Best dac/amp on Reddit

182 reviews from r/HeadphoneAdvice, r/iems, r/BudgetAudiophile and 13 more subreddits

182 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

FiiO

4.2

(28)

"I have a FIIO k7 and love it."

"I have the FiiO K7 and am satisfied with the sound and performance."

"Get a Q5K. Makes any iem sound the way you want it to sound."

"Great little DAC that packs a punch"

"The Fiio k5 pro blows this DAC/amp out the water."

"A couple others you can consider include the SMSL DS100 and FIIO K11."

"Fiio BTR15 is $109, you can use it with bluetooth and cable if you want to."

"The FiiO K11 is also not bad and a little cheaper."

"Got a Fiio K7 BT as I need Bluetooth for AppleTV."

"Also got a Fiio BTR7 for no wires."

Topping

4.4

(19)

"I rocked them with e30/l30."

"Now you can get SOTA at D50iii/A50iii."

"Topping dx3 pro+ for se, fiio k11 r2r, smsl dl100, dl200 for bal"

"If you want an all in one compact unit I would grab a Topping DX3 Pro+."

"If you want to spend a bit more for a compact DAC + amp stack the Topping E30/L30 II is great."

"$200 Topping DX3 Pro+ and cheaper $90 DX1 have a really good price."

"Topping dx3 pro+ should have all the features you're looking for."

"Delta - sigma topping dx3 pro+, smsl dl100, dl200."

"[Topping A50S $99 on sale now]"

"For headphones, what about the Topping DX3pro+? It can also be a preamp for powered speakers."

Qudelix

4.6

(15)

"I’m using Qudelix 5K as mobile DAC for my Edition XS - those both have parametric EQ."

"Qudelix 5k all the way. Drives my noires perfectly."

"I'm using Qudelix 5k using balanced cable - it's great piece of hardware and it has PEQ which is unusual."

"Stretch your budget by 10 bucks and get quedlix 5k"

"It's an awesome little guy."

"Qudelix 5k if u can buy it from web."

"Qudelix 5K is great for most situations and has PEQ for iOS, Android, and Windows."

"If you’re looking for portable it’s hard to beat the qudilex."

"Consider the Qudelix 5k, which gives you a ton of customization to make most iems sound quite good."

"Qudelix 5k is is a nice little amp with full EQ built in, it's around 100 bucks."

Schiit

4.2

(11)

"Schiit Modi + Schiit Vali 3 stack sounds excellent."

"Schiit Modi and Magni stack or Magni Unity if you want the single unit version."

"A Schiit stack would be more than enough or something similar."

"Don't know about the best but the Schiit Fulla is one that everyone recommends."

"Schiit Magni with the DAC option. Not sure how it stacks up for the vs the competition but it's a solid option."

"* Schiit Fulla - value option"

"If you want a DAC/AMP combo under $100, your best options are probably Schiit Fulla or Fiio E10K."

"Your best options are probably Schiit Fulla or Fiio E10K."

"Save up for a Schiit stack later if you are still curious."

"You could get a Schiit Magni Unity."

Fiio

4.3

(9)

"It easily powers them and it sounds great too"

"As a stationary DAC I’m using Fiio K11 R2R - that’s R2R DAC which in that price point is unbeatable."

"You can get a fiio btr5, moondrop dawn pro or qudelix5k"

"FiiO's more musical R2R sound for a nice price and it's pretty powerful."

"I quite like the sound straight out of it with no EQ."

"Recommended"

"Fiio KA11."

"My Fiio E10k packs a lot more punch."

"If you want a DAC/AMP combo under $100, your best options are probably Schiit Fulla or Fiio E10K."

iFi

4.3

(8)

"The ZenDac v2 would be best if you can find it second hand or on sale."

"Created a beautifully detailed and warm sound"

"It sounds fantastic, a lot more engaging than the Fiio BTR5."

"You can try to snipe the ifi Zen Dac which is slightly warmer and goes great with 560s."

"IFi: Warmer leaning amp. Fun bass boost toggle that can really help fill out open back headphones."

"For warmth you can always check out the ifi zen dac with its xbass button, sounds pretty nice!"

"Ifi Zen Dac with its Burr Brown is warm."

"The iFi GoBlu is a good piece of kit."

K11

4.2

(6)

"Sounds great with iems!"

"I don't think the k11 will disappoint."

"K11 R2R"

"K11 is a good and cheaper option, but it might be hard to drive some headphones."

"Personally it sounds like the K11 would be enough for your use case."

"K11 is good :)"

SMSL

4.0

(6)

"The SMSL SU-1 DAC is really solid for the price on a budget."

"SMSL C200 is a good option to consider if you like smsl stuff."

"Improved the sound and resolution by about 40%."

"Built a silly great sub satellite system."

"Really like it."

"Check out the SMSL C200."

FiiO K11

4.0

(4)

"Fiio K11."

"The K11 is quite nice and affordable."

"Fiio K11 is a good choice."

"I was recommended Fiio k11 which seems pretty good in reviews."

#10

RME

5.0

(3)

"I would recommend starting out with an RME ADI-2."

