headphone amps?

Just plug and play and try and change gear until you find what you like. :yes: :thmbsp:

And remember it is all about the :music::music::music:

You can't argue with this! :thmbsp:

However, personally, I would like to know if I am simply suffering from psycho acoustic delusion/placebo or not, but that's me, I have an investigative personality about such matters. It's not a big deal though, and I'll enjoy my gear regardless, but it'd be nice to know (I don't like mystery, I like knowing when at all possible, especially if I am victim of my faulty all-too-human perception).
 
You can't argue with this! :thmbsp:

However, personally, I would like to know if I am simply suffering from psycho acoustic delusion/placebo or not, but that's me, I have an investigative personality about such matters. It's not a big deal though, and I'll enjoy my gear regardless, but it'd be nice to know (I don't like mystery, I like knowing when at all possible, especially if I am victim of my faulty all-too-human perception).


Yes me too. I just wrote a long post on another thread here about some of the differences between 16bit/44.1kHz and 24bit/192kHz digital formats. Some of it applies to just analog audio and might even apply to headphone amplifiers in terms of extended frequency response and phase and timing accuracy. Funny how the human ear works and how it reacts to different audio gear.


I was asked so I wrote...

But one has to be careful...For some it is just TMI.

They just want to listen to the :music::music::music:

And by the way it is all psycho acoustic and the ever present placebo effect is always lurking in the dark corners just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting audio hobbyists and professionals alike:D:yes:
 
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This is just a case of when one is simply not worth replying to 33 (for such statements surely evidence a disconnect with reason/reality); no reason to get upset or offended, just feel sorry for the poster if anything. That's how I took it, I know my (and your and many others') posts in here were far from dribble, nor do I (or you) lack any substance (and nor do any other posters itt as far as I can discern :scratch2: :D). And that's all that matters. :thmbsp:

Yes, that probably would have been the proper thing to do, I shouldn't have replied at all, I do kind of regret it, and I could delete it, but I won't. I don't know, it's not so much I was upset or offended, as I was annoyed that such claims existed, and were uttered in honest. I can't very well change someones personality through a forum, I know that much, but it just irks me to see a blatant untruth such as that, and dismissal of another persons thoughts and ideas, which I believe have inherent value.

Yes me too. I just wrote a long post on another thread here about some of the differences between 16bit/44.1kHz and 24bit/192kHz digital formats. Some of it applies to just analog audio and might even apply to headphone amplifiers in terms of extended frequency response and phase and timing accuracy. Funny how the human ear works and how it reacts to different audio gear.

And by the way it is all psycho acoustic and the ever present placebo effect is always lurking in the dark corners just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting audio hobbyists and professionals alike:D:yes:

That is very true, it's almost, if not entirely, impossible to completely negate the placebo effect. Heck, I read not long ago that in trials, the "more expensive" medicine (placebo) gave better results, which could be connected to the topic at hand, but I think that is not a valid link(totally different fields, and not exactly cause-and-effect).

I do enjoy the first thing you pointed out, the human ear is really something, can you completely trust it?, of course not:D. I was reading a chapter in Psychology the other day, about one of the first schools of thought in psychology, Structuralism (started by Edward Titchener), which was effectively "experiance something, and write about it", which was called "Introspection", where you would describe the attributes of something, without naming the object, to retrieve raw data about the way the brain organizes and relates things.

What i'm getting at is, we really haven't come that far in these forms of discussion, with something like the human ear, we can only relate a personal experiance and suggest relative quality of the data presented. Since we are a widely different bunch, one's reactions are not the same as anothers. Also, I'd like to think I read that chapter for something, were else to post boring information on a forum;)

Needless to say, there are many measurable things that can stengthen observations as well as reveal pychoacoustic effects, but that won't necessarily change how one experiances it.

@Jbl_guy, I now doubt you are still glad i'm posting:D, sorry all for the dissertation, it all boils down to liking what you like, and not letting some yahoo(myself included) convince you differently:thmbsp:
 
Look, I think your post would improve with a little bit of finess in statement, the tone is not one that promotes healthy dicussion or reasonable reactions. You cannot say "dribble from ill informed people with no substance" simply because they go against your viewpoint. You say your opinions are based on your listening, and others have said their opinions are based on their listening, so what is the difference?, how much more informed are you from they, how much more substance do you have than anyone else?

You are correct after re-reading my posts they probably could have been phrased better, I always was a subtle as a barbed wire bog roll.

