DAC Reviews - Headphones v Speakers

Thanks @soix - Makes sense then why serious head-fi folks go to forums dedicated to head-fi. 

To make things even more complicated, because why not, what do folks think of listener impressions of a DAC used on a headphone system, when you intend to use the DAC in a traditional two-channel speaker system?

No. Just...no. Do NOT take an exclusive headphone reviewer’s take on a DAC if you’re a 2-channel guy. A huge part of what better DACs contribute is soundstage properties, and these just aren’t part of the HeadFi lexicon. If you have RAAL headphones like @yyzsantabarbara that might be a different story, but strictly headphone reviewers are pretty much useless in assessing a DAC for home system purposes and should not be trusted IMHO.  I’ve reviewed 2-channel gear for 20 years and recently started a HeadFi review site, so if that means anything. 

My headphone and 2 channel rigs are almost identical. Except for the Parasound A21+ amp on the speakers and the CODA #8 amp on the headphones (1 preamp to both amps). Long term the Parasound will be upgraded with another CODA amp. I will also get the same speaker wire for the headphones and the speaker. The headphone currently has my best speaker cables.

I cannot use a bright DAC on my headphones, there is little room for error with the headphones. If it works well on the headphones, it will also work on the speakers, this is not always the case in the opposite direction. I try to maximize my system (DAC, cables) via the headphones.

I bought a Holo May DAC for my headphones, but then changed it so that it will work with either my headphones or my 2-channel speaker setup, depending on how I set the switch that I bought for that purpose. I liked the Holo May better than DAVE + M Scaler in both headphone and 2-channel systems....