What music is best for life in a tiny box?

For whatever its worth, CEntrance Dacport got a stellar review by Atkinson in Stereophile, if jitter is your concern. For you information, Benchmark DACs, which greatest strength is low jitter, license the USB implementation from Centrance.

@4est Was just looking at the Burson; I like the build of it. I will look into the other as well.

@Jdoris I like Music Hall stuff. The build does not seem as impressive as Burson, I know, that is only part of the picture. Plus the MH looks deep. The laptop I am not including in the $2k, I need that anyway for chatting with the fam and gaming. I will let you guys know, but I do not report to the ship until January...so you may have to wait awhile.

@Rsuminsby I like Cambridge and have heard good things. I will be on a DDG. Yes a stateroom with, at max, one roommate is FAR better than a "closet" with 9 racks in it!

@Arni It is too funny, I was in my garage this morning, and in an old stack of papers, I found an old Stereophile I had not read...guess what, it is the one that reviews the CEntrance! Fate?

Thanks again. I think I am strongly leaning toward a DAC with USB connector. The Creek mentioned above I have heard great things about...any other headphone amps? Maybe I should go tube. What was that Chinese one reviewed several months back in Sam's Space?

Not sure about other DACs, but the DACmagic has both a USB input and TOSlink and coaxial digital inputs, switchable on the front panel. That at least provides the option of comparing the sound you get from a CD transport with what you get from USB.

If you haven't already, check out the Headroom website (www.headphone.com) for lots of great info on headphones and amps. In-ear 'phones like the Eytomic are great if you expect noisy surroundings, which seems pretty likely.

Okay, after days of research and playing the, "Well for only $100 more I can...."-game, I found myself seriously contemplating the Bel Canto DAC2.5.

Then reality set in, just too much for now.

So, as a start, I think I am going to go with the new V-DAC II and the Creek OBH-11. I will continue to use my AKG 240s. So $550 is a modest start, and I will see where to go from there.

What are your thoughts?

You may want to check out the Furutech Alpha DAC/PRE/HP amp that was written up in S'Phile this month.