you get a good price-value ratio for this "starter" solid state desktop amp (about $100 less than amazon at the time of this review). I purchased this to replace a portable fiio amp with a display that's failing. the amp produces clean power for my dt 990 250 ohms/k 7xx/he 4xx with the dial turned just slightly right of 12 (on spotify). I haven't been able to listen to any 32 bit files but flac sounds better with this than the fiio which is only capable of 16 bit. the build is robust including the cables and power brick and just the right length for my set-up (which doesn't take up valuable real estate). even the unboxing experience was a nice change compared to the typically bromide MD branded products (I'm looking at you K 7xx).
Toothless_SnakeLet me know how that works out. I may jump on the next 6XX drop since there are reviews that mention the X1s are capable of handling these.
OddfellowI will definitely second this. Was also considering the X7S but don't have any balanced headphone/cable combo yet so held off. Compared to onboard sound or a mobile/mini amp/DAC this is a considerable jump in sound quality and power. The DAC performed much better than expected and there's even a noticeable shift in clarity and detail to sound through powered speakers. I previously only thought the bassy mid-to-low-end merk I was subtley hearing was the ceiling to my $100 Creative PC speakers. The headphone amp will definitely suffice for most low-to-mid impedance headphones. I also used a combo of HE4xx/SE6xx/K7xx and almost never had to turn the dial beyond 12-to-1 for most sound sources. Recommended unless you want to graduate to the $300+ category.
For the DAC, getting the right Windows 10 drivers was fidgety but I eventually found a source (USB key drivers weren't verified by Windows).
http://www.ingeniousingenuity.com/User-Manuals_ep_43-1.html
http://www.xmos.com/support/usb-audio-driver-support (XMOS USB Audio Class 2.0)