and again in mint condition. Both will be well used and offer slightly different listening experiences. I can’t really see me moving away from these.
You've made some good choices there. I've owned the LD III and IVSE in the past, and still have the SMSL THX888 amp I mentioned earlier. All are good amps. The LDs are outclassed by the Eufonika amps I upgraded to (I've got about 5 including dual balanced monoblocs).

Now you've gone down that road I have to recommend you buy or borrow some HD650s. They are well suited to both amps. Many call them slow or bloated. I thought that the first time I bought them, but I didn't have the right amps. With an OTL amp the bass becomes a forte as it balances out the natural roll off of the amp. Similarly, it gives warmth to the neutral sound of the THX amps and being so powerful they control the bass nicely. I would take them over my DT880s any day, but the latter do make a nice change so I kept them.
 
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griffo104

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Well, just to report back, I ended up buying two quite different amps, both second hand but in mint condition and combined cost £300. The first is the Little Dot Mk11, which was also supplied with a variety of Russian and Chinese valves for flexibility. A remarkable amp for the £, fantastic build quality, and importantly a lovely warm sound. Really good value considering the 3 sets of valves in addition. The second is a Massdrop THX 789 - quite an analytical and revealing amp, and again in mint condition. Both will be well used and offer slightly different listening experiences. I can’t really see me moving away from these.
Excellent. Good Choices. I hope you enjoy them. It's always better to have a choice.
 
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brian.davidson.5817

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You've made some good choices there. I've owned the LD III and IVSE in the past, and still have the SMSL THX888 amp I mentioned earlier. All are good amps. The LDs are outclassed by the Eufonika amps I upgraded to (I've got about 5 including dual balanced monoblocs).

Now you've gone down that road I have to recommend you buy or borrow some HD650s. They are well suited to both amps. Many call them slow or bloated. I thought that the first time I bought them, but I didn't have the right amps. With an OTL amp the bass becomes a forte as it balances out the natural roll off of the amp. Similarly, it gives warmth to the neutral sound of the THX amps and being so powerful they control the bass nicely. I would take them over my DT880s any day, but the latter do make a nice change so I kept them.
I’ll check out HD 650s - not that I need another set but I’m always curious! Thanks.
 

George Hincapie

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I currently use Grado 325 and Beyerdynamic DT150. I’ve also just got a new pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Edition 600 OHM which obviously require a bit of driving. They sound great and are very revealing. I currently use the headphone amp in my Linn Majik DSM/2. However they do require a significant bit more volume than my other phones - would it be worth investing in a separate headphone amp for driving these phones? Is a separate headphone amp of up to £300 going to cut it? Ive used Graham Slee phone amps before and wished I’d hung onto it! Any advice much appreciated.

There are so many options for the budget. The World has moved on massively as far as headphone amplifiers are concerned. THX, Topping, SMSL are brands to start with.
 
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