"Get the RME ADI-2 DAC. It can drive any headphone to a more than safe listening level with ease."

#11

Qudelix 5K

5.0

(3)

"I love my 5k which I use to drive my softear studio 4's."

"Why don't you check out the Qudelix 5K?"

"Qudelix 5k is great."

#12

K7

4.7

(3)

"I just purchased the K7 for $160 open box."

"Buy the K7 and be done with it."

"Out of them I would personally get the K7, unless I am mistaken it is a bit more powerful than the K11."

#13

JDS Labs

4.7

(3)

"High quality, tons of power, great customer service."

"JDS Labs Atom Amp and Atom DAC. A bit more than $200 for the pair but well worth it."

"The more aesthetic option and has slightly more features/better parts."

#14

Schiit Fulla

4.3

(3)

"Schiit(brand) Fulla(model). This power my Beyerdynamic dt 1990 pros."

"Something like a Fulla or Gunnr from Schiit is more than plenty."

"Schiit Fulla or Hel."

#15

ifi

4.3

(3)

"Ifi gryphon + senn ie600 + comply foam tips"

"Dac im using ifi neo idsd 2(900€ but less with coupons)"

"The ifi gryphon likely has enough power. Used it a while back and it was great!"

#16

Hifiman

4.3

(3)

"EF600 from Hifiman is a dream with the HE1000."

"I have a Hifiman EF600 in route, and on paper that should be a good match."

"Or similar philosophy, you could go further up the Hifiman line to the Serenade with your budget."

#17

Apple

4.0

(3)

"Is great for what it costs"

"Good enough bro, there's miniscule difference in getting a budget-exp portable dac/amp combo"

"Should be enough in my experience"

#18

FiiO K11 R2R

5.0

(2)

"I run my Arya Stealth with the Fiio K11 R2R."

"I paired r70x with recently released Fiio K11 R2R and absolutely happy about the result."

#19

Shanling

5.0

(2)

"If budget is not a concern, get a Shanling UA4."

"This thing sounds AMAZING. Very 3D, easily laying out details on a silver platter."

#20

Topping DX3 Pro+

4.5

(2)

"Under 200 dollars topping dx3 pro plus is the most analytical /detailed/ precise dac."

"I personally use a Topping DX3 Pro+."

#21

FiiO KA11

4.0

(2)

"Simple option would be something like fiio ka11 or even apple dongle."

"I'm using the fiio ka11 for my desktop and phone."

#22

Questyle

4.0

(2)

"Less than 200 questyle m15i.<-- very sensitive to static."

"N m pretty happy with it."

#23

Jcally

4.0

(2)

"Recommended for an cheap and effective dongle DAC."

"I like that their cable is thicker/sturdier than VE Odo"

#24

Ziigaat Arete

5.0

(1)

"I'd get the Ziigaat Arete and probably the Topping DX1."

#25

Topping DX1

5.0

(1)

"I've used my DX1 for a long time and probably won't replace it unless it breaks."

#26

iFi Zen Dac Can

5.0

(1)

"IFi Zen Dac/Can Hifiman signature edition stack would probably be the best purchase for your budget."

#27

Hidizs

5.0

(1)

"Hidizs s9 pro plus Martha."

#28

JDS

5.0

(1)

"If I could start all over again I would get a JDS Element 4."

#29

iFi Air DAC

5.0

(1)

"The iFi Air DAC is only like 100 bucks and amazing at the price."

#30

Apple DAC

5.0

(1)

"I use the $10 apple dac with mine. It’s tiny and works great."

#31

Woo

5.0

(1)

"I have the Woo WA7 tube rolled fed through the line inputs from the Burr Brown DAC in a WiiM Pro."

#32

Yulong

5.0

(1)

"Absolutely makes my 6xxs sing."

#33

SMSL Raw HA-1

4.0

(1)

"The SMSL Raw HA-1 seems to be a pretty popular suggestion lately."

#34

Wiim Amp

4.0

(1)

"As does the Wiim Amp."

#35

Creative Sound Blaster R5

4.0

(1)

"My go to is the creative sound blaster R5 does well with my Sennheiser 660s2s."

#36

Fosi SK2

4.0

(1)

"I have been using the Fosi SK2 for a few months."

#37

Fosi

4.0

(1)

"You should get a dac and headphone amp. Here's the Fosi DS2."

#38

Beyerdynamic

4.0

(1)

"If you don't have a mic already you can get the Beyerdynamic Fox."

#39

HiBy

4.0

(1)

"I run mine with a HiBy FC4."

#40

KA13

4.0

(1)

"I am using KA13 balanced to drive my Arya Stealth, sounds allright."

#41

Akliam

4.0

(1)

"This DAC/AMP is more balanced, full sounding and less harsh/aggressive"

#42

KA17

4.0

(1)

"It has a ridiculous amount of power for a dongle DAC"

#43

Fosi DS2

4.0

(1)

"I can recommend Fosi DS2 for sensitive IEMs and Questyle M15I for when you need more power."

#44

Questyle M15I

4.0

(1)

"I can recommend Fosi DS2 for sensitive IEMs and Questyle M15I for when you need more power."

#45