I’m considering to invest in good closed back headphones such as the LCD-XC’s.
Which Roon ready and MQA capable DAC/AMP should I consider to drive them?
I chose the iFi nano iDSD Black Label to drive my Audeze LCD-X. It is a MQA renderer, not a decoder, which means that you will have to accomplish the first unfold using a desktop application like TIDAL or Audirvana before the DAC can complete the process.
I use the Chord Mojo with Poly. It’s awesome and so versatile. It even powers the LCD-4 without breaking a sweat. I don’t know about MQA though as I play mostly from my NAS and not much from Tidal.
There are great deals out there right now on the Audeze Deckard HPA/DAC. It is a great sounding amp and, of course, pairs well with the Audeze’s. The only reason I sold mine on was because I wanted a remote control. Your MQA would have to be handled in software before the DAC, but this is an option well worth checking out.
I would add Hugo 2 to the list of suggestions above. XCs are quite efficient and you do not need a beefy amp. If you intend to use Audeze presets with XC, MQA decoding needs to happen in software.
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