The thing about the Grado Ra-1 is not it's number of parts, but actual value. Those parts are middle of the line at best, and for the price, could have been much better. Many do praise the minimalist approach to circuit design, but the grado should be better than it is for $400, where's a stepped attenuator, or a better, sealed-in pot?, that's not much to ask for. The other problem is that the Ra-1 would not be able to have as much power as a full push-pull output.
I find the story of the Grado RA-1 quite interesting, when it was launched and reviewed by well know HI-Fi magazines it got good reviews the only negative comments were down to noise when activating the power switch. Then somebody dissected the unit and posted pictures online, suddenly there was lots of negativity due to the price of the parts used. The circuit for the RA-1 is just a basic op-amp circuit in which the components have been chosen to work as best they can with the Grado headphone line up, specifically the RS-1's. The op-amp is able to output 70mA of current that's enough for most cans but granted not as 'powerful' as a push pull output. If it had not been taken apart end users would not know if it had a stepped attenuator or an alps blue pot in it, if the basic pot they have fitted is well matched for each channel it would not add anything to the sound of the unit except cost, obviously Grado's along with any company's aim is to keep costs down. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that the RA-1 is the best headphone amplifier because it is obviously not but it just highlights how people's perceptions can be changed. I also think that it is a neutral amplifier and this is probably why a lot of people don't like the sound of it.
 
You are correct after re-reading my posts they probably could have been phrased better, I always was a subtle as a barbed wire bog roll.

Ha, well, i've run into more folks than you that are like that...I probably came off a bit harsh, it wasn't my intention...I as much as anyone can have "off" days were stuff gets to me, while I don't quite agree with what you posted, or the way, I do value your input and discussion:yes:

I find the story of the Grado RA-1 quite interesting, when it was launched and reviewed by well know HI-Fi magazines it got good reviews the only negative comments were down to noise when activating the power switch. Then somebody dissected the unit and posted pictures online, suddenly there was lots of negativity due to the price of the parts used. The circuit for the RA-1 is just a basic op-amp circuit in which the components have been chosen to work as best they can with the Grado headphone line up, specifically the RS-1's. .

There is probably much truth to that. I would guess that amp was definitely tuned to the grado can's, which tend to be efficent, so output wouldn't be a huge factor(I never go above ~20/100 scale on the little dot with thr sr-60i's), that's normal, every company tunes to their own gear, or preferred brand. And that does reveal quite a bit about perceived value to quality, which is a natural reaction. I'm sure for all purposes the Grado is a fine amp, but it's like lifting the hood of your mustang GT and seeing a honda engine, sure, it still gets you from A to B while looking pretty, but it sure ain't what you paid for:D. So the real argument is value, you can build a compatible circuit for $30 with better parts, and many have, and enjoy the sound - therefore, one could surmise the grado is at least equal to those, perhaps, but is "should" be a whole lot more, or a whole lot cheaper...it does look really nice though.

The other thing is, the RA-1 appears to be sealed in some form of epoxy, which limits modification, unfortunate, as op-amp rolling is a good way to "tune" response - accurate or no;).
 
So the real argument is value, you can build a compatible circuit for $30 with better parts, and many have, and enjoy the sound - therefore, one could surmise the grado is at least equal to those, perhaps, but is "should" be a whole lot more, or a whole lot cheaper...it does look really nice though.
Maybe it should be a whole lot more but are you going to tell me that a large proportion of the retail price (£750 in England) of a pair of RS1's is component parts. I must admit when I received my RS2i's I was distinctly underwhelmed with 1) the card board box 2) lack of storage bag 3) lack of 3.5mm - 6.3mm adapter and 3) lack of the feeling of 'quality' from the headphones in general. I would guess the component parts add up to less than £50 even this figure would be generous.

The other thing is, the RA-1 appears to be sealed in some form of epoxy, which limits modification, unfortunate, as op-amp rolling is a good way to "tune" response - accurate or no;).
My opinion would be that it is sealed because you are buying into the Grado sound when buying their products, they are selling you the complete package take it or leave it this is what Grado wants you to hear. Also they would have predicted what would happen when the internals became public knowledge, £350 for an op-amp and wooden box.
 
I am going to disagree with most of the previous posts and say they are a complete waste of money. If you have a good Hi-Fi amp with a headphone out it is going to be driven straight off the power amp via dropper resistors. It will sound as good as any dedicated headphone amp. It may be a different story if the headphone output is a separate circuit and driven by op-amps but the last 40 odd amps I have serviced/repaired have not had this so they are far and few between.

