Well I got the Dragonfly but so far I have only been able to test it on my AKG headpho
nes, which are a lower end model. Even with them there was a noticeable difference from just using the headphone jack - the sound stage opened up, the sound was fuller, and details were much more apparent. I expect a part of this(fuller sound) could be achieved with a designated headphone amp, but that's not what I was aiming for. That being said, I'm curious what a regular solid DAC could do for me, and now that I've gotten a couple checks from my new job (and getting paid more what I'm worth), I have a bit of money I could put toward one. The drop for the recommended SMSL M8A is active again, and I like what info I've read about it. I think I'm going to order it today, the chip is upgraded from the M8 and it's list of capabilities is extremely high. While some people say the D30 is almost as good for less money, I'm one of those people who hate "wondering" what I could be missing out on (hence wanting to buy a different DAC). It's either that, or the Nuforce DAC 80 which caught my eye at an extra 70 bucks if anyone has thoughts on that one. But I would also like to get one of the marantz 7 clone tube amps to run between the DAC and my Heathkit amp, and that's almost half the money I would need for it. I plan on getting my Tannoys hooked back up over the weekend to listen to the Dragonfly through them