# Best portable amp/dac for $300



## AznInvasion138

Hey guys so I'm relatively new to the whole amp/dac life and was wondering what would be the best option for me. Right now I'm running my W3, FXZ200, Denon D2000 directly through my ipod touch and macbook pro. I'm looking for something that will make my music sound more full and engaging with a larger soundstage and was wondering if it would be better just to get a great portable amp (since I use my ipod touch on the go mostly and I can't use the DAC feature since I'm using an apple product) and get a great DAC to use at home through my macbook or would it be more convenient to get an amp/dac all together?
   
  Right now I am some of the portable amp/dac I'm looking at the Leckerton UHA-6 mk II, Apex Glacier, Ibasso D12, Pico portable amp/dac, Ray Samuals "The Predator"
   
  Regular portable amps I'm looking at are the JDS Labs C421, Pico Slim, Ray Samuals The Blackbird, P51 Mustang, The Shadow, The Hornet, The Tomahawk, C&C X02, Alo Audio The National, RxMkII, Headstage Arrow 12HE 4G
   
  I know it's a lot of info but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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## AznInvasion138

bumpp


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## proton007

dac + amp combos are better for portable (outdoor) use.


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## planx

I would find the Glacier to be enough as one unit. Also, I believe you can utilize the DAC function with idevices on the Glacier (DON'T QUOTE ME ON IT, I remember a fellow HFier mentioning it).


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## AznInvasion138

planx said:


> I would find the Glacier to be enough as one unit. Also, I believe you can utilize the DAC function with idevices on the Glacier (DON'T QUOTE ME ON IT, I remember a fellow HFier mentioning it).




Thanks for the recommendation. The apex glacier is definitely one of my top choices but the $500 price tag seems a little too much for me. Is there anything around the 300-400 range that you can suggest thanks!




proton007 said:


> dac + amp combos are better for portable (outdoor) use.




So which combination would be best that you can suggest thanks!


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## edvardd

Buuuump


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## H20Fidelity

Leckerton UHA-6 mk II is pretty much king of the hill right now for it's price.. Many members own that dac/amp, many many positive impressions.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/602493/new-leckerton-uha-6s-mkii-portable-headphone-amplifier-announced-update-user-impressions-added-july-20th-2012


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## Currawong

The inbuilt DACs in portables such as you list have never been anything special. They will be better than the inbuilt sound in a crappy notebook but not necessarily better than what a MacBook Pro or iPhone will put out these days.
   
  I haven't gone through all the amps listed, but my quick comments are:
   
  Pico Slim: It was designed for sensitive IEMs more than anything and wont go very loud with many full-size headphones. Wait for reviews the Pico Power instead. That should be available soon.
  The National: I tried the Continental (the tubed predecessor to it) with just an iPhone as a source and rather liked it. It's a bit closer to an all-round amp.
  UHA6II: One of the best built and designed pieces of kit out there.
  Apex Glacier: On my list of kit to try sometime. Comes from a pair of guys who have an outstanding reputation who do all the work and manufacture in the USA (as far as I know), hence the cost.


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## AznInvasion138

The leckerton uha-6 mkll and the apex glacier seem to be the top 2 on my list but glacier is about $200 more than the leckerton and was wondering if the apex glacier is worth it?


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## AznInvasion138

bumping it up baby


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## The Monkey

The Audioquest DragonFly is very good.


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## AznInvasion138

Quote: 





the monkey said:


> The Audioquest DragonFly is very good.


 
   
  I think the DragonFly would only work if I was bringing my laptop with me everywhere. But I need something that will work well on the laptop, through my ipod, and at home. So still trying to see what my options are at the point. 
   
  Leckerton UHA-6 MKII
  Apex Glacier
  Ibasso D12
  Pico Amp/Dac


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## AznInvasion138

How would the TTVJ Slim compare to the other amps I've listed even though it has been discontinued? Any info would be grateful thanks!


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## kskwerl

Leckerton UHA-6 MKII you won't regret it


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## AznInvasion138

Bumping for more opinions!


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## The Monkey

Quote: 





azninvasion138 said:


> How would the TTVJ Slim compare to the other amps I've listed even though it has been discontinued? Any info would be grateful thanks!


 
   
  Not necessarily a direct comparison, but hopefully somewhat useful review here.


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## AznInvasion138

Quote: 





the monkey said:


> Not necessarily a direct comparison, but hopefully somewhat useful review here.


 
   
  Thanks for the reply Monkey. Yeah I've read Tyll's article on the amp and find it helpful. I think at this rate I think it is a better idea if I just got a really good portable amp and a desktop dac for home since I can't even use the dac function on most portable amp/dac's on my ipod. Is that a better idea than just getting an all-in-one amp/dac?


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## The Monkey

Full disclosure: it's actually my article. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  I think a portable amp, desktop DAC is a good approach.  The Pico Slim is a nice, small amp.  Sometimes these "portable" rigs can get a bit big.
   
  There's also the CEntrance HiFi-M8, which looks interesting though I haven't played with it yet.  And I've always been a big fan of the HeadAmp Pico Amp/DAC, but that gets back to your initial problem.


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## AznInvasion138

Quote: 





the monkey said:


> Full disclosure: it's actually my article.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
   
  O props to you man, good stuff. 
   
