Recommendation Request: Headphone Amp/DAC combo

@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. 

• Schitt Mjolnir v3 preamp ($1200) Class A with headphone amp. I use it as a preamp since my phones are unusual.
• Schitt Yggi+ LIM ($2200) | Schitt Yggi+ MIB ($2800) | Schitt Gungnir 2 ($1600)

The DACs I recommend depend on what your headphones sound like. If they are warm, then the MIB. If they are neutral or bright then the LIM or Gungnir 2. The Gungnir 2 is cheaper and uses the same DAC chips as the LIM.

I have the Mjolnir and use it with the Schitt Aegir v1 ($450 used) amp and the RAAL CA-1a and RAAL SR1a phones. Both phones are bright. The Mjolnir | Aegir | Yggi+ LIM are glorious and only bettered by my $7k RAAL VM-1a tube headphone amp + Schitt Yggi+ OG ($2800). A lot more money for marginal improvement.

I would separate the investment. Get a good headphone amp first. All the integrated units I have tried so far (Teac NT-505, Tascam DA-3000, etc) sound poor on headphones, compared to my Audiotailor Jade OTL tube headphone amp. Get something similar, and then, decide about the DAC.