Reddit reviews SMSL SMSL M2 Portable Headphone Amplifier External DAC Decoder Sound Card (Black)

It really depends on your budget.
You can get a decent DAC like this one on a budget http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-M2-Portable-headphone-amplifier/dp/B00KL3SACQ/ref=sr_1_18?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1427350827&sr=1-18

But I'd recommend the the monoprice AMP/DAC brick http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-111567-Desktop-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00KVVX2QW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427350898&sr=8-1&keywords=monoprice+amp+dac

For the money, it's got everything you'll probably ever need and is actually pretty damn good.

The most expensive "desktop" DAC I'd recommend is JDS Labs ODAC http://www.jdslabs.com/products/46/standalone-odac/

It's basically as good as a DAC can get before you start getting into the receiver world.

As for what standalone DAC/AMPs actually "do," the best way to sum it up is that a good DAC will eliminate any sort of noise being generated by your PC and accurately translate your digital signal to an analog one. Better DACs will give you a more accurate signal to work with but there's only so much you can do before you're just wasting money.

AMPs on the other hand, vary wildly in what they do. Some amps, specifically tube amps, will "color" the signal to be warmer. Some people like this as it takes the "digital edge" off of music, but they're really nothing a good EQ couldn't replicate on a neutral AMP/DAC combo. Bad AMPs introduce tons of noise and distortion into your signal, good AMPs don't. Good amps also offer better separation between the left and right channels. The sky is really the limit on AMPs when it comes to price to performance but the bulk of that performance is going to be in raw power rather than in quality.

A good standalone AMP would be the Schiit Magni 2 http://schiit.com/products/magni-2

Their DAC the Modi 2 is also REALLY good, especially for the money. I have the Modi v1 on my desk right now and short of buying an ODAC, I don't think I could be happier with my setup.

Hope this helps!

Converting your analogue motherboard output to digital and then back again would make zero sense. Also that DAC doesn't have a built in headphone amp so you'd need to add that as well. You should return it if you can and get a DAC that acts as its own soundcard with USB in.

Edit: These 2 are probably your best bet

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KL3SACQ/

http://www.amazon.com/Fulla-USB-Dongle-DAC-Amp/dp/B00UB5GK4O


Check out /r/zeos for more optios as well as great headphones options.

For the DAC I recommend the SMSL M2 it has a built in amp, is about the size of a credit card, has line-out, and sounds great.

EDIT: Amazon.co.uk link

For the mic, I wholeheartedly endorse the ModMic.

Hey man you're the one who said cheapest.

You can't see it in my photos, but I have an E10 (not K) strapped under my desk, giving digital coax to the XDA-2 and used as a headphone amp when I need it. Totally adequate dac/amp, the dac in it definitely beats the one in the UCA202. The amp in it leaves a lot to be desired though.

The SMSL M2 sounded way better during my brief testing with a friend's, perhaps a better direction?

First Timer here, looking for USB DAC/Headphone AMP for my newly purchased M50x

Budget - $100

Source -Asus Windows 7

Preferred Music - Alternative, Rock, Metal, Reggae

I have 3 options i can't decide between. Help!

1. SMSL M2
   
   
2. Fiio E10K
   
   
3. Schiit Fulla

I haven't used it but the SMSL M2 probably fits the bill.

I hope this is the right place to post this, but I'm looking to buy my first DAC/amp. I've only ever used desktop/laptop/phone outputs and want to upgrade. I wanted to buy a DAC/amp combo rather than a dedicated DAC and dedicated amp for a few reasons: (but I'm open to being convinced otherwise)

1. price; I'm on a relatively small budget and a combo DAC/amp seems to be more cost effective.
   
   
2. portability; I move my desktop often and having to only move one device would be much more convenient.
   
   
   Budget: ~$100 max, preferably less
   
   Source: Almost exclusively my desktop.
   
   Current Headphones: ATH M40x and SHP 9500s. I know that these are super easy to power, but I'm looking to gain some improvement while also future proofing for when I buy something more demanding.
   
   I'm currently looking at a few devices, but open to other suggestions:
   
   
3. SMSL M2 ($65 on amazon)
   
   I like that this one is small (and therefore easily transported). I became interested in it after watching a rave review by Zeos. The only negatives I see are a lack of output options (not currently an issue, but might be in the future) and the fact that it uses 3.5 mm headphone out (I much prefer 1/4").
   
   
4. Monoprice DAC/amp ($67 on sale with promo code)
   
   I've seen mixed reviews for this one, but it's currently on sale and seems like a great value. Not sure how great it would do with my current low impedance headphones. I like the design and output options.
   
   
5. Micca OriGen ($100 on amazon)
   
   
6. SMSL M3 ($84 on amazon)
   
   Like I said, I'm open to other suggestions in the $70-$100 range.
   
   
   

Yes. I won't compare it between my laptop speakers and IEM headphones. It's just very big difference between those.

It seems that I don't hear any hiss around when I plug my IEM but noticeably lower sound quality. Hence I'll like to buy a DAC to upgrade it. An example of DAC that I'm talking about is this and this.

I don't mind w/ the sound quality that my laptop speakers provide. Since I'm watching movies at a dorm which have very thin wall and I'm afraid that my movie annoys other people between my room, I'm thinking of using IEM to enjoy the movie instead.

I appreciate with all of your help. I might use EQ or something like Viper4Android for Windows to settle it around.

About the speakers you recommend, is it an old product ? It seems I can't find it anywhere on my local e-shop websites.

Hrm. 80Ω 770's aren't that hard to drive. What is the issue with the Magni?

The SA50 ($70) will power the SX6's nicely but doesn't add a headphone out in any form. You would have to look for some dac with a headphone amp like this or this. That keeps you under $150. The first one only takes SPDIF inputs so you would feed it from your current soundcard's digital out. The small portable one has USB but wont be as powerful.