[Randy Myers]

Looking for opinions. Currently I am using my Benchmark DAC3 HGC purely as a headphone amplifier. I am having my W4S DAC handle the heavy lifting and sending the analog signal to the Benchmark. So the Benchmark is not using much of it's capabilities.

Granted it is one heck of a headphone amp, even receiving Stereophile's A rating, but wasting much of it's functions.

So I am looking for suggestions on headphone amps, without DACs, in the under $1k range.

I have had the Schiit recommended to me. Thoughts? Suggestions? I am not interested in hearing about off shoot products that may be hard to find. I want to know about alternatives that I can be easily obtained.

Or would I be better to just keep the Benchmark even though I am not using many of it's functions. After all, it is a great back up DAC (latest ESS chip), and backup pre-amplifier...