However if you only have a cd player or laptop etc with headphone outputs you would benefit greatly from using a dedicated headphone amplifier. Something else headphone amps have going for them is they look pretty when you post pictures on forums so you look like a true head-fier

what he said - x2! ofcos there are variances in headouts of different amps depending on make & model just like they dont all sound the same driving the same speakers but with that being said, my vintage amps headout absolutely pawns all the dedicated (read expensive) headamps i have heard (eg. PPAv2, Zhaolu 2.0 with discrete headamp, LDII, DIY'd hi-current buffered amp, iBasso D1 & D10).

now ofcos i havent heard them all but for the $50-100 i paid for my vintage amp/receivers, IMO nothing under $500 in a dedicated headamp will touch them in sonics. & im being seriously conservative here. the headout of my 'Sui AU-517 & 350 receiver sounds positively fab powering cans from a vintage AKG K240 Sextett all the way to a lil ol Yuin PK1 earbuds. my HIfiman HE5-LE orthodynamics (magnetic plannar ala maggies for speakerhead talk) rocks driven off them from their speaker taps.

so much so i have sworn off buying headamps for my cans. save your money & dont buy into the hype. the headout of alot of vintage amps are of very high quality:yes:

ps:just my 2cent YMMV ofcos
 
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I don't have the space to just have gear strewn all over the house - doubt I'd ever go so far to have a standalone head amp. However I've just gotten an old Bryston 1B preamp that has a custom headphone stage installed, with independant discrete Bryston amplifier outputs for both the headphone/preamp. Seems like a great two-birds-single-stone way to have both worlds - will be interesting to hear the result!
 
It's just that this subject seems to be derailing, that's all. Let's just agree to disagree. :thmbsp: I'm of the camp that can clearly hear a difference ( a better difference ) when using a dedicated amp versus a one-size-fits-all. No big deal really. I trust my ears first and foremost.

Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading, learning, and discussing this subject with you and most everyone else. Giving opinions is a great way to learn, giving blanket statements is not. I'll keep silently reading this thread, and if I feel the urge may chime in again.:yes:

Peace

Jimmy

The problem, Jimmy, is that some AK members value measurements and tests over actual listening experience, and the latter, IMO, is the best way to determine if differences are audible and appealing to you, in your system. These arguments never end around here, and I find it very irritating when someone tells me I'm probably imagining what I'm hearing if I can't measure it, or come up with some technical explanation. The fact that the technically savvy among us are scratching their heads about why external headphone amps would improve the sound does not negate the results of the listening experience.

Yep, a few people here are knowledgeable about electricity, and electronics, but to me the issue here is simple: Do headphones sound better to you when using a headphone amp? That's it. I don't buy all the power of suggestion and hearing what you want to theories. On some level I don't doubt that those things happen, but if the hi-fi audio experience were the enormous hallucination/delusion some here would have us believe, it would be a very sad state of affairs.

Lots of paranoia in the hi-fi audio community, like the world is out to trick you and steal all your money, all the while casting a spell over you with suggestions and expectations, effectively turning you into a zombie. :scratch2:

You are correct after re-reading my posts they probably could have been phrased better, I always was a subtle as a barbed wire bog roll.

Yes, you're embarrassing yourself. Calling members with opposing viewpoints ill-informed and their words "dribble" seems to demonstrate a lot of insecurity on your part. Admitting to your lack of tact doesn't excuse it, and you won't last long on AK unless you get it under control.

I find the story of the Grado RA-1 quite interesting, when it was launched and reviewed by well know HI-Fi magazines it got good reviews the only negative comments were down to noise when activating the power switch. Then somebody dissected the unit and posted pictures online, suddenly there was lots of negativity due to the price of the parts used. The circuit for the RA-1 is just a basic op-amp circuit in which the components have been chosen to work as best they can with the Grado headphone line up, specifically the RS-1's. The op-amp is able to output 70mA of current that's enough for most cans but granted not as 'powerful' as a push pull output. If it had not been taken apart end users would not know if it had a stepped attenuator or an alps blue pot in it, if the basic pot they have fitted is well matched for each channel it would not add anything to the sound of the unit except cost, obviously Grado's along with any company's aim is to keep costs down. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that the RA-1 is the best headphone amplifier because it is obviously not but it just highlights how people's perceptions can be changed. I also think that it is a neutral amplifier and this is probably why a lot of people don't like the sound of it.

