Best Integrated DAC/Amps Options?

I am intersted in thoughts about integrated DAC/Amps under $2500, primarily for use with the Sennheiser HD 800 (modded) and HD-650 headphones and classical music. I prefer amplifiers that are accurate more than I do amplifiers are considered to be musical. I am also open to purchasing a non-integrated amplifier and DAC pair (e.g. Eddie Current Zana Deux or Black Widow etc.) but I'm less keen to take this path because it can become harder to find the right pairing, Lastly I am also open to purchasing used equipment that has depreciated.

 

Don't be scared by the sub 1K price. The Audeze Deckard is absolutely fantastic as an integrated amp/DAC combo. Don't see a lot of talk about it on here but it's Class-A and sounds sublime with my HE1000.

 

Weeell.. If you need a single unit combo that has every I/O option you'll probably ever need that is accurate rather than musical and will drive the 800/650 more than adequately I'll throw in my suggestion for a Benchmark DAC, Lynx Hilo or possibly Oppo HA-1 before I get burned at the stake.

 

To bring the burning to the stake and the tar/feathers combo one step forward. I have the reviled LH Pulse Infinity. Hated LH labs and crowdfunding for their massive delays but the Infinity I got works great for me. If you can, give it a listen somewhere and see what you think. Many people are selling and for less than a grand you get all kind of exotic DAC spices and a balanced amp that works great.

 

The Pulse X infinity is a great DAC but it's amp is not a strong point and you can do much better by pairing it with a different amp. Still you can come across some pretty great deals on these for well under a grand even the fully loaded X-Infinity with a LPS can be had for around 1k and I think it sounds great.

 

Weird - no one has recommended anything from Chord?!?

 

Having walked down the integrated DAC/Amp path before with the Woo WA7, I would actually argue that you're making a false assumption by thinking that just because an amp includes a DAC, that it's a synergistic pairing. This definitely was the case with the Woo's god awful DAC. Being new to the game at the time, I felt it would be a cost savings and would save me from having to worry about getting a DAC to pair with the amp. Wrong on both fronts. I ended up with a Gungnir and it was a revelation.

That said, some DAC/Amp combos are better than others obviously. But it creates a scenario where you are throwing money into a contained system that you may or may not want to tweak down the line. I would tread carefully. My $0.02, separates make much more sense and offer much greater flexibility and longevity.

So tasty...

 

I completely agree. At the very low price points having a DAC/amp combo can simplify things and you can maybe get a bit more value but with your budget it will be much easier to get good sound from a separate dac and amp setup.

 

I like the Xonar Essence One Muses and the Hegel HD12 with the HD650. Both are good dacs, with well engineered headphone outputs for the high ohm HD650.

 

Take for example the Audio-GD Master11. It's a dac/amp combo that suposed to be a combined master 7 + master 9.

But at the end of the day It's still a compromise with less dac chips(8 in m7 vs 4 in m11) and the sharing of power supplies and chassis space for the various components which can result in internal emi/rfi noise propagating inside.

Of course the m11 is cheaper than m7+m9.

Also you be wasting electricity if you decide not to use the internal dac of the m11 in favour of other external DACs

 

All good points purrin. After my initial post, I started to think the HDVD800S (Black) would be the best integrated option for the HD 800 and HD 650 under $2500. However, you make good points that an integrated unit like the HDVD800 and HDVD800S will plummet in value each time a new version is released (though that is also true of products like the Schiit Rangaork or Yggdrasil since it is inevitable there will be a Rangaork 2 and Yggdrasil 2). Thats why I have always liked Eddie Current's approach of not releasing new products every year and trying to drive sales with the iPhone 6, 6S, 7 etc. model. It is for that reason that a used Zana Deux has not depreciated-- had I invested in a Zana Deux many years ago, I would only need to upgrade the DAC every 3-5 years as digital audio technology advances.

I know its been covered on Changstar and SBAF many times, but if I purchase a DAC+Amp, what is the best DAC that I can pair with a Black Widow or Zana Deux for what I'm trying accomplish?

 

You can also always get the HDVA600 which is just the amp and no DAC and get a separate DAC instead.

Just something of note, also strongly recommended. You could just get the Gungnir Multibit together with it and still sit well below the 2500$ mark and have something that pairs exceptionally with most amplifiers as a DAC and have what you're looking for in solid state amplification.

 

The Ayre Codex, maybe?

 

^ I'd be pretty interested to hear anyone's impression of the Codex. Kicking around the idea of putting one in front of a ZDS.

 

After reading all of the responses thus far, I agree with Purrin's input about integrated amplifiers losing value. Having purchased a lot of headphone audio equipment over the past 10 years, I have decided that it only makes sense to either:

1. Purchase low end equipment, throw it away, and upgrade more frequently
2. Purchase end-game equipment that is timeless and never upgrade.

Purchasing any equipment thats anywhere between options #1 and #2 means that I'll be facing a steep depreciation curve and the need to keep upgrading every 1-2 years (Im not doing that). There is part of me thats still tempted by the Sim Audio Neo MOON 430HAD but it will plummet in value in a few years. With this in mind, I have started to think hard about purchasing the Eddie Current Zana Deux Super but I have three questions:

1. Is the Zana Deux Super the right choice for someone who only listens to classical and cares about perfection and accuracy? (No, I wont need to upgrade from a ZDS and I probably should have bought one years ago)
2. Would I be better off ordering a Black Widow for my listening needs?
3. If the Eddie Current amps are not right for my perfectionist and classical tendencies, what amps do I need to be looking at?

 

I haven't heard the Black Widow but from everything I've read about it it seems like a great option. The Zana Deux is a great amp for the HD800, it does however run pretty hot so that could be a factor if you plan to leave it on for long periods of time. It also leans toward the euphoric with a bit of mid-range bloom so it you want your HD800 absolutely uncolored it may not be the best choice. It's an A+ option for female vocals though. A tube amp which runs cool (for a tube amp) and fits nicely with the HD800 is the DNA Sonett, it's a very neutral, fast and transparent amp. Very suitable for classical music. I have one myself, you can find them on the second hand market from time to time (check head-fi) for very reasonable money. Could be worth considering if you like saving money.

 

+100

Listening to classic HD800 on the Audeze Deckard as I type. Doesn't give much away to my usual Wadia 121 / SPL Phonitor rig ... as a matter or fact there are anumber of areas where I prefer the Deck's presentation.

Pick one up for $ 600 to keep the upgrade bug at bay and buy some great music with all the money your saved.

 

The Woo stuff tends toward a certain more musical sound as you might say but I really think the WA7 is pretty damn good for an integrated DAC/amp combo. I think it's less Woo-y than other OTL stuff. I can't think of a better integrated combo off the top of my head to match those Sennheisers

Here's a review that I tend to agree with

http://www.head-fi.org/t/749631/review-woo-audio-wa7-a-very-unscientific-review

 

I agree, the WA7 can have much less warmth/goo than other Woo amps, but I really didn't care for it driving the HD-650's. I had the original WA7 and the tube power supply... it worked well for driving planars like the LCD-2's, but I just found it didn't bring out the best with the 650's... I much prefer the Zana Deux with Gungnir Multibit.