Netbook to USB DAC to Headphone Amp on Batteries

I just received my USB powered Nuforce UDAC. It is USB DAC/headphone amp combined. It sounds much better than its $99 price

For bang for the buck and maximum portability, I like my iBasso D4 Mamba. It has a very good portable headphone amp, and the USB DAC converts straight to I2S rather than going to SPDIF in between. The DAC sounds quite good. It runs on a 9 volt for about 9 hours, or via USB if you have access to your laptop or desktop. About $240 with shipping to the States from iBasso. Plenty of alternatives as well. Check over at HeadFi.org for more input on this subject. Other favorites there that combine a DAC and amp in one would be iQube which is a bit more expensive here in the U.S., or if you are really going for serious quality in a semi-portable (this one's kind of large) look at the Lisa III by Triad Audio. I just saved you a whole lot of reading over at Headfi. Two others you'll see come up often are Meier Corda amps, as well as Ray Samuels amps. You can throw all kinds of money at this. If you just want to add a standalone DAC to your Grado amp (adding one more little box to your cluster) check out the Pico DAC, which I think also goes straight to I2S.

PS Whoops, sorry, the Lisa III does not include a DAC, it is just a (highly regarded) headphone amp.

Could look at the Wavelength Proton DAC - in addition to Async control, it has a headphone connection, volume control from computer, and built-in battery (to supplement the USB power)...Could be a one box stop for you...

Thanks for ideas so far....

Swampwalker, have you listened to the music streamer?

Re one box vs. two, I don't mind an extra box, cables and a bit of weight, but would want the performance to justify it.

I have both the Grado headphone amp and a somewhat vintage, supposedly state of the art at the time amp from the guys at Headroom - the "Cosmic" I think.

Hence, my search for a high quality portable DAC to use with either of these devices.

If either the Grado or Cosmic amp, or any of the separate box DACs are nothing to write home about, then sure - I could sell the Grado amp and just buy one of the all in one box solutions - there seems to be quite a few.

Within reason however (with respect to weight and/or cost), my priority is performance, not low cost or convenience.

Great responses. Be concerned that if you do airline travel with all these 'boxes' you will shortly be running afoul of the many new security measures that will hit travelers. The 'no lap stuff' rule will most likely ban anything you are thinking about, including the netbook. The only thing left will be the airline audio/video seat feeds. Flying will surely be a form of punishment, so you can ask your company for combat pay.