I would have let the RA-1 thing go, but I just have to point out again that I was never impressed with the thing, long before I saw those pictures on the internet, or learned about what's inside it. Where sound quality is concerned, the RA-1 is simply mediocre IMO, and although I'm a fan of their headphones and phono cartridges, I feel Grado has priced the RA-1 too high.
 
The problem, Jimmy, is that some AK members value measurements and tests over actual listening experience,
Unfortunately engineers work on facts and figures, grey areas don't exist its black and white only.



Yes, you're embarrassing yourself. Calling members with opposing viewpoints ill-informed and their words "dribble" seems to demonstrate a lot of insecurity on your part. Admitting to your lack of tact doesn't excuse it, and you won't last long on AK unless you get it under control.
Why do I feel like I have been told off by my dad:D It doesn't have anything to do with being insecure all I was looking for was facts and figures but you have now said that there are none and you just think that they sound better, fair enough then.



I would have let the RA-1 thing go, but I just have to point out again that I was never impressed with the thing, long before I saw those pictures on the internet, or learned about what's inside it. Where sound quality is concerned, the RA-1 is simply mediocre IMO, and although I'm a fan of their headphones and phono cartridges, I feel Grado has priced the RA-1 too high.
I realise that you said you thought it sounded poor from the off but there were a lot of people who sung its praises.....at first.

Still this thread has inspired me to have another listen and do some more comparisons. I now have some different cans to the last time I tried so I have dragged my little dot 1+ out of the loft and dusted it down. It currently has Western Electric 408A valves fitted what is the general consensus on these ? are there any other recommendation on valves to try which you have had good success with, I can get hold of most valves NOS and current production.
 
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Unfortunately engineers work on facts and figures, grey areas don't exist its black and white only.

If you don't watch out we will start talking about morality concepts in regards to engineering;)

To not get into this kind of discussion (which is more fit for "thinking out loud"), i'll say that amplifiers have a huge number of variables, formulas and measurment will get you very far, but sometimes it's almost impossible to narrow things down, in my experiance at least (ask me about digital circuits interacting with dirty AC lines:sigh:). I'm an engineer at heart, so I prefer working with numbers, but I do think there are some variables that can't be tested on home "bench" gear:dunno:...ask me in a year and my opinion may be completely different

Still this thread has inspired me to have another listen and do some more comparisons. I now have some different cans to the last time I tried so I have dragged my little dot 1+ out of the loft and dusted it down. It currently has Western Electric 408A valves fitted what is the general consensus on these ? are there any other recommendation on valves to try which you have had good success with, I can get hold of most valves NOS and current production.

Those are supposedly pretty good, they were the "deluxe" option from the supplier of the amp as I recall. They should work fine, and be better than the 6j1 (?) that are average, at best. A lot of the tube business is in what phones you are using...I am using some russian military ones, which sound great to my ears. I also tried mullards, which, to me, sounded a little dark and muddy (in reality, I think they accentuated the grado's already "blended" mid-low frequencies). I believe I also tried out some RCA's (have to check)...those were good, and replaced the stock chinese-marked ones, so the 408A may be equal or better.

What i'm getting at is, try the 408's they should be fine for a listen:yes:. If you have some spare op-amps, that can somewhat help, but it's not a "night and day difference" thing.

Out of curiosity, what headphones and receiver/integrated amp will you use?...whichever you choose, it is great to hear you trying things out. How about this, tomorrow i'll try the same, little dot I+ compared to my pioneer sx-727 output:thmbsp:, I have four set's of phones at the ready (but only one good pair:stupid:)
 
The problem, Jimmy, is that some AK members value measurements and tests over actual listening experience

I don't find that to be the case at all. I would say that some like more data points and are aware of sources of errors like sonic memory. Hearing a difference and kidding yourself are often the same thing. I've been guilty of hearing a difference then not hearing a difference when the comparison was carried out more carefully. I've done enough of these self checks to understand that human perception isn't as good as our egos would like it to be. I also understand that there is no magic to making an amplifier.



I don't buy all the power of suggestion and hearing what you want to theories. On some level I don't doubt that those things happen, but if the hi-fi audio experience were the enormous hallucination/delusion some here would have us believe, it would be a very sad state of affairs.
Well, get ready. It does happen. Why should it be a very sad state of affairs? What I do hear is great. I love music and listening. I am very happy being relaxed about what a wire or amplifier can deliver. The only component I agonize over is speakers and room adjustments. Those things deserve a lot more attention.

Just to be clear. I think most, what you call, "meter readers" enjoy music every bit as you, but they understand the scale of error and understand that small measurement differences, if audible at all, are totally masked by distortions produced by drivers.

