Looking for an Amp & DAC (I think?)

[Lxium]

Hi all, I'm new to this site and audio things so bare my ignorance.

I own a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (250 Ohm) which are being plugged straight into my onboard sound on the PC. I want to take my audio set up to the next level so I'm guessing this is the best direction.

I'm looking for an Amp (headphone amp?) & DAC for around £130-140 if possible. I'm a cheap skate so any more than that would have to be seriously worth it. I was about to purchase the Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2 but the shipping & import costs add up to too much.

I also own a set of Edifier Studio speakers but they utilise their own amp; does that mean they won't be affected by an amp/dac purchase?

 

[SteveR750]

Dacmagic XS is great at £80, way better than most soundcards. It works OK with my DT880s although volume is limited its adequate, you just won't go deaf.

 

[Lxium]

Dacmagic XS is great at £80, way better than most soundcards. It works OK with my DT880s although volume is limited its adequate, you just won't go deaf.

What do you mean by OK? Are you not fully impressed with the combo?...were there any other contenders you were looking at?

 

[BigH]

Why not upgrade your soundcard, you can get decent one for about £120. The Asus xonar essence stx gets good reviews.

 

[davedotco]

If you prefer to stay outboard, look at the Audio Engine D1, dac, headphone amp and preamp in one. About £130-140.

Use the line output to feed your powered speakers, gives you a handy volume control too.

 

[Lxium]

If you prefer to stay outboard, look at the Audio Engine D1, dac, headphone amp and preamp in one. About £130-140.

Use the line output to feed your powered speakers, gives you a handy volume control too.

A friend of mine recommended this aswell, I'll have a look into it. What do you mean by good volume control? Literally the audio knob or?

 

[SteveR750]

Dacmagic XS is great at £80, way better than most soundcards. It works OK with my DT880s although volume is limited its adequate, you just won't go deaf.

What do you mean by OK? Are you not fully impressed with the combo?...were there any other contenders you were looking at?

As in technically, sorry for not being more precise. It sounds significantly better than any laptop or phone or tablet DAC that I have listened through, but it's not as good as my DACmagic+, but I didn't expect it to be. It's aimed at driving easier headphones, thre DT880s need a bit of juice to work properly, and the XS does an amazing job considering its price and size. At £79 or so from Richer it's a ridiculous bargain.

Contenders were the Dragonfly 1.2, and the Beyerdynamic A20p which I also bought as its portable, so I got it for using with my phone and tablet.

 

[Lxium]

Ah I see, thanks for the reply. I think I'm going to go for the Audioengine D1 unless I like the look of any other recommendations