Headphone amp for Beyerdynamic Tesla DT 1350

[ALMOSTunseen]

My grandfather just purchased himself a very nice pair of headphones, the Beyerdynamic Tesla DT 1350
http://www.amazon.co_uk/dp/B004QMH8KI/?tag=tec053-21
He is currently using them on his Macbook Pro retina. He listens to good high quality music, and I feel he is greatly limited by the sound card in the mac. I am asking, what is a good, mid priced amp, probably USB, that is mac compatible?
I found the Audioengine D1-
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=211&products_id=19169
Would that be any good? Any others you would recommend?

 

[Delta6326]

Check out the Fiio E17 or E11
If he is going to be just using the laptop then the Fiio E10 is much smaller and cheaper, it is plenty strong for those Dt 1350 they are 80ohm

They are good for the money and can drive up to about 300ohm the E09K can do 600ohm, but not portable.
If it was up to me I would get the E17 which I am looking at for Christmas as I just got some Beyer Dynamic DT 880 250ohm

If you get the Fiio E17 you can dock it with the E09K to boost the power even more.

EDIT: 3,000 post

 

[ALMOSTunseen]

Check out the Fiio E17 or E11
If he is going to be just using the laptop then the Fiio E10 is much smaller and cheaper, it is plenty strong for those Dt 1350 they are 80ohm

They are good for the money and can drive up to about 300ohm the E09K can do 600ohm, but not portable.
If it was up to me I would get the E17 which I am looking at for Christmas as I just got some Beyer Dynamic DT 880 250ohm

If you get the Fiio E17 you can dock it with the E09K to boost the power even more.

EDIT: 3,000 post

Congratulations on 3000!
The E10 or E09K look like probable options, as the amp will not need to be moved around. Thanks for your advice.

 

[m1dg3t]

Fiio is Ok for budget stuff, I got an e6, but if ya feeling extra joyous get him a Dragonfly by Audioquest. BumbleBee reccomends it

http://www.audioquest.com/usb_digital_analog_converter/dragonfly-dac

Pricing is reasonable, around $200 I think

 

[BumbleBee]

BumbleBee does not recommend the Dragonfly with those headphones. I would probably go with a Audinst HUD-MX1.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Audinst-HUD-...Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item2a22c9d1d8&_uhb=1

 

[m1dg3t]

Well there ya go

 

[STCNE]

Look at the new products Schiit(yeah I know) Audio just released. Their new products are a $100 DAC and a $100 amp. Your grandfather could start out with the amp and add the DAC in later if he felt the sound was still lacking. Schiit also has a 15 day return policy.

I've personally tried out their Bifrost DAC and while I didn't like it myself they were very easy to work with returning it and it gets consistently good reviews. Their products have a very good name in the audio community so I guess the DAC just wasn't what I was looking for sound-wise. Build quality is top notch.

Also, I'd recommend checking out the site 'headfonia'. They've reviewed most of the amp/dac choices in the price range and I feel they do a good job describing how each thing sounds. I believe they have experience with those Beyers as well so it wouldn't hurt to send them a message inquiring which amp would be an ideal match. They don't sell any amps/dacs themselves so they should be able to give you a good, un-biased opinion.

 

[BumbleBee]

the headphone amp on the Dragonfly doesn't have a lot of driving power. it's okay with easy to drive headphones and IEM.

I found the Beyerdynamic DT1350 kinda neutral sounding so I would pair it with something more musical but that's me.

 

[STCNE]

One thing I forgot... does your grandpa have any old stereo equipment laying around? I've generally found old stereo receivers and integrated amps to sound better than dedicated headphone amps especially in the budget range. Of course it can sometimes cost a few $100 to get the old gear back to spec and to eliminate any hum/noise problems that have come with age.

That's what I ended up doing after a few years of swapping out headphones, amps, and DACs. My most expensive dedicated headphone amp was a Burson 160 while I've yet to pay over $100 for an old stereo receiver. In comparison the Burson just can't keep up. I'm guessing it has to do with how much headroom speaker amps have with headphones. This approach wouldn't work at all if space or portability are concerns of course.

 

[BumbleBee]

it's for his grand father. he doesn't need a Schiit stack or anything vintage. stop making his life difficult.

the Audioengine D1 will be fine.

 

[m1dg3t]

E6 sounds better then my Pio sx1080, sx5590 & Yammie htr 6290, dsp Z7.... Using AkG 172Hd

This could just be perceived improvement caused by the increased output when using the e6... I'm only human

 

[Frederik S]

An O2 + ODAC is everything he needs and then some.