I would separate the investment. Get a good headphone amp first. All the integrated units I have tried so far (Teac NT-505, Tascam DA-3000, etc) sound poor on headphones, compared to my Audiotailor Jade OTL tube headphone amp. Get something similar, and then, decide about the DAC.
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@o_holter this is nothing more than the same old tired audiophile dogma that should have died out years ago! |
@freediver While combo units have some advantages and can certainly sound very good, the point your missing is that DACs and amps are both critical and very personal choices. What are the odds that both the DAC and the amp in a combo unit are optimal for the OP’s particular tastes? Near zero. If possible better to pick both the amp and DAC that offer the specific sound characteristics they’re looking for. The Woo you recommended has a Sabre DAC — what if the OP prefers the sound of an R2R NOS DAC? At the OP’s budget good separates are well within reach and offer customization and future flexibility combo units just can’t. If the OP was limited to $1000 then yeah, a combo unit would probably be his best bet, but not at $3k. |
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