Lots of paranoia in the hi-fi audio community, like the world is out to trick you and steal all your money, all the while casting a spell over you with suggestions and expectations, effectively turning you into a zombie. :scratch2:
I don't know if "paranoia" is the right word. "Taking advantage" might be a better choice? I think the "zombie" part is what we don't need. As in "You need this headphone amp to get to the upper echelons of sound". We don't need to create more of those zombies.


Yes, you're embarrassing yourself. Calling members with opposing viewpoints ill-informed and their words "dribble" seems to demonstrate a lot of insecurity on your part. Admitting to your lack of tact doesn't excuse it, and you won't last long on AK unless you get it under control.
how, exactly, is that different from you saying "The problem, Jimmy, is that some AK members value measurements and tests over actual listening experience"? I'm curious about that.
 
how, exactly, is that different from you saying "The problem, Jimmy, is that some AK members value measurements and tests over actual listening experience"? I'm curious about that.

I'll tell you how. Because it's no different than someone coming over here and saying to me " Your opinion is crap, it's wrong, and everything you've learned in your whole life about hi-fi, and electronics in general is all crap". Actually, the word should have been "garbage", but really it's just the same. The guy doesn't know who I am or what my experience is. But he does say to not believe things I read on the internet cause "it's bad", yet he wants me to believe him - ON THE INTERNET? And who is he? I don't know. He has under 50 or so posts - hardly enough to merit any observation in my book.

But you know what? It's not about me. It's about the ignorance people have. I, like many more people, have a passion for usic and we have a high tolerance for being objectionable. I've been there, done that when it comes to listening, and I KNOW that I can trust my ears. If this dude just can't trust his own ears enough to be able to KNOW that something IS different then too bad for him to have to get into that corner of paranoia and ask for physical undeniable, tested 1000 times proof just to satisfy his own self doubt. In MY experience, and in keeping with the theme of this thread, I can undeniably hear a difference between a dedicated headphone amp driving MY headphones, and the same headphones being driven off my receivers headphone out. And the difference - TO ME - is that a dedicated amp ( for whatever reason ) sounds better TO ME. This is all, and always has been, my opinion only, and never did I say that the OP HAD to get a dedicated amp.

This thread has turned into a piss-fest. I'm out of here.

Jimmy
 
I'll tell you how. Because it's no different than someone coming over here and saying to me " Your opinion is crap, it's wrong, and everything you've learned in your whole life about hi-fi, and electronics in general is all crap". Actually, the word should have been "garbage", but really it's just the same. The guy doesn't know who I am or what my experience is. But he does say to not believe things I read on the internet cause "it's bad", yet he wants me to believe him - ON THE INTERNET? And who is he? I don't know. He has under 50 or so posts - hardly enough to merit any observation in my book.
I don't know who you're quoting. It wasn't me. I said there's a lot of misinformation on the internet, or don't believe all that's posted on the internet. Something along those lines. I'm not changing my idea about that.

But you know what? It's not about me. It's about the ignorance people have. I, like many more people, have a passion for usic and we have a high tolerance for being objectionable. I've been there, done that when it comes to listening, and I KNOW that I can trust my ears. If this dude just can't trust his own ears enough to be able to KNOW that something IS different then too bad for him to have to get into that corner of paranoia and ask for physical undeniable, tested 1000 times proof just to satisfy his own self doubt. In MY experience, and in keeping with the theme of this thread, I can undeniably hear a difference between a dedicated headphone amp driving MY headphones, and the same headphones being driven off my receivers headphone out. And the difference - TO ME - is that a dedicated amp ( for whatever reason ) sounds better TO ME. This is all, and always has been, my opinion only, and never did I say that the OP HAD to get a dedicated amp.
I have zero problem if people did preface their statements with "In My experience...", but more often than not, these findings are stated as "These headphone amps have a huge soundstage", "are totally better than a stock receiver", shall I go on? That is when I think I have a right to bring some other possibilities to the table. I believe people deserve to get their promise delivered. If the promise of better performance is a placebo effect that a person experiences, good for them. Does that have the weight of evidence that the performance improvement is there for everybody? I say no and I think I'm entitled to that. The weight of evidence say's no also, I'm sorry to tell you. If you want to make it a "fact" that these headphone amps improve performance by force of opinion, good luck with that, but wishing really hard doesn't make it a fact. I don't know when it happened but it seems like the Hi-Fi world felt entitled to write their own physical sciences book.