  Yeah i keep flip flopping between getting a separate amp and dac or a amp/dac at this point. I think just as of right now I'm more on the move than anything so the amp/dac seems more appealing. But dealing with the whole ipod not being able to use third party dac's is displeasing but I was just wondering if there are any amp/dac that has as equally good dac as amp or while a combined amp/dac always have a better amp than dac? Thanks for the help guys.


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## AznInvasion138

Also has anyone had any experience with the Headroom Portable Micro Amp/Dac? Headroom is having a 30% off all their amps so it might be a good deal if the quality is worth it. Thanks!


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## The Monkey

Quote: 





azninvasion138 said:


> Also has anyone had any experience with the Headroom Portable Micro Amp/Dac? Headroom is having a 30% off all their amps so it might be a good deal if the quality is worth it. Thanks!


 
   
  I had it several years ago and liked it a lot.  Pretty neutral as I recall (it's a while ago now) and nice features (e.g., crossfeed).  An oldie but a goodie, imo.


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## AznInvasion138

Quote: 





the monkey said:


> I had it several years ago and liked it a lot.  Pretty neutral as I recall (it's a while ago now) and nice features (e.g., crossfeed).  An oldie but a goodie, imo.


 
   
  Thanks for the input Monkey. Maybe thinking of going with the D12 or Leckerton UHA-6 MKII at this point seems to be my top 2 choices since the Apex Glacier is a little out of my price range. Or is there anyone that recommend a $200-300 portable amp and maybe a dac for at home usage? Thanks.


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## kskwerl

Quote: 





azninvasion138 said:


> Thanks for the input Monkey. Maybe thinking of going with the D12 or Leckerton UHA-6 MKII at this point seems to be my top 2 choices since the Apex Glacier is a little out of my price range. Or is there anyone that recommend a $200-300 portable amp and maybe a dac for at home usage? Thanks.


 
  I can vouch for the Leckerton, it's fantastic IMO


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## AznInvasion138

So I wanted to get more of a understanding about which amp would be best for me. If I have IEMs that have warmer bassier signature I would want an amp that is more balanced and neutral than an amp that provides warmth to IEMs and headphones and vice versa? Because warmth + warmth=not good? Lol thanks any info would be appreciated.


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## 329161

I'm just wondering what the sound signature is like for the Leckerton UHA-6 MKII. I enjoy a neutral tone with a nice bass impact. I read that the Apex Glacier has this sort of sound, but if I can get the same sound from the cheaper Leckerton, I'll go for that


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## 329161

Double Post deleted


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## Atilio

iBasso D12 Dual DAC.


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## AznInvasion138

Quote: 





atilio said:


> iBasso D12 Dual DAC.


 
   
  What is the sound signature with the D12?
   
  And I'm most likely going with the Leckerton UHA-6 MKll at this point but just wondering what kind of opamp I should be getting. I don't want a tonally flat signature, since I have a lot of warm iems/headphones with a good amount of bass, but just want something to give the entire signature a more fuller sound but not too bright. Thanks for all the help.


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## thepredestrian

RSA Predator...?


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## AznInvasion138

Quote: 





thepredestrian said:


> RSA Predator...?


 
   
  How does the Predator sound, I'm not too familiar with the Ray Samual amps.


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## PCWar

The Predator is a very musical amp, excellent bass in extension, slam and reverb with great punch also. Sweet mids and non fatiguing highs. Also depth of soundstage is really impressive.


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## thepredestrian

Quote: 





azninvasion138 said:


> How does the Predator sound, I'm not too familiar with the Ray Samual amps.


 
   
  I would say it is very all rounded. Punchy


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## vermilions

does anyone know if the uha-6s mk2 is worth getting over the uha-4? I want the dac portion to be used at home with speakers (Fostex PM0.3) and the amp portion for my ipod touch with IEMs (Shure se215).
   
  side note: I've read somewhere that because my active monitors have very low input sensitivity, it means I need a very weak input signal of 0.35V... So will the Leckertons be right for my Fostex monitors? Thanks so much... and sorry for the noob question.


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## Greed

Quote: 





vermilions said:


> does anyone know if the uha-6s mk2 is worth getting over the uha-4? I want the dac portion to be used at home with speakers (Fostex PM0.3) and the amp portion for my ipod touch with IEMs (Shure se215).
> 
> side note: I've read somewhere that because my active monitors have very low input sensitivity, it means I need a very weak input signal of 0.35V... So will the Leckertons be right for my Fostex monitors? Thanks so much... and sorry for the noob question.


 
   
  The UHA-6 MK II has a better DAC and amplification section. If you are using them for both home and portable listening I think the extra cash is worth spending on the UHA-6 MK II
   
  Quote: 





join said:


> All DACs sound the same.


 
   
  Troll?


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## vermilions

greed said:


> The UHA-6 MK II has a better DAC and amplification section. If you are using them for both home and portable listening I think the extra cash is worth spending on the UHA-6 MK II




Thanks!


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## filmgeek47

Resurrecting this old thread to offer an option for anyone doing research. I've managed to put together an ODAC/O2 within the same enclosure, making it a viable portable option for someone with a little DIY experience. Cost about $200 to put together and it sounds really solid (huge step up from an iPhone, anyway). 
  
 Mainly listened to it with Oppo PM-3s, but I've also been able to power my he-560s reasonably well. 

 Only major downside is that it still charges with a hefty wall wart (like a normal battery powered O2 amp) so you've gotta be feeling pretty dedicated to travel with it long term.


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