[Entropism]

Hey folks,

I decided to upgrade my PC's sound a bit, and wanted to go with an amp/dac to bypass the onboard sound a give a bit more power to my HPs. I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible, and had a few models in mind. Please feel free to suggest anything else, as I'm new to amps.

1 - Optoma NuForce uDAC3 ($55)
2 - Fiio e10k ($75)
3 - Fiio K5 ($90)
4 - SMSL SD793-II ($65)
5 - Spend WAY more than any others and get the Schiit Magni 2/Modi combo. ($160)

What I'm looking for is to have a USB or Optical input for the DAC, with enough juice to properly power my (budget) HPs, and also have either a 3.5mm or RCA output so I can connect my powered desktop speakers (Logitech Z623). This way I won't have to swap sources on my computer when I plug my headphones in.

HPs I'll be powering:

Sennheiser HD25-1 II (70 ohm?)
HyperX Cloud (60 Ohm)
Akai 50x / ISK MDH9000 (32 Ohm)
Sivga SV007 (16 Ohm)

I don't listen at an especially loud volume, but I don't want to have to crank my system to 100% like I do now for the Clouds.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Entropism]

Any thoughts?

 

[PurpleAngel]

My two cents.
Get an Asus Xonar DX sound card (for the DAC function, used off eBay $60), connect the Logitech Z623 to the DX's output jack.
Then plug whatever headphones you get into the Z623's headphone jack
Headphones that are not less then 32-Ohm, over even better over 50-Ohms.

 

[biggbenn74]

As an owner of many fiio's and other dac/amps throughought the years, I can say that what worked best for me was my Magni / Modi combo. You can find a first gen stack for right around $100 if you look in the right places. Picked up my 1st gen modi last week for HALF of what retail was on it when it was new.

 

[cossix]

I used to own the E10k and dont have anything bad to say about it! It's a wonderful little unit for people on a budget who don't have much space to own a bigger unit or stack

 

[Entropism]

As an owner of many fiio's and other dac/amps throughought the years, I can say that what worked best for me was my Magni / Modi combo. You can find a first gen stack for right around $100 if you look in the right places. Picked up my 1st gen modi last week for HALF of what retail was on it when it was new.

Mind PMing me where to look? I'd definitely pick up the stack if it was $100ish.