Headphone amp + DAC + Volume + ROON READY

@yyzsantabarbara  Since you were looking at the Chord Mojo, I was going to suggest that you also checkout iF Micro DSD Black Label. But to be honest, anything less than a thousand will not do proper justice to the Empyreans. 

The Mytek definitely ticks a lot of boxes, but you should also checkout the iFi Pro DSD. I was seriously considering it for my headphone listening, but ended up buying the Quicksilver Headphone amps -- by far one of my most satisfying audio purchases to date.

BTW, I am looking for a streamer+DAC for my 2 channel rig. I have narrowed my choices down to either Brooklyn Bridge, or Innuos Zen Mini (with a future DAC update). Just need to make up my mind and pull the trigger in a week or two.

The tubes on the Quicksilver would not work too well with the Empy. On a scale of 0 - 100, with 100 being very warm. I would say the Empy is about 65-70. So a neutral amp like my current HPA4 works very well. I think I am limited in my amp choices with this headphone, though the sound with a neutral amp is perfect for my long listening sessions. I have yet to have a headache or fatigue. I am really shocked by this.

Another option for you is a Lumin T2 which is supposed to be slightly warm and a very good DAC + streamer.

For my main rig, I stick with the Sonore xxxRendu’s. I think they are great and I can use any quality computer (ROON) with these Ethernet-2-USB converters.

For my main rig, the AudioByte stack is also very intriguing as a future purchase. It uses RJ45 Ethernet for streaming into the DAC.

The DACs and amps I have been discussing on this thread are things for a bedroom which will only get used when I sleep. So I am not interested in spending too much money. For the main rig, I am willing to open up the wallet a bit more. At the moment I am very happy with the Benchmark DAC3B paired with the HPA4 on my main rig.

Thanks, @yyzsantabarbara . I'm actually leaning heavily towards the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge. It offers a lot at a reasonable price. Lumin T2 is a bit outside my comfort zone price-wise. I was not aware of Sonore xxxRendu. Need to do some research before making the final call. Thanks for the suggestion.

@arafiq Sonore are leaders in streaming. There is much more info about them on Computer Audiophile web site. They participate in the Audio Forums there. For what it is worth, that web site selected the Rendu’s the Product of Decade.

I said this in another A’gon thread yesterday, and there was some rebuttal to it, but I feel that the USB input on DAC’s are considered the better quality one vs a RJ45 Ethernet input. USB is supposed to be a technically a bad choice vs Ethernet but I think most DAC manufacturers optimized USB over Ethernet. This may change in the future as more Ethernet options because available and issues understood.

Just look at the dealers who demo high end DAC’s. The ones I have heard have selected USB even when an Ethernet was available on the DAC.

I mentioned all of this because the xxxRendu’s are Digitial-to-Digital converters. I like the term Ethernet-to-USB to be more specific.

I was hoping I had a photo of my microRendu on the A’Gon Virtual Systems, https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7605

Unfortunately, my camera skills cut of a good portion of the microRendu. I have been using this unit all the time since 2106. It works flawlessly.  This unit is about $450 now.

http://www.sonore.us/index.html

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/forum/24-sonore-sponsored/

@yyzsantabarbara  Considering that this is a headphones thread, I don't want to derail your discussion. But I definitely want to pick your brain in helping me find a good streaming solution. If you don't mind I will message you directly later tonight. I've narrowed down my choices and would definitely welcome your opinion.