This thread has turned into a piss-fest. I'm out of here.

Jimmy
Is this another toss grenade and run?
 
No Jon, it wasn't aimed at you. Your wording has always has tact and have been rather informative. :yes: I won't toss names but if you re-read the thread from the begining I think you will see. But I do like your quote about tossing grenades and running :D.

Anyway, it seems I keep coming back here, namely because my name was brought up, otherwise I really had no intention of posting in this thread again. Ahhh who knows. It's too early and I haven't had enough coffee yet. I think this time I will throw in my last grenade and run for good. It seems this battlefield has caused enough damage to the original post.

Peace

Jimmy
 
Hey Elitemav,

Did you make it this far or you have you bailed out?

Did you get your original question answered?

As often happens this thread got somewhat sidetracked.



A simple answer to your question would include:

Some gear does not have a headphone jack, so a HA can provide this functionality.

A HA may in fact in certain situations sound more pleasing to the user than the built in headphone jack on some gear.

I asked what exactly is being changed when a HA is used.

One thing that seemed to be ignored is that when a HA is used it is usually driven by a point early on in the signal chain in the main amplifier.

That is it is usually connected to the tape output or the line output of the main amplifier.

So one is substituting a different output section and this may in fact be a factor in the difference in sound. IIRC only one poster even addressed this and he mentioned that he had his high impedance headphones connected directly to his tape output connections, thus eliminating the power output stage of his amplifier.

This address the opinion that there is absolutely no difference and HAs are a wast of money. A HA may have better design parameters than the power output stage of an amplifier or it may not.

I posted some information about the interaction of the headphones and the output stage driving them.

Sometimes there is a lacking of logic when launching into discussions of this type. For example if a person is using a separate preamp and power amp in his system and changes out the power amp he may expect a different character to the sound. The new amplifier may have more power, less distortion, better damping factor and so on or it may in fact be inferior to the original amplifier.

Using a HA is replacing one output stage with another, so there may in fact be a change in the sound quality, for better or worse.

Will using a HA always improve the sound quality. Simple logic dictates that the answer be no.

It is possible that separate HA will change the sound character and actually improve the sound character or for that fact make it worse.

Yes.

Understand that I am not actually taking sides in this debate, only pointing out some simple facts.

And trying to get this thread back on track, although it appears that this thread may have run it course.

I mean no offense to anyone that has posted in this thread.
 
I've been considering a dedicated headphone amp to use with my MacBook Pro and Denon AH-D2000 headphones.

From the following list, which one would you recommend the most or is there another one that you would recommend. It needs to have at least a USB input. Maybe another input so I can use it with my AV Processor, too. I'd like to stay below $200.

I also need it to support 24/96 ALAC files since I have a few I converted from FLAC files found on HDTracks.com.

Thanks!

Hot audio DAC destroyer
49.00
USB only.
ebay.com

HA Sound Master 29 Plus
49.00
USB only.
ebay.com

V1
89.00
USB only
ebay.com

Musiland Lilio
99.00
USB only.
pacificvalve.net

style audio CARAT - HD1V
99.00
USB only.
ebay.com

Zero amp/DAC
111.00*
USB/Coax/Optical
ebay.com

Headroom total bithead
159.00
USB only.
headphone.com

Carat Peridot
159.00
USB only.
ebay.com

Musiland/Diyeden SVDAC06
169.00
USB/Coax/Optical
pacificvalve.net

Mini USB DAC/Amp
169.00
USB/Optical
hifidiy.net

iBasso D2-boa
189.00
USB only.
ebay.com

Diyeden SVDAC05
200.00
USB/Coax/Optical
pacificvalve.net

Carat Ruby
209.00
USB/Optical
ebay.com

Fubar III
210.00
USB only.
 
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I've been considering a dedicated headphone amp to use with my MacBook Pro and Denon AH-D2000 headphones.

From the following list, which one would you recommend the most or is there another one that you would recommend. It needs to have at least a USB input. Maybe another input so I can use it with my AV Processor, too. I'd like to stay below $200.

I also need it to support 24/96 ALAC files since I have a few I converted from FLAC files found on HDTracks.com.

Thanks!

You are looking for a combined DAC and HP amplifier.
Some DACs have pretty reasonable HP sections but they usually are not given high marks by the 'golden ears'.
Both the ZeroDAC and the Maverick D1 should be on your 'look at' list, IMO. I've got both and they are acceptable to me. The Maverick has better controls and is more flexible in use, IMO.
 
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