Greetings!
I am looking for either an amp or a DAC though not sure what will be good. Most of the collection is MP3s, a few FLACs and libraries in streaming apps ~ rock, metal and related genre. The speakers are Marshall Stanmore and headphone is a 32ohm Beyerdynamic (not at all hard to drive).
Earlier I had a Macbook and it had a decent sound of the box but I have since moved to a desktop setup and its on-board ALC887 audio has a harsh and fatiguing sound plus the power it outputs even at 100% volume is pretty low.
While it seems I should go for a DAC, I can do with a little power too. Plus for future stereo setup, I am leaning towards an AMP. There is a Marantz under 25K on Hifimart and then there is Emotiva A-100 with good reviews over the interwebs (also has headphone out) which is somewhat outside my budget. Having said that I am open to suggestions of all kinds.
I am thinking of an upgrade in the system one step at a time
. But I am not sure where to start and therefore seeking help from fellow FMs.
I am looking for either an amp or a DAC though not sure what will be good. Most of the collection is MP3s, a few FLACs and libraries in streaming apps ~ rock, metal and related genre. The speakers are Marshall Stanmore and headphone is a 32ohm Beyerdynamic (not at all hard to drive).
Earlier I had a Macbook and it had a decent sound of the box but I have since moved to a desktop setup and its on-board ALC887 audio has a harsh and fatiguing sound plus the power it outputs even at 100% volume is pretty low.
While it seems I should go for a DAC, I can do with a little power too. Plus for future stereo setup, I am leaning towards an AMP. There is a Marantz under 25K on Hifimart and then there is Emotiva A-100 with good reviews over the interwebs (also has headphone out) which is somewhat outside my budget. Having said that I am open to suggestions of all kinds.
I am thinking of an upgrade in the system one step at a time
. But I am not sure where to start and therefore seeking help from fellow FMs.
