Recommendation Request: Headphone Amp/DAC combo

I had been looking for an SPL Phonitor SE.

Have settled instead on a Lehmann Audio Linear II. Very well regarded.

Personally at that level I’d be looking at a separate amp and DAC instead of a combo unit. 

@mlapenta , I recently moved from a Cayin HA-3A to the Black Ice Audio Aries DAC/Amp/Pre, and am really happy with the performance it offers with a huge range of tuning options (channel balance, gain adjustment, independent left and right high frequency control, bass adjustments) and it responds very well to 6SN7 tube swapping. 

I could see this unit getting most off of the gear swapping merry-go-round in your price range. It should offer enough adjustment to dial in any headphone to your liking.

Here’s an idea of what you could do with separates within your budget. You could even add a DDC to take advantage of the superior i2S connection on the DAC and get a significant performance boost — that’s what I did but you could always add the DDC later. I highly doubt a similarly-priced combo unit could match this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QMDM631/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.denafrips.com/product-page/denafrips-pontus-15th-r2r-dac

https://www.denafrips.com/product-page/denafrips-iris-12th

The Sony TA-ZH1ES is a little long in the tooth now, but you might be able to find a pre-owned one for about half of your budget. Lots of power, great sound, and a number of connection options.