[jondouglaslord]

Hey guys, I finally decided to buy a desktop amp and was looking for what's on the market for a ~150$ budget.

I was looking for something that could help me enjoy more my DT770s Pro 80ohm (not that hard to drive indeed) but that could also already be in the right place for when I decide to upgrade and use new headphones with higher impedance.

I read really good things about the O2 and was wondering if the Massdrop O2 + SDAC DAC/Amp was the right purchase for me, considering it's going for 149$.
I also wonder if I should consider Shiit Audio lineup, but I'm not really sure about the difference and pro/cons of one or the other.

Looking to hear more from you, thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[tomb]

The O2 will probably serve you just fine.

I've never been a fan of the O2, however. Use of an O2 always comes with a caveat: be careful of the strength of your source. Unlike almost every headphone amplifier designed, the O2 has the volume pot placed between the signal stage and output stage of the O2 amplifier circuit. If you have a strong source, it's possible the amplifier will clip in the signal stage. Every other headphone amplifier places the volume pot as the first device in the signal path, making clipping from too strong a signal source impossible.

If Massdrop is pairing a DAC with the O2, they've probably made certain that the DAC's output does not exceed the O2's amplification capability in the signal stage. Then you probably never need to worry about this.

 

[jondouglaslord]

The O2 will probably serve you just fine.

I've never been a fan of the O2, however. Use of an O2 always comes with a caveat: be careful of the strength of your source. Unlike almost every headphone amplifier designed, the O2 has the volume pot placed between the signal stage and output stage of the O2 amplifier circuit. If you have a strong source, it's possible the amplifier will clip in the signal stage. Every other headphone amplifier places the volume pot as the first device in the signal path, making clipping from too strong a signal source impossible.

If Massdrop is pairing a DAC with the O2, they've probably made certain that the DAC's output does not exceed the O2's amplification capability in the signal stage. Then you probably never need to worry about this.

Thank you for you answer.

I heard some people suggesting me the JDS Labs Atom amp, which looks and sounds amazing, according to the reviews I checked after.

So I guess my plan now is just to find a DAC that will suits my need and will match really well the Atom.

I also like the separate amp + dac thing better than a combo right now.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hey guys, I finally decided to buy a desktop amp and was looking for what's on the market for a ~150$ budget.
I was looking for something that could help me enjoy more my DT770s Pro 80ohm (not that hard to drive indeed) but that could also already be in the right place for when I decide to upgrade and use new headphones with higher impedance.
I read really good things about the O2 and was wondering if the Massdrop O2 + SDAC DAC/Amp was the right purchase for me, considering it's going for 149$.
I also wonder if I should consider Shiit Audio lineup, but I'm not really sure about the difference and pro/cons of one or the other.
Looking to hear more from you, thanks in advance for your answers.

I would sell off the DT770 Pro 80-Ohm and replace them with the Soundmagic HP151 headphones, then look at getting a DAC/amp.

 

[pauldoni]

hi, im about to buy a high output amp+dac for ath R70X 470ohm.
1.is this amp worth for $200? how it compared to ifi micro ican? i found ifi used for around that price.
2. is this o2 amp have battery?
thx, and sorry for my bad english