StewLG wrote: > I'm 100% fully aware of that, and on most days I agree wholeheartedly. I > have no illusion that I can, for example, hear the differences between > DACs, given that I can barely distinguish 128 kbit MP3 vs. FLAC on a > good day with a 'statistically valid ABX test' > (https://abx.digitalfeed.net/list.lame.html). I expect it will be the > same with the first 25 watts of amplifier power that I actually use - so > long as I'm not using the wimpiest T-amp, or something truly ancient > with dried-out caps, I figure its unlikely I'll be able to tell. So, > it's insecurity/curiosity that makes me want a powerful/ultra-modern > amp. That's probably not a good enough reason. > > I have done a little more research, and the closest I can come to a > minimal front-end that might work for the use-case I described is a DAC > with a volume knob, source selection, and remote that are targeted at > headphone applications. Some have built-in bluetooth radios, which is a > requirement for my setup. For example: > > 'Topping DX7 Pro' > (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YJHZ7CL/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07YJHZ7CL&pd_rd_w=7XCZo&pf_rd_p=48d372c1-f7e1-4b8b-9d02-4bd86f5158c5&pd_rd_wg=CM73v&pf_rd_r=73CDZHSN3BV9WFKWNZYZ&pd_rd_r=82690819-7ac0-4da4-9afb-f7172224372f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOUhSMlFXQ0VXTkpNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzEwNzAzM0hWUU9NUEhYWDZMQyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODU2NDk4U1JUODJETTJaUzFUJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==) > - Too expensive but checks all the boxes. > > 'Topping DX3 Pro' > (https://www.amazon.com/DX3-Pro-Headphone-Amplifier-Bluetooth/dp/B07KG9P3X3/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=topping+dx3+pro&qid=1587484842&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFGWUtETldPWjdBRTQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MjI0MjYxNlFWVTlIRVBDSjlRJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwNDgyNjROME41UVc2MDNLOFUmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl) > - Fine but no XLR, and the price doesn't deter me. > > The ironic thing is I'd be buying it for everything EXCEPT the DAC - > again, I have no illusions I can detect any improvement over the > performance of what's in the SB 3 for two-channel FLAC audio. And I > can't immediately figure out the 12v trigger issues - no clean solution > for powering down the amp that I can come up with. > > Anyway, with C19 supply chain issues, the amps I'm interested in are > hard to buy at the moment, and so this idea will probably be shelved > until at least fall. I've mused on it repeatedly, and will probably > again, I can't help it.
What kind of power are you looking at for the amplifier? LMS 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9 - 5xRadio, 3xBoom, 4xDuet, 1xTouch, 1 SB2. Sonos PLAY:3, PLAY:5, Marantz NR1603, JBL OnBeat, XBoxOne, XBMC, Foobar2000, ShairPortW, JRiver 21, 2xChromecast Audio, Chromecast v1 and v2, , Pi B3, B2, Pi B+, 2xPi A+, Odroid-C1, Odroid-C2, Cubie2, Yamaha WX-010, AppleTV 4, Airport Express, GGMM E5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ philippe_44's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17261 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